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Until We Meet Again

Special Farewell Edition

You are fiddling with the tassel on

your graduation cap. You look up.

You realize they are about to call your

name soon. The long line has some-

how managed to reach the stage. This

is it. You look at the crowd where

your parents are waving at you with the

same exuberant smiles they had the

day of your orientation. Your father

has the camera ready where he does

not want to miss the moment. You

are ready. With a smile plastered on

your face, you reach the stairs of the

stage. Your friends are waiting on the

other side, holding their diplomas.

You cannot wait to go and join their

celebrations. However, looking at

their faces, the same faces that you

had become so fond of in these past

four years, you start to feel a lump of

dread. Was it too soon to say good

bye to these people? This place,

where the inanimate classroom and

hallways had over the years become

soaring fortresses? Taking your last

step towards the stage, you stop and

think that maybe, just maybe, you re-

ally were not ready to let go of this

place.

It is that time of the year when either

you are teary eyed that you are leav-

ing behind a place where it feels that

you spent an eternity at or ecstatic

that a new chapter in your life is be-

ginning. Even with these heavy doors

opening for you, ones that will

(hopefully) await you with open arms,

you will miss this place. It may be an

immediate withdrawal, or for some of

you something that you will reminisce

about years later. But you will miss this

place. I have become friends with

many of you, and have been inspired

by some of you to go down a path with

the same passion and dedication you

have. I have attended classes with you

and have sometimes been in awe with

how you perform. However, many

times I have hardly seen you in classes

and have gotten much higher grades

because of it (thank you, for that). I

have experienced your color week

and have seen some of you the hap-

piest then. From being the most in

character ‘paindus’ to being the least

scary Daakus, you made your last

weeks at LUMS memorable ones.

From being part of societies, embrac-

ing them till they become part of who

you were, to taking part in almost

every event taking place, no matter

how apt you really were to perform

in them. Yes, this was the same confi-

dence that made you sing that Adele

song at that Karaoke Night with undi-

vided passion, even though you only

knew half of the lyrics. The very

same one that made you try out for

the football team when the closest

you had actually come to playing be-

fore was that one time you accidental-

ly kicked the ball outside your house.

But hey, you would probably do it all

over again if given the chance because

it is during these years that some of

you found out what you truly wanted

to do (or in many cases, stay far far

away from). From aspiring to be a

CEO of that fortune 500 company or

dreaming of starting your own busi-

ness, you will remember this place

with every success and failure that you

come across after graduating. From

always wanting to go to that dream

school, the one you do not admit but

have had its poster on your wall since

you can remember, to finally having

some clue as to which direction you

wanted to take. Yes, you will miss this

place. From the PDC food where all

meat dishes surprisingly taste the same,

to hotspot where, admit it, it broke

your heart a little when you found out

it closed down. From all the ambitious

all-nighters you planned during the ex-

ams to finish a semester’s course in

two days, to all the mini panic attacks

you had when you skidded towards the

HSS department a minute before 5

pm to submit an essay you completed

a half an hour ago before the deadline,

even though you had a month to com-

plete it. From all the times you were

supposed to be studying, but ended up

at T block, to all the times you just

would not wake up for your classes

(the instructor had forgotten you were

still enrolled).

Even though many times you have hat-

ed, screamed and pulled out your hair

because of LUMS, you have also spent

a time here that you can call as being

your own. A time that no matter how

difficult it was, one which you thought

would never pass, you somehow still

managed to climb that mountain. Now

when you sit in that hall for the very

last time, to receive your diploma, a

token that symbolizes these four or five

years, you will feel proud. Proud of the

person you have become and what you

have achieved. You will look at your

friends, the very same ones who stood

beside you even when you lost all faith

in your abilities. The instructors who

were your stepping stones for what you

are now. Yes, you will miss this place

for it is one that took you in as a per-

son you thought you would be and

through twists and turns, made you

what you wanted to be.

-Hira Qureshi

Writing this is more difficult than

any exam I have ever taken at

LUMS. My overly sentimental and

dramatic disposition will just keep

me trapped in the little things that I

will miss. The cup of tea that would

keep me awake in class after I gorged

on Zakir’s white handi at the wrong

time of the afternoon. That moment

when a code decided to work, just

minutes before the deadline when all

bugs had gone loose. The regular

Friday debates on the merits and de-

merits of having PDC’s diesel birya-

ni.

But amidst all the high tension

LUMS drama and food therapy, you

manage to discover yourself and

learn to appreciate others. We all

have had our shares of torrential his-

tory with the LUMS Administration

but despite all of that, we found pro-

fessors who were passionate about

what they did and transformed their

classes. LUMS breathes through the-

se people.

-Amn Rahman

There are only two thoughts that I

can share with the graduating class of

2014. I sincerely hope that each and

every one of us finds happiness in

whatever we go on to do. I under-

stand that many of you will get mar-

ried before years end, others will fly

off to exotic cities working for big

companies, some will leave for fancy

grad schools and some might take a

long time to figure out what they

want. Yet finding happiness might be

one of the most difficult things to do.

That’s why I implore each and every

one of you to always be kind to eve-

ryone around you. Having spent four

years at one of the finest institutions

in Pakistan merits a place of privi-

lege, and hence makes it our respon-

sibility to show compassion as little

or as much as we can. Godspeed,

Class of 2014!

-Hussam Masood

As much as it may be a sacrilege to

say this to the society dedicated to

words, sometimes they are not

enough to convey a feeling.

I will miss you all. Some more than

others, but that’s just me being hon-

est.

-Shahrukh Aslam

A Few Words From

Our PLUMS Seniors

-Compiled by Aisha Hamid and Illustrated by Zainab Ali

In Retrospect LUMS Square: Before being re-

vamped, the Khoka looked like a

“chai dhaba” you find on your way

on one of those LAS trips. A couple

of broken plastic chairs and tables

was all that could be seen. Now, the

entire area has been cemented and

wooden chairs and tables have been

placed and I bet you can’t even re-

member how it initially looked it.

The LUMS Confessions page on

Facebook: For months these confes-

sions were the only thing people

talked about. While some of the con-

fessions were actually cute, most of

them were creepy. In one of these

posts, a guy admitted following a

girl’s car for more than half an hour

to see where she lived. After confes-

sions like these, most of the people

were happy the page was deleted.

Although, later other pages like

“LUMS insults” and “LUMS Crush-

es” did sprout out, none had the im-

pact of the Confessions page.

CHOP CHOP! Ahhh. Who

would’ve thought? Chinese food in

LUMS! And it’s not even expensive.

What more do you want from life?

JAMMIN! It’s been more than two

years since it was opened, and in our

opinion, it’s still the most important

change. To explain to you our rea-

sons for saying this, we’ll ask you 3

simple questions:

1) It’s June, and you just came out of

class. Where do you go?

2) You need to eat French fries and

you’re in no mood of going to T-

Block. Where do you go?

3) Pakistan vs. India T-20. Where do

you go?

Yes, that’s right.

-Rana Musa Tahir

Four Years of Inqilaab Remember when you were about knee-

high and smelled like the last meal you’d

had with the runny nose and twinkling

eyes? Those were the days. When was

the last time you caught yourself sighing

“Aaj kal kay bachay...” to realize how

abysmally OLD you sound? And now

you’re (near about) graduating! Jeez,

somebody hit the pause button, right?

Well, for a moment simply forget the

impending future of career confusion,

potential failures and—gulp—taxes; take a

minute to relish the past glories and re-

mind yourself why, regardless of all po-

tential failures, you will always be awe-

some. Simply, ‘cuz you’re a kickass 90s

kid.

1) SCHOOL WAS A WHOLE DIF-

FERENT WORLD THEN

You remember that time when Ma’am

XYZ made you sit next to a boy because

you and your friends wouldn’t stop whis-

pering during a lecture? It’s cute how

sitting a girl next to a boy was a punish-

ment once, only borne by poking your

partner with a compass when the teacher

wasn’t looking (or was that just me?) But

forget gender divisions— girl or boy,

when the class got out to play “King-

Stop” in the games period, you could

show no mercy, right? All those leaps

and “peechay jao, yeh cheating hai” or

teaming up against the class bully to kick

them out of the game ASAP. Or were

you more of a London-Stop (or Polo-

Stop) person? Whatever your favorite

game, you knew Games Period was a big

deal; basically one of the highlights of

your week.

2) MOVIES & TV SHOWS WERE

THE WORKS OF ART, I TELL YOU

One word to make an analogy of then

and now, alone, shall explain what I

mean. Doraemon. Agreed that the car-

toons are based on a manga series, pub-

lished years before any of us were even

born, but, dear God, if I have to see one

more sight of that lazy-ass, ungrateful

Nobita whining to get his easy

way out, I will scream.

Because who doesn’t miss

good old Cartoon Network?

Heck, even PTV’s 7 PM car-

toons? Johnny Bravo was the

smoothest player you knew

and Carl the dorkiest dork

you’d ever know. “Hakuna

Matata” was not only the song

of the decade known by heart;

it was also your own child-

hood motto (did kids even

have one before Timon and

Pumba came around?). And no matter

how many times you’d seen Home

Alone, that kid would be hero-

worshipped as the bad-ass of our time.

Pokémon was a TV show? No friends;

Pokémon was a lifestyle. We can’t for-

get those boys exchanging Pokémon

cards in class or at home, completely

lost in the trade. Back to those visual

works of genius. Remember Cow and

Chicken? Try watching it again and

you’ll be childhood-scarred-forever-ed

from the innuendos. And who can for-

get Bollywood cinema? Biwi No. 1,

Haseena Maan Jaye gi, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. “Pyaar dosti hai” anyone?

*fist bump* See, what I mean? The

90s wasn’t childhood—it was a rite of

passage. It prepared us for LIFE.

3) FRIENDS

When was the last time you talked to

your muhallay ka friend/ chaddi bud-

dy/ 4th grade best friend? Trust me,

it’s time to call them. Because if noth-

ing else, they’ll remind you what a blast

the 90s were. All because you guys had

each other. How many windows did

you break with your red- or white-

taped cricket ball, or even the Rs. 50

rubber ball? How many turns did the

muhallay ka elder “bhai” make you

field for before finally giving you a shot

at batting?

And what bonded friends more than

playing “FLAMES” together. Don’t

remember? You write 2 names, a girl’s

and a boy’s, and see how they end up

in the future. Remember, when we

talked by exchanging notes on scraps

of paper (cell phones at age 6/7/8?

Once, that would have been hilarious)

and made paper fans to handle the

heat instead of being blessed with air-

conditioning?

The 90s was a way of living, something

that many of you are molded by. As

you graduate or plan for the next job,

the next bill, the next mortgage or even

the upcoming marriage (seriously,

when did we grow up?) I leave you

with this wise Italian quote to help you

in the next stage of your life: "We can

fix anything if there's spaghetti in-

volved!" Yes, Mario does know best.

-Zahra Rao

You’re A Kick-Ass 90s Kid!

Ayesha Tahir

1) LUMS begins to take in increasingly

large batches, much to the chagrin of

the current students, as freshies con-

taminate everything from the REC to

the sports fields, to classes, with their

strange peppiness and excessive enthu-

siasm. As a result of the freshie inva-

sion, parking issues get worse, the RO

becomes more reviled than ever.

2) Hilarious attempt to boycott the

PDC ensures even more hilarious re-

sults when on the day of said boycott

the PDC is full as ever. Campusmail is

flooded with emails from the ever ac-

tive Student Council which ask us to

build a WOW KYA BRANDNEW

menu for the umpteenth time, using

currently existing PDC food offerings

as the main options. (In additional

news, Student Council elections get

funnier by the year).

3) LAS gets disbanded mostly because

man, that’s a society that knows how to

have a good time. Is reinstated and

starts to organize bigger and better

trips than ever- after displaying much

sadism at registration desks. Culture

Society becomes the kind hearted sav-

ior for those who cooked themselves

in the sun for LAS registrations but

failed to make the cut.

4) Cat population seems to be on the

rise. One suspects that the gardeners,

guards and janitors reserve a soft spot

for these cuddly well-fed clawing death

machines, who have no sense of pro-

priety and attack you if they see you

with a paratha roll without so much as

a warning.

5) A beard-less Santa Claus in disguise

who pretended successfully for a num-

ber of years to be the VC was finally

exposed for crimes of adorability and

cuddliness and replaced by new scary

authority figure.

6) WILDLY successful ‘I need Femi-

nism’ campaign paves way for the for-

mation of Fem Soc- a society respect-

ed for its wonderfully proactive and

pragmatic response to the problems

faced by upper class, well-educated,

clearly-in-touch-with-reality students.

7) The female gym at LUMS gets radi-

cal new makeover, and strange medie-

val torture devices are replaced with

actual top-notch machinery and tools.

(YES!)

8) A group of well-built, muscled, pro-

tein-shake consuming guys come up

with Mr. LUMS competition, provid-

ing girls with eye candy and the guys

with complexes.

-Minahil Gillani

You’re In This Together! We don’t have any words to describe how you’re feeling right now, but if we did, it still wouldn’t encompass the profoundness of your state of emotional flux. But

we can’t deny the obvious that you are grateful for the four years you have spent at LUMS and that you are feeling a little timid, maybe a little scared, to leave be-

hind this period in your early adult life.

We may not be aware of the finer emotional whims each and every one of you is experiencing right now, but the fact remains that all of you have been in this to-

gether. Together, when you stayed back at the REC room even after the cheque had been paid. Together, when you set multiple alarms to attend that 8 a.m. class

and when you called to wake that friend up who had slept through class hours, when you couldn’t remember the last time you slept for a good 8 hours and when

you were typing away at the speed of lightening just seconds before that gigantic essay was due.

We don’t know exactly what you, who have seen and lived a full four years here, will miss the most about LUMS – but we do know that LUMS has proffered you

all little things around which you had settled yourselves comfortably. Debate teams, sports teams, societies did not just augment your CV but offered a pathway to

realize your full potential. You have stuck around with these groups because they have supported you; they have made you feel loved – every day of the year. You

won’t have this next year. You won’t be living in the same place. You might not even share a bunch of group-messages on WhatsApp about group presentations

whose deadlines somehow always suddenly seemed perilously near.

So, maybe we are not entirely clueless about how you’re feeling. Fear seems unavoidable for this particular list. You’re scared of losing that inexpressible feeling of

walking into LUMS for the first time and as you take those final steps – past the gate, the guards, the LSE students seeking access and the random A-Level kids

looking up at you as though you hold the answers to the universe when really you’re just as scared of the future as they are.

But remember one thing: the best years of your college life aren’t behind you – they carry on with you, repeating in the motion of a boomerang. They are bound

to be a part of your life as you choose between moving to London and moving away from London; moving out of Pakistan in search for the elusive job or moving

back to Pakistan to finally settle down and marry the man/woman of your dreams.

We know that you have had your fair share of regrets: waking up late; that boy or girl in your class whom you couldn’t muster up the courage to talk to; partying

and then studying last minute for that quiz or paper the next day. But consider the parting words of a fellow student – remember that each and every one of you is

this way. Everyone is his or her own biggest critic and it’s very easy to let yourself down. Nobody did his or her readings on time (except for the chawka students,

of course); nobody had the perfect day at LUMS. You all have set high standards for yourself and you think that you will fail to achieve every goal you have set as

you look back at what you have missed out on college. But that’s okay – don’t worry!

Because you’re still young; you’re still in your twenties; you’re still in your prime. You have all the time in the world. We know (because we’ll be in your position

in the next less-than-four-years) you feel it’s too late when you regret not applying for an internship or not taking that specific course that could decide the fate of

your grad school applications. We share the uncertainty that our friends are more accomplished; more successful – more ready to immerse in the real life after

college.

But that’s just it. LUMS has opened up endless opportunities for you. And it’s easy to feel that you have lost yourself amongst them. You have never had to make

those hard “grown-up” decisions (except for maybe choosing courses jin main A aram say ajae) that you’re suddenly expected to. Some of you have already made

those decisions—already applied to graduate school, or that dream job. Many of you, however, may find yourself lost in the numerous offerings that come with a

liberal arts degree. You’re not sure whether you’re on the right road. You’re not sure whether you have taken enough English courses so that you can apply to the

relevant grad programs. If only you had majored in Biology and still lived your childhood dream of becoming a neurosurgeon. If only you had applied for every-

thing and done everything.

We – the students who have shared your tears and pain with every 8 a.m. class or Zambeel-based GPA damage, and your joy over dengue holiday week and

LUMS on those frosty nights – want you to realize that you can still do anything. You can still explore your options. Go get a grad degree or try photography for

the first time. We want you to think, to contemplate. You’re graduating from college with an open heart and mind. You can’t allow yourself to lose endless oppor-

tunities at your disposal. Because college has been about more than just handing you over a degree; it’s been about honing you as an individual.

We want you to come back to LUMS sometime after you graduate. And we want you to visit PDC when it is empty; the library when it is desolate. You’ll then

realize that at that place, which is normally occupied by countless people, you’ll feel at home, safe. This is what LUMS has given you: a sense of security and well-

being; countless memories, friends and mentors; a sense of individuality and maybe even a step up that ladder to oft-feared adulthood.

We want you to realize that you have been in this together and we as Luminites are always in this together.

Carpe Diem!

-Junaid Aftab

THE PLUMS TEAM

PRESIDENT

Hira Qureshi

VICE PRESIDENT

Rohama Malik

GENERAL SECRETARY

Natasha Barlas

HEAD OF DIRECTORATE

Ayesha Tahir

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF CHRONICLE

Aisha Hamid

Sana Haque

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF LUMINAIRE

Minahil Gillani

Rana Musa Tahir

DIRECTOR CREATIVITY

Zainab Ali

DIRECTOR PUBLICITY

Aman Amin

DIRECTOR MARKETING

Izza Adnan

SENIOR EDITORS

Amna Memon

Ayesha Khurshid

Junaid Aftab

Nimra Arshad

Zahra Rao

Ayesha Tahir