S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 0 | I S S U E # 2

patron: Ms. Zehra Razaeditors in chief: Mubashra Shoaib, Huzaifa Moin Arif, Maha Jawaid Ahmedediting department: Areesha Saif, Ayesha Shoaib, Laiba Gulzar, Deema Atif Sultan,Momina Sadullah, Amna Shah, Marium Aunali Salim, Aryan Tauqeer Khawaja,Namrah Ishfaq, Ayesha Ameera Memon, Javeria Ehtesham, Zaynab Shekha,Fatemah Sultandesign department: Mubashra Shoaibhumans of lyceum contributors: Mahrosh Kasbati, Syeda Sukaina Kazmi, Laiba Irfan

The Lysias

A Bittersweet ReturnBy Eman Anwar

The latest decision of the government to openeducational institutions from the 15th ofSeptember was greeted by mixed reactions.Although the number of COVID cases areunprecedentedly low in Pakistan, the threat ofa second wave is imminent. After over sixmonths in quarantine, students will beapproaching their learning environments withstrict SOPs. Will the happy reunion many of ushave pictured with our friends, teachers, andthe simple white building which feels like asecond home, meet our expectations? In otherwords, if school does reopen, what will be thenew normal?The essence of Lyceum is community. Thoseassemblies in the back shed brimming with students,the game zone littered with friends playing cards,and the jam-packed corridors at rush hour wereinstances that brightened our days. There was evena happy to chat bench, symbolizing the spirit ofcamaraderie that our school upholds. From sharinglab coats to sharing food, companionship binds ustogether. However, social distancing protocols will

mandate changes to these traditions. Wearingmasks, sanitizing at every possible occasion, andkeeping a suitable distance will have to becomepart of the new routine.So what necessitates the authorities to forgosafeguards and finally open doors to students?While some may have become habitual of thecomfort of their homes, online studies do not suitevery student. Although teachers have tried their

utmost to simulate a normal classroom withcontinued entreaties for cameras, microphones andparticipation, it is, nonetheless, a simulation. Theonline examinations are far from ideal, with somestudents feeling more pressured by the submissionprocess than the actual test. From submittingassignments on Edmodo instead of printing themout frantically in the library and sleeping throughbreak instead of queuing at the canteen for a plateof chicken tempura, there is a lot lacking in thisnew online environment.

Besides the academic outlook, these are the finalyears of our school life. This chapter should be filledwith long-lasting memories. First years must bestruggling with forming friendships which enteredour lives so naturally last year. How can theyexperience the rustic charm of Lyceum withoutsitting on a moora or visiting the turtles?Community service societies and exciting schoolevents have been put on hold. However, we can stillhope to live these moments. By fragments, we shalleventually return to a semblance of normalcy.

The Woes of Karachi’smonsoon rain

In the last month, Karachi experienced theworst rainfall it has ever witnessed in closeto three decades. The rains ravagedthrough the city for two days leavingbehind catastrophes that continued thefollowing week. Streets were submerged aswater levels rose, and houses and buildingswere left flooded. The resulting electricityoutage left people in a much worse state,not being able to get help they required, asthe city descended into chaos and crisis.As floods of water gushed through thestreets, it left them jammed with trafficmakingit almost impossible for relief teams

to reach citizens who required help. Thiscatastrophic rain left 41 people dead andresulted in several people being separatedfrom their families. This situation exposednot only the mismanagement on behalf ofthe government in terms of managingdrainage and a crisis but also the failures ofDHA and CBC in assisting the people wholive in their areas. It was yet anotherscenario where Karachi was left on its ownto deal with a situation that could haveeasily been diffused.

By Rayyan Ikram

Being a SocietyHead inQuarantine : Adiscussion withTheParlimentaryDebate Chairs2020-2021By M. Arham Siddiqui

Q:  How did both of you come to love debate andpublic speaking? 

Areesha: Personally, I think debate is more thanjust an activity. I have been doing public speakingsince the 5th grade, and today it makes up who Iam.

Anam: I joined parliamentary debate when I was inGrade 8. I was quite reserved, but always reallyloved public speaking. Ever since, its not only beensuper fun, but it helped me develop my confidence,meet new people, and learn a lot about the world.

Q:  Tell me a little bit about why you decided toapply to become Chairs for the Debate Society.

Areesha: When I started at parliamentary debate, Idid not know anything.As we started doing moretournaments and gained experience, I realized thatthis society brought me to where I am today and Ishould give a shot at leading it.

Anam: I really enjoyed debate in AS; I’d alwaysplanned on applying for Chair, because I reallycouldn’t imagine being this passionate about anyother society! It’s something I genuinely love doing.

Q: How has quarantine been for you guys asdebaters/students. What are some challengesyou face?

Areesha: There are some obvious pros and cons. Ilive very far from Lyceum, and would usually gethome very late after sessions. Debating at home,that’s the best part of it all. A con is that it is hardto interact with the juniors because all I have astheir impressions are their voices. I think a hugechallenge is electricity.

Anam: Quarantine has been strange. We’ve falleninto a rhythm now but it’s definitely called formore responsibility and takes a lot of initiative. Byfar the biggest challenge is stable connections. It’sharrowing to get interrupted in a session becauseof internet issues. However, the biggest advantageis being able to have more competitions. In just amonth, we managed to attend a national and aninternational one with teams from all over theworld, teams we would normally not be able tocompete against.

Q:  What are some things that came off asapprehensive initially but don’t intimidate younow that you've come this far? 

Areesha: I was always afraid that we wouldn’t havea lot of people in Parliamentary Debate. Previously,we had around six people in the society, with mebeing the only social science kid there! This timearound, we have over twenty people and I couldnot be happier.  

Anam: I was a little worried of having to interactwith the new AS solely through the internet. Buthey, we’re Gen Z! If anyone’s worked out a way tofully express themself through technology, it’s us.

Growing up, Julie struggled to find a sense ofidentity, and was ridiculed immensely by society.She has had to face a plethora of hardshipsthroughout her stressful life, including beingdisowned by her own family, being fired for comingout, and even battling a rape case through thecourts. The backlash she received for simplywanting to attain justice, was so severe and harsh,to the point where she had to flee from her ownhome and take refuge in another city because herlife was at risk. On the night of August 10th, Juliewas arrested and manhandled by the police, and in2016 was even brutally beaten by Jajji Butt in Sialkot.To this day, she fears for her life as she receives vile threats every day. All this injustice andanimosity occurred, simply because she was drivento stand up for what was right. Other transgenderfriends of hers stated that she spoke out against theunfair arrest of her friend Rosy, which ultimatelyled to her own arrest. She was detained in themen’s jail, and was prohibited from meeting herlawyer or family. However, after these heinousevents, the public was quick to call out the policefor their blatant transphobia, violence, abuse, andmistreatment of the country’s transgender

community. Together with the support of hervocal lawyer, social media outrage, and peacefulprotests from her supporters, Julie was finallyreleased on Monday from Adiala Jail. She releaseda statement claiming that she was grateful for thecountrywide social media outcry, and how everyeffort made was fruitful in granting her bail, andserving her justice. Even though Julie has not beencleared of the charges against her, and willundoubtedly be criticized and shunned due to thestigma surrounding the topic of trans rights in oursociety, she will not give up. After all, Julie, thecountry’s transgender icon herself says, “I amhere, I am standing and while I am alive I will fightfor my rights and the rights of my community.”

Trans Rights Activist and SocialMedia Sensation Julie Arrested ByPolice In Adiala Jail

She stepped into the coffee shop, the bells over thefront door chiming behind her. The warmth was awelcoming hug after her four-kilometer jog in theautumn chill. She walked over to the counter,getting into line behind a woman trying to keep herbaby from eating her hair, as she tried to wrestleher credit card out of her purse.“Good morning, how may I help you today?” saidthe barista, flashing her a smile.She ordered the same drink she always did, "A Ventiiced Americano with extra ice and the shots pouredover the ice, two pumps of vanilla and somecream!"As she waited for her coffee, her gaze drifted to themany people scattered around the café. Two

students lounged in the low chairs, and she wasfairly certain that they were playing truant. Amiddle-aged man sat by the ceiling lengthwindows, having a heated conversation, his glassesperched on his nose. Two women sat in a velvetloveseat -one of whom had hair that matched thebrick red of the paper that covered the walls- ayoung child of maybe eight twirling before them.Grabbing the paper cup, she made her way out, thedelicious smell of coffee and fresh pastries waftingout with her. Her gaze turned to the magnificentoak that stood before her, as a leaf silently fell,dancing through the air and finally settling near herfeet. Peace.

By Samia Ali

Fal l By Umm-e-Abeeha Khan Yousufzaia short story

Taylor Swift’s surprise decision to release her eighth studioalbum, Folklore was met with a fairly positive reception; toher fans it was akin to a silver lining in these uncertaintimes. The album, apart from being her most lyricallymature work yet, has masterfully managed to encapsulatethe raw emotion that she seems to aim for. Withmasterpieces like “exile” in collaboration with Bon Iver, and“the last great american dynasty”, presumed to be some ofthe best songs ever written, Folklore has diverged from her more recent works back into the Red era. The overall sound is nothing short of atmospheric, almosthazy and relaxed in its vocals and instrumentals; Taylor ventures into a combination of indie-folk andalternate, atmospheric rock but she does it on her own terms, with gut-wrenching lyrics and an evenmore complimentary,yet juxtaposed and refreshingly minimal instrument selection.Despite many critics complaining that the album is too mellow, it is important to admit that there is acertain bravery attached to forsaking a genre of music that had granted her immense professionalsafety these past few years, in fact, for the last decade, her career has been defined solely by catchypop tunes.Folklore tells a story; from the point of view of a regretful teenage boy, a woman resigned to her fate,of nostalgia and longing, of wishing for something more, for something different, but also, forsomething larger than life. She is saying a lot, but this time, she is saying it softly, with simple pianoriffs and minimal production. Folklore, appropriately, flows like one long folk song, but in a mannerthat invites listeners to become a part of something homely and grandiose at the same time.

Folklore - TaylorSwift’s best album yet?

By Ayesha Shoaib Ahmed

ShowReview:ChurailsBy Marium AunaliSalim

Released on Zee5 as a web series, Churails is quitepossibly one of the most revolutionaryproductions of Pakistani media. It explores indetail the treatment of women and theexpectation for them to be the “best versions ofthemselves.”

Everything—from the shots used, to thecinematography—is brilliant. The bold hues andfiltered red lights add a sense of mystery to thescenes, and make them that much more sensory.The score fits with the scenes like perfectly-assembled pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, makingChurails a true artistic masterpiece.

Touching upon prevalent social issues such asharassment, forced marriages, abuse, abortions,societal pressures and the idea that "boys will beboys", the show mirrors society in a heartbreaking,yet unavoidably realistic way. While it does fallshort in its representation of colourism and racism,and often rushes through storylines with no realpay off, it is fairly audacious in its depiction ofsame-sex relationships and the plight of the

Humans of Lyceum

Being part of Lyceum during these times has been aparticularly interesting experience. Especially since I haverecently transferred from Dubai. Schooling in U.A.E isvery different from Pakistan. Despite not expecting thetransition to be smooth given the various differentapproaches to learning, due to the added COVID-19 crisisand the rather textbook view on learning here, I findeverything quite boring and tiresome. Though I do notreally mind the online learning as I have alreadyexperienced it in U.A.E, the online science practicals havebeen torture. I’ll be honest when I say that moving back toPakistan I did not expect much from the “Online SchoolSystem” over here. However, I was pleasantly surprised tofind that “Virtual Lyceum” has been extremely wellconducted. I love school and sports and was originally apart of my old school’s football team for two years. I alsocompetitively trained in swimming. Even though I’m a bitslow in understanding everything due to the difficultmode of studying, I am very enthusiastic about all mysubjects and love a good challenge.

transgender community. Amazingly enough though,the truly vulnerable moments of the show are thosewhich are silent, showing the suffering of allwomen, irrespective of status, through just theirgazes and body language.Churails may not be the most perfectrepresentation of all of society's problems, but it isa necessary and game-changing first step, and willbe remembered for years to come.

Throughout my early teenage years, I struggled with beingoverweight. It was a great challenge for me to reach my fitnessgoals, but when I did, being active and athletic became mypassion. Since I had so much free time during quarantine, Ifound myself in the kitchen trying out different dessert recipesevery day which eventually resulted in ‘Where’s My Dough’ - thebaking venture I started 3 months ago. Even though I have tohustle to manage classes, my baking business, and the gym; Ibelieve nothing that’s worth having comes easy. In fact, I thriveon challenges and constantly set goals for myself. Being a Lyceum student means that I have the privilege to studyin one of the finest institutions in the country. I am excited toacquire the essential skills, knowledge, and leadershipcapabilities that will help me go out in the world and make apositive impact in society.

Emaan Abrar Ali

Manahil Asad

Honestly speaking, I did not have many expectations beforestarting my A Levels. A few of my peers mentioned that itwould be too tough, mainly focused on academics. However,my experience with ‘Lyceum online’ has been good so far. Eventhough the main focus is on academics, I do not find itoverbearing or strict at all.College life online has been an interesting experience, better insome ways because I do not have to commute for an hour andcan study in the comfort of my own room but sometimes it isdifficult to get myself into the focused mindset of studying athome. Despite the fact that we weren’t given the opportunityto officially meet our teachers and fellow classmates, I’m stilllooking forward to going to see our campus in person, verysoon.

The 2020 United States presidential election isscheduled to take place on Tuesday, November 3,2020, making it the 59th presidential election ofthe USA. Joe Biden and Donald Trump will becompeting for the Presidential spot. Voters willselect presidential electors, who in turn will voteon December 14, 2020, to elect either Joe Biden forPresident and Kamala Harris for Vice President orto re-elect Donald Trump and Mike Pence,respectively. Biden has pronounced Harris as his Vice Presidentpick on August 11th 2020. Harris has been widelydebated about as a pick for Vice President, sinceshe is also a lawyer and was previously a Senatorwho advocated for abolishing the death penalty.

She has voted against increasing the defensebudget and criticized Trump’s policies, stating thatshe does not want the American Military to beinvolved in many other countries abroad, althoughshe has also voted against amendments to reducethe size of the Department of Defense’s budget.Furthermore, Harris has been actively vocal aboutthe reported violation of human rights in othercountries, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,the Kashmir dispute, and reports of UighurMuslims being imprisoned in China.

The American Election of 2020By Javeria Tahir

Marium Khalid

P o w e r f u l - M a j o r L a z e r & E l l i e G o u l d i n g 3 N i g h t s – D o m i n i c F i k e

S e c t i o n 8 B a b y – F u l l y L o a d e d S t a nY o u B r o k e M e F i r s t – T a t e M c R a e

C h o s e n 1 – P o l o GS o m e o n e t o S t a y – V a n c o u v e r S l e e p C l i n i c

P r o u d o f M e ? – N a vT e a m - L o r d e

T r u s t N o b o d y – C a s h m e r e C a t

a rainy day playlist - by Momina Sadullah

Karachi Wonders - postlockdown exploration ideas

By Tarfa Siddiqui

Karachi is the economic hub of Pakistan and yet, most of its fame lies in its diverse choice forentertainment activities targeted towards it’s youth. Lockdown has kept most of these activities

inaccessible to us hence, here’s a list of places that are a must visit once it’s finally over!

1.Faraar - Escape GameKarachi’s first escape game Faraar, offers a funexperience that involves solving puzzles withfriends, acting as detectives and lookingthrough clues to unravel a mystery.

2.National Museum of PakistanSet foot into a journey that takes you through thediverse history of Pakistan, exploring artifacts fromdates as ancient as 3300 BCE. You may come across oldarchitectural gems from the British Era of Karachi asyou make your way through the infamous Saddar area.

3.Super SpaceDive into a fun, dark-themed, indooramusement park named SuperSpace, withmultiple activities to try such as a mirrormaze, laser tag, rides, obstacle courses andmany more enjoyable experiences!

i will come to you like the first rain of karachi. making promises i can not keep andsealing it with thunder because you are not my favorite person. i will say yours faithfully

like i was yours to begin with and you will search for me in the clouds and in thechrysanthemums raising their heads towards the sky. you will remember my kindness

with the cup of chai and samosa you had the first day i came to you and you will look forme in your children’s laughter who have never seen rain like this. you will look for me

everywhere because i have left stars in your eyes and prayers on your lips. say my nameand say it loudly, i might come again.

i want to be remembered. unforgivingly and loudly. so i will come to you with all my garajand with all my chamak. how much longer will your people withstand these floods of

fury, these incessant winds, these remorseless howls. the people of karachi built theirhomes with prayers and i will destroy them in seconds. your walls are not meant for suchcruelty but i am not kind. the people of this city have forgotten love and they will forget

me so i will come to you with no warning. and how you will remember. how you willremember me this time.-you people forget easily

“in which i am the rain and unforgettable in every sense”By Safiah Farhan Khatri

The Pious Prejudiceof PakistanBy Huda RizwanThe past month has witnessed what can beaccurately termed as the climax of prejudiceagainst minorities in Pakistan.It is unrealistic,delusional, even shortsighted to think that thiscountry could ever be based on the protection ofthe vulnerable when we as a society are aided andabetted by the government in the hatred andresultant violence against minority groups in thiscountry.The mistreatment of minority groups does notstart with the burning of temples, it begins withour collective refusal to view other human beingsas equals, it begins when we consider theMuharram leaves as holidays, expressing disdainwhen they fall on the weekend, it begins whenchildren belonging to minorities are expected todesensitize themselves to slurs from a very youngage, it begins at home and in school and eventually,it leads to sectarian violence.When an 'Anti-Shia' rally led by a presumablybanned, terrorist organization chanted secretarianslurs that resonated louder than the cries ofwomen advocating for bodily autonomy, it becameapparent that the problem is not reserved for

isolated cases, rather it is rooted in decades ofsystematic oppression and prejudice. When AtifMian, an Ahmedi politician, was forced to resignfrom the government simply because of hisreligion, very few people even deigned to bat aneyelid. This is the country of the infamousBlasphemy Law, where it is considered rational tobook a three year old child under such allegations,where a Christian woman, Asia Bibi was forced toleave the country she grew up in for fear of herlife.Considering all these instances, it is still notcompletely unwise to hope for a better world, butchange can only come through systematic re-education and awareness, and it seems almostradical to advocate for such an initiative in acountry that continues to turn a blind eye to thesuffering of its own people.

DAWN OF DEATH By Zara Zahid Khan

Gaza strip on 11th August 2020- after midnight

The mistakes made by Britain in promisingArab land to non-Arab groups decades agohave had dire consequences and continueto impact to this day innocent civilians ofPalestine. Residents survive with only fourhours of electricity within a day, whilstclean water and proper food are seen as aluxury rather than a necessity.To add to the unlivable conditions, Israelbombed Gaza for seven consecutive nightsin August as a radical move aimed for thesuppression of the Palestinean resistance.Israel has bombed Gaza several times sincethe Israeli-Palestinian conflict erupted in2007.For decades, the residents of Gaza havebeen helpless victims of the repressiveIsraeli occupants.

Suffering from policies of a governmentwhich actively commends increasedsettlements on their land, the people ofGaza remain helpless and unheard. Mediacoverage and influencers around the worldhave continued to desert the Palestineancause as political conflict between Araband Jews, and the brutal human rightsviolations by Israel have been hugelyoverlooked by the UN or the internationalcommunity due to increased US support,which to this day is uniting Israel with Arabpowers instead of providing thePalestinean people with national selfdetermination. It is impossible to predict when the citizensof Gaza will wake up in a safe and peacefulland they can call their own.