The early morning august sky was beautiful blue with a coll breeze blowing gently through the coastal city of Karachi. One year into its status as the capital of new-born Pakistan. the city with its open spaces appeared more like a desert. There was hardly any traffic on the roads. A little girl. about 12, years old and rather short for her age. was walking beside as graying man of 70 or so. but the man, a former principal of a high school in Mumbai, spilled confidence and strength through his upright gait.
They arrived at the gate of a girls` school. The man suddenly stopped, rather surprised "LOOK," he said to the girl, "I cannot come with you. This notice says that men are not allowed to enter. You will have to tackle this yourself. Surely you can do so.
Deriving strength and confidence from her grandfather, the girl entered the gate to finally arrive at the principal`s office, where she got the permission to enter.
The girl, seeking admission in class seven, was asked to appear fro an entrance test there and then. The test comprised of three sections: arithmetic, English and Urdu and the results were announced minutes after handing in the test paper. She had cleared the languages but scored zero in arithmetic. Naturally, she was refused admission. The little girl, exuding confidence till then, broke down in tears The principal tried to convince her that it would be impossible for her to cope with class seven studies with such a miserable performance in numbers.
"But I have passed second standard from St Raphael`s Convent in Indore by getting the fourth position there, she said between here sobs.
Okay, bring me your result card tomorrow and we shall see. but if you fail in the first monthly arithmetic test here, we will send you to class three. threatened the principal.
Who could have imagined that the journey started with such unsure steps would one day culminate at a beautiful spot and the little girl who sobbed after failing in here admission test would earn the Honour of being the first Pakistani female to get a PhD Degree in nuclear physics from a very prestigious university in North America.
Who could have imagined that the journey started with such unsure steps would one day culminate at a beautiful spot and the little girl who sobbed after failing in here admission test would earn the Honour of being the first Pakistani female to get a PhD Degree in nuclear physics from a very prestigious university in North America.
The Principal, who was so intimidating during their first encounter, became a very understanding teacher, guide and mentor, once I got 24 out of 25 in my second monthly test in arithmetic. She took our English classes and always encouraged me to speak out.
Ms Anwar Jehan bashiruddin, who later became the inspectoress of schools here, is a nationally-acclaimed and renowned education. Naver can i forget here dismay at losing a bunch of very intelligent girls to another school just beacuse Clayton Road Government Middle School for Girls could not be upgraded to the high school status in spite of her concerted efforts.
I had stood first in the annual examinations of class seven and was doing well in my monthly test in class eight. But my hand-writing vacations this teacher of mine had a talk with me in earnest: "We know that you are very intelligent so all of us try our level best to decipher your examination scripts. But who is going to do that for you in the board exams?
Ms Anwar Jehan bashiruddin, who later became the inspectoress of schools here, is a nationally-acclaimed and renowned education. Naver can i forget here dismay at losing a bunch of very intelligent girls to another school just beacuse Clayton Road Government Middle School for Girls could not be upgraded to the high school status in spite of her concerted efforts.
I had stood first in the annual examinations of class seven and was doing well in my monthly test in class eight. But my hand-writing vacations this teacher of mine had a talk with me in earnest: "We know that you are very intelligent so all of us try our level best to decipher your examination scripts. But who is going to do that for you in the board exams?
you might even fail. So please try and do something about it".
The advice was taken seriously. I practiced hard during our vactions and it was thanks to her that I have never been ashamed of my hand-writing after that. Bidding farewell to us Ms. Bashiruddin recommended that we join New Town Girls Secondary School (NTGSS, presently Safia Khan Memorial, GSS) for class nine. The principal of NTGSS had the same simple yet awe inspiring get up, the soft yet authoritative voice, a similar wealth of knowledge and the near to perfect multidimensional personality as Ms. Bashiruddin. she trained us for future responsibilities by constituting a students council, where the office bearers were elected by the entire body of students. As far as I can recall there used to be one day when the council managed the school. I always thank my lucky stars for being Ms Bashiruddin and Ms Safia Khan`s Student.
The advice was taken seriously. I practiced hard during our vactions and it was thanks to her that I have never been ashamed of my hand-writing after that. Bidding farewell to us Ms. Bashiruddin recommended that we join New Town Girls Secondary School (NTGSS, presently Safia Khan Memorial, GSS) for class nine. The principal of NTGSS had the same simple yet awe inspiring get up, the soft yet authoritative voice, a similar wealth of knowledge and the near to perfect multidimensional personality as Ms. Bashiruddin. she trained us for future responsibilities by constituting a students council, where the office bearers were elected by the entire body of students. As far as I can recall there used to be one day when the council managed the school. I always thank my lucky stars for being Ms Bashiruddin and Ms Safia Khan`s Student.
As heads of institutions, they guided their faculty not only to impart meaningful human being.
inculcation moral, cultural and social values. In class 11, Safia Apa taught us English. Our school was an Urdu-medium school but her way of teaching gave us a very strong base for English which served us so well in our later years.
NTGSS students figured prominently in all walks of life in their professional endeavours. Many attained national stature. There was a medium-size cupboard filled with abridged versions of classic English literature. It was mandatory for every student to read one title over the weekends to hand in a class assignment on Mondays.
Safia Apa made me responsible for the issuing and receipt of the books. The beauty in this arrangement was that I could read as many books as I wished.
It was just after my admission in first year science that I hurried to get the library card and made a beeline for the English literature. Hungrily I devoured the original versions of all the books I was introduced to in the school. Perhaps that laid the foundation for whatever writing skills I later cultivated.
Safia Apa was a wonderful Administrator. Our school premises were always sparkling clean. Not a shred of paper or litter could be seen anywhere. Safia Apa herself picked up any such thing found on the ground. In fact she trained us by becoming an example herself. Our first day in college was spent hearing the same question from almost all our lecturers: "How may from New Town?
My role model and mentor in college was our English teacher Mrs Yusuf Jamal Hussain. Her diction was beautiful and the substance of her lectures was so solid that I nver consulted the textbook. It was the miracle of her teaching that I, a girl from Urdu-medium background, scored the highest in first year. Once Mrs Hussain recongnised my potential, she took me under her wing and insisted that I write for the college magazine. Thus I was able to polish and improve my English. After my BSc (Hon), when I, probably, became the youngest member of the college staff, she chaperoned me and looked after me as a monther hen would take care of her chicks.
Safia Apa left for her heavenly abode in March 1984. I was so proud of the fact that she followed my career growth with interest. Her encouragement and good wishes were always a morale booster. We worked together on a number of social wlefare projects once I returned to Karachi after a long absence of 16 years. unfortunately she passed away much too soon While the personal loss for all her students knows no bounds, the society lost a jewel of a person. I kept meeting Ms Bashiruddin in seminars till recently. Her health may have deteriorated but her spirits where as hight as ever. I always feel like a little girl in her persence and am more than eager to do her bidding.
inculcation moral, cultural and social values. In class 11, Safia Apa taught us English. Our school was an Urdu-medium school but her way of teaching gave us a very strong base for English which served us so well in our later years.
NTGSS students figured prominently in all walks of life in their professional endeavours. Many attained national stature. There was a medium-size cupboard filled with abridged versions of classic English literature. It was mandatory for every student to read one title over the weekends to hand in a class assignment on Mondays.
Safia Apa made me responsible for the issuing and receipt of the books. The beauty in this arrangement was that I could read as many books as I wished.
It was just after my admission in first year science that I hurried to get the library card and made a beeline for the English literature. Hungrily I devoured the original versions of all the books I was introduced to in the school. Perhaps that laid the foundation for whatever writing skills I later cultivated.
Safia Apa was a wonderful Administrator. Our school premises were always sparkling clean. Not a shred of paper or litter could be seen anywhere. Safia Apa herself picked up any such thing found on the ground. In fact she trained us by becoming an example herself. Our first day in college was spent hearing the same question from almost all our lecturers: "How may from New Town?
My role model and mentor in college was our English teacher Mrs Yusuf Jamal Hussain. Her diction was beautiful and the substance of her lectures was so solid that I nver consulted the textbook. It was the miracle of her teaching that I, a girl from Urdu-medium background, scored the highest in first year. Once Mrs Hussain recongnised my potential, she took me under her wing and insisted that I write for the college magazine. Thus I was able to polish and improve my English. After my BSc (Hon), when I, probably, became the youngest member of the college staff, she chaperoned me and looked after me as a monther hen would take care of her chicks.
Safia Apa left for her heavenly abode in March 1984. I was so proud of the fact that she followed my career growth with interest. Her encouragement and good wishes were always a morale booster. We worked together on a number of social wlefare projects once I returned to Karachi after a long absence of 16 years. unfortunately she passed away much too soon While the personal loss for all her students knows no bounds, the society lost a jewel of a person. I kept meeting Ms Bashiruddin in seminars till recently. Her health may have deteriorated but her spirits where as hight as ever. I always feel like a little girl in her persence and am more than eager to do her bidding.
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