Aligarh Alumni Association Organizes Annual Picnic
By Shaheer Khan, PhD
Foster City, CA

 

Members of the AMUAA of Northern California brave the heat with a game of cricket

The AMUAA of Northern California organized its annual summer picnic in the open greens of Lake Elizabeth Park in Fremont on the afternoon of Sunday June 24, 2007 to accomplish a number of things. First amongst them was to have an afternoon of fun and sports on a nice summer day with fellow alumni and friends. Second was to publicize the upcoming events of the Association (complete list of events is available at the Association’s website www.amualumni.org). And last but not least to hold the general body meeting and annual elections and to share a meal with friends prepared by Chandni Restaurant.

Kids enjoying the picnic

It being a largely informal gathering, keeping time was not that critical and by 1 pm the park’s chosen spot was brimming with fellow Aligs and friends dressed in bright and colorful attire matched only by the California summer sun. The men were seen braving the heat with a game of cricket with a park pathway serving as the pitch. Huddled under shades of nearby trees were the women chatting away at ease. Over a delicious menu of fish, chicken roast, cholay, biryani and naan along with the gulab jamun, it was great to see that community members had not lost their appetite for either food or lively conversation.
The children seemed to be having the most fun. As unaware of the heat as any, you could see the little ones running around all over the place with water guns to play and throw water at their friends. Every once in a while you could hear one of them take it just a bit too far which solicited a loud shriek from the ‘victim’, followed quickly by an admonition from the perpetrator’s parents. One of the advantages of our spot in Lake Elizabeth Park is that it is quite a bit away from the lake itself, which means parents can be somewhat relaxed knowing their kids are not getting near the lake.
The main proceedings of the day were concluded with the annual elections of new office bearers and Board of Trustees. Following individuals were elected: Mr. Nihal Khan (President), Mr. Aftab M. Umar (Secretary), Mr. Suhail Farrukh (Treasurer), Mr. Tariq Anwar (Board of Trustees), Mr. Aftab Iqbal (Board of Trustees), and Ms. Amtul Suhail (Board of Trustees).

Some of the ladies who attended the picnic

Finally, kids took the shots at the Piñata and were showered, literally, with candies.
The picnic served a good purpose for the Association by providing a means for a largely open-ended get-together. At this annual AMUUAA ritual, you can catch up with other Aligs, their families, and many more non AMU alumni friends and have some fun playing your favorite game of cricket, Antakshari, or just recap your favorite anecdotes, jokes or whatever pleases your fancy.
AMU Alumni Association would like to extend its invitation to every one to join and make Sir Syed Day celebrations and Mushaira in Bay Area on November 17 a huge success.
Please contact the Association on tel (650) 212-2544 or email amualumni@hotmail.com if you need more information or are interested in sponsoring the largest annual literary event in Northern California.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Editor: Akhtar M. Faruqui
© 2004 pakistanlink.com . All Rights Reserved.