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.
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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.
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