NED Alumni Convention 2023: Celebrating a Beautiful Past, Making New Memories
By A.H. Cemendtaur
If there is one thing many NED University Alumni living in North America look forward to every year, it must be the annual NED Alumni Convention. The NED alumni convention which rotates among various cities in North America can be defined several ways: it serves as a reunion with friends, NED University graduates spent the most beautiful part of life with; it is a much needed escape from the monotony of daily life; it is an occasion to see the passage of time on the faces of colleagues and reflect on our own journeys; it is an opportunity to retell the student days anecdotes recounted dozens of times before; and it is a time to find out about the friends and faculty members who left us since the last gathering.
The 2023 NED Alumni Convention was hosted at the Embassy Suites in Naperville, near Chicago. It was meticulously organized by the 2023 Convention Steering Committee under the umbrella of the NED International Alumni Network of North America.
The NED Convention now follows a structured program. A reception is held Friday evening welcoming convention attendees coming from far and wide, to enjoy a weekend of camaraderie. You can count on the attendance of the regulars including Abul Islam, Amir ul Islam, Arif Mansuri, Arif Sattar, Asma Ali, Kamal Mehdi, Rashid Ali Baig, Safwan Shah, and several others. The Friday reception was followed by a program acknowledging the contributions of notable alumni and the hard work of the organizers of the convention.
The post-dinner entertainment program commenced with a performance by Chicago-based artist Farah Salam, predominantly showcasing familiar film songs. And then came Alamgir. Younger people can ask NEDians’ affinity for Alamgir. To understand that you must ask why so many NEDians end up in North America and who the organizers of these wonderful annual programs are. Let’s start with a general observation. It is hard to find people who can build a system. The majority can work within a functional system, i.e., most of the people can easily become a prescribed part of a system someone else has built. Post-colonial states produce people with useful skills but these skilled workers either find themselves useless in a poorly governed country or become frustrated by the stagnant environment of their homelands. They try to move to a place where things make sense, and they often relocate to the ex-colonial powers that ruled them or to a country with the language they got their education in.
From Africa to Asia this migration story is a familiar saga. People who studied at the NED University in Karachi fit the pattern. But it is not only the NED graduates or others from different educational institutes of Pakistan that moved to North America; the whole ecosystem has moved with them and that includes the restaurants, the religious institutions, and the entertainers. Since the cadre of the NED convention organizers graduated in the 80s, they like the singers they listened to, in their prime – hence, the enduring appeal of Alamgir. Despite ongoing health challenges and a kidney transplant, Alamgir has not lost his love for music and the capacity to electrify a crowd familiar with his timeless songs. As with every music session of the convention, the night has to end with a quintessential dance by the NEDians, with Mike Zaidi, a 1979 graduate, always taking the lead.
The first half of the Saturday program was dedicated to serious stuff; it included a heartfelt tribute to Dr Firasat Ali, a professor of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the NED University, who recently passed away. Then there were reports (NEDIAN-NA Flood Fund Raising Report 2022, NED ALEF Report 2022), presentations (NEDIAN-NA Alumni Association presentation, NEDEA Board presentation), a panel discussion on "Building Success through Shared Expertise”, and a session on wealth management.
The Saturday evening program commenced with speeches (NEDIAN-NA Chairperson’s speech, Chicago Steering Committee Chairperson’s Speech, NED VC’s Speech and Report, and Pakistan Consular’s speech). The platinum sponsors of the event were also recognized. The Keynote speech was given by Ashraf Habibullah who is equal parts entertainer and motivational speaker.
The post-dinner program featured a comedy session by Sakhi Kamal and a musical performance by Sajjad Ali. Once again, the music session ended with a free-for-all dance.
Is there room for improvement in future conventions? What can be done to cut down the ever increasing costs of these annual meetings? What can be done to make attendees quietly listen to the talks and speeches?
Most of the NED graduates who attend the annual conventions are there to meet old friends and for networking. There is no reason to have panel discussions in the main hall where food is served. The panel discussions can take place in conference rooms. Out in the main hall, people mainly interested in networking and chatting with friends, should be allowed to do just that--an ample supply of tea and some snacks (read samosay) will help; there could be a slide show and music in the background, or even an open microphone provided for impromptu speeches or remarks.
And since most of the attendees are there to reconnect with their friends, there is no reason to spend a lot of money on entertainment, on bringing singers from far away, for hefty sums.
To foster inclusivity, it is proposed that religious prayers be held in a separate room rather than in the main hall, ensuring that attendees of all backgrounds feel comfortable and respected at the convention.
