Iqbal’s Forgotten Message
An Iqbal Day special Lysias article by Areesha Saif | Class of 2021
parray hai chargh e neeli faam say manzil musalman ki,
sitaray jiski gard e raah hon woh karwaan hai tu
beyond the blue sky, is the Muslim’s destination,
you are the explorer for whom the stars are like the dust on your path
Envisioning a country that would be a safe space for Muslims in India who felt isolated, Iqbal proposed an Islamic state that sheltered them against discrimination. Today Pakistan proudly showcases the “Islamic Republic” in its name, claiming to stand up heroically for Palestine but once its streets were flooded with millions chanting “Shia Kafir” and stones pelted the walls of a sacred Imam bargah, a peaceful space; one that provided refuge to the displaced during the heavy rains, it was clear that the Islamic Republic of Pakistan chose to protect those whose Islam fitted a narrow version deemed as appropriate by the state, for it has been easy to stand up for the Kashmiris and the Palestinians, but the cause of the Uighurs has been conveniently brushed under the rug.
Iqbal dreamed of Muslims channeling their energy towards uplifting their situation by promoting science and innovation. Entangled with daily political brawls amongst politicians within the parliament, Pakistan’s focus has hardly ever been education. With a defence budget largely exceeding the education one, and a federal education board characterised by rote learning, corruption and undermarking students, Pakistan has grown so distant from science that when its neighbour was planning a Mars mission, Pakistan was busy criticising it using nationalist rhetoric, almost assured that its Mars mission won’t fail because it never would try launching one.
As a nation, we celebrate Iqbal Day every year, but we barely know Iqbal. We may read his poems, or memorise a paragraph about him when studying Pakistan studies, but we don’t have left within our country anything Iqbal stood up for. Perhaps in the end we can only hope, hope that the power of our solidarity and the boldness of our voice may lead our country forward. As Iqbal said,
nawa paira o bulbul k ho tere tarannum say,
kabutar k tan e nazuk me shaheen ka jigar paida
it’s a new dawn, o nightingale, through your song
the fragile spirit of pigeon will transform into the soul of an eagle
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The Lyceum celebrates our national poet, Dr Allama Muhammad Iqbal every year on his birthday. Born in 1877 in Sialkot, Iqbal was a poet, philosopher and thinker par excellence. His commentary on the social, political and cultural conditions of Muslims in India is considered foundational to the Pakistan Movement.
As per tradition, the Lyceum paid homage to Allama Iqbal with a short virtual programme, on his birthday, the 9th of November. The programme featured Lyceum members speaking about different aspects of the poet’s life and rendering some of his work. Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/dhWP1V3JS3g
Virtual Milaad 2020
The Lyceum hosted a virtual Milaad Programme which was screened on the 12th of Rabi-ul-awwal, Friday, the 30th of October.
Eid-e-Milaad-un-Nabi (s.a.w) is an auspicious Islamic occasion celebrated world over by Muslims to mark the birth of Prophet Mohammad (s.a.w) in the holy month of Rabi-ul-Awwal which is the third month of the Islamic calendar.
‘Milaads’ which include the recitation of poetic eulogies or naats and mention of the qualities of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) who strove to bring communities together, stood up for the rights of the dispossessed despite facing extreme hardships as he helped those who were considered the weakest in society. In these trying times, let us try to follow in his footsteps by emulating his excellent conduct, his resilience and spirit of service towards the creation of Allah.
Watch the video:
A Pledge to Serve
Service, an essential value engraved in every true Lyceumite’s heart, encourages them to strive with the sole purpose of serving the community as much as they can.
The support staff at the Lyceum has always been a major highlight of each and every activity, be it pulling off successful events or looking after the comfort and well-being of both the students and the school, the support staff never fails to do their best.
From the wise shayari of Yaseen bhai to Rahat bhai’s melodious voice and Zulfiqar bhai’s heavenly coffee, the passion and dedication towards each individual task is visible.
To honour such great personalities, a group of students – both from the Student Council and the student body – planned a Lunch for the 85 support staff members of Lyceum. While the lunch was itself was scheduled for 1:00 pm, the students were hard at work from 9:00 am. They spent this time helping with the lunch preparations and decorations. The dedication and commitment shown was remarkable, as was their enthusiasm to give back to the support staff.
While the main course was prepared at the Kitchen (Aloo Pulao and Chicken), the students prepared the starters and desserts including the vegetable cutlets, salad, lemonade and Kheer themselves. The students also served the entire support staff throughout the lunch, making sure that they fully rested and enjoyed the meal (though, they insisted to help out in any way). With Miss Annabel running around to help as much as possible and capturing the best moments in her camera, the entire event was a whirlwind of activity and joy that resonated such a pure dedication and appreciation for the entire community.
We sincerely hope that the upcoming students will uphold this outstanding legacy, if only to see the sweet smiles of the support staff once more.
By Samra Rafi
Pop-up Mandarin Class
A speaker fluent in Chinese, Ms Saulat Khan, came to The Lyceum to hold an interactive session with the students about some basic Chinese words and the history behind it, providing the students with information about a new language they might not have learned about otherwise. This was a part of the Global Village organized for the Lyceum Round Square Week. The presentation that was prepared with pictures and words, and the interactive session in which students were made to repeat the words they had been told.
Staff vs Students Match
There was a cricket, volleyball and throwball match that took place between the staff and the students at PAD Park. It was a great way for them to interact and learn from each other. Increased team spirit and sportsmanship as well! By the end of it, instead of playing on separate teams the students and teachers joined together and formed teams together.
LyTunes Fall Concert
The November Concert provided a platform for members of LyTunes to express their musical ability and this year, focused on the theme of “Stories”, highlighting the use of songs as a medium for storytelling. The event had a high turnout and was greatly enjoyed by all those who attended. Their food sponsors included OPTPl for savoury and D’oh for desserts.
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Lyceum’s Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow
Lyceum’s Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow, is a corporate competition that allows students to propel as creative individuals. The event requires students to take part in public speaking, innovating and pitching ideas and sharing with their peers their skill set as it is a team event. Essentially, LET is a simulation of real business situations where marketing, innovating, collaborating and exercise of ability is required.
Cycle for a Cause
Under the Round Square ideal of Service, LyCycle collaborated with “Make A Wish Foundation” to hold a cycling fundraiser for Umar Farooq, a 12 year old suffering from Chondrosarcoma (Tumor). His last wish is to go for Umrah with his mother.
In only three days LyCycle members raised around Rs. 83,500 for Umar Farooq’s last wish. Society members and few other students volunteered to cycle till Make A Wish Foundation located in Clifton on Saturday, 9th November to meet with Umar and donate the amount.
Umar seemed happy to receive the donation. He will be traveling in two weeks with his mother to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah.
Teens for Hunar Open House
On Saturday, the 2nd Of November, the students of the Lyceum visited The Hunar Foundation campus. The Hunar Foundation is a non-profit organization which is providing vocational training to over 6,000, who are the underprivileged youth of Pakistan. The vision is to create a skilled Pakistan with internationally qualified Pakistanis.
Attending this event provided students with the opportunity to become active members of their community and had a lasting, positive impact on not only the students but society at large. Students were able to interact with and learn from the students at The Hunar Foundation, which will enable students to acquire important life skills and knowledge, as well as provide a service to those who need it most.
Attending this open house event helped the students develop an increased sense of social responsibility – a global view of society and a heart for ‘giving back’ and helping others, and will provide an opportunity to apply academic learning to real-life events, furthermore, Improving lifelong communication, interpersonal and critical thinking skills.
This event helped establish the students of The Lyceum as apart of a community working towards a skilled Pakistan.
For more information regarding The Hunar Foundation, you can head over to their website: https://www.hunarfoundation.org/
Annual Urdu Play
LyTheatre presented its first production for this academic year: An opening act called ‘Mera Ghar, Meri Jannat’ and a full theatre production, ‘Unfit Ball Hai Duniya Meray Aagay’ at Pakistan American Cultural Center (PACC) from 10-13 October 2019.
‘Mera Ghar, Meri Jannat’ was the story of a solitary woman who explores the nuances of her married life, imprisoned at home and a victim of domestic abuse. She engages her audience continuously as she struggles to find company. On the other hand, ‘Unfit Ball Hai Duniya Meray Aagay’ was a comedic portrayal of a village girl, Chiya, who struggles to make Baba and Bebiya realise the perils of city life. For her, the planet is dying and she finds company with her friends as she ventures to attempt to save it.