Posted by Sabahat (iFaqeer) on November 18, 2009
Professor Nauman in his element—Photo courtesy Muhammad Akbar Sohail of Computer Systems Batch '87-88. Taken in August 2009.
Nauman Saahab is no more. The news was as sudden as it was devastating. And like a lot of people, I got it by means of a distribution list of my classmates from NED. Personally, I wasn’t as close to Professor Mohammad Nauman as some of my friends and classmates. But is almost a truism to say that one of the most important measures of a human being is the kind of relationships he or she develops with other human beings, and what kind of respect and affection he or she engenders in others. And in our broken public sector educational system in Pakistan, to find a teacher who commands the kind of adulation, almost, that Nauman Saahab did is very, very rare. He did something that even other, very respected, teachers don’t: he actually mentored students. Throw in the fact that all this was despite the fact that he held political views that, especially in the last decade or two, were not popular in our milieu, and the treasure that has been taken from us is made even more invaluable.
It bears mention here that Nauman Saahab was not just faculty, he was an NEDian himself—and as you will see from the tributes below, his prominence and engagement was not limited either to NED or engineering. He was a national figure. WAIT! There is more to read… read on »
Posted by Sabahat (iFaqeer) on January 12, 2009
The news has featured a piece on Nauman sb (Electrical Engineering) about 3/4 months ago. I apologize for posting it so late, but I thought fellow NEDians–both past and present–might want to see it. Not everyone might agree with what it says–or with Nauman Saahab–but then, that’s what this blog is about. Please comment on it–and send in your own thoughts on him and other personalities associated with NED. And, yes, do please send in your opinion even if, or especially if you think it is different from what other people might think.
‘Silent middle class hindering social change’
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
By Aroosa Masroor
Karachi
Professor Mohammad Nauman is an associate professor with the NED University and has been serving as an academic for over 30 years. A true Karachiite at heart, Prof. Nauman has witnessed the rise and fall of different governments in Pakistan and its impact on Karachi – one of the largest and most important cities of the country.
Throughout his student life, Prof. Nauman was affiliated with student organisations such as the National Students Federation (NSF) and later, in 1972, went on to become one of the founding members of the Progressive Students Front (PSF), a progressive students movement that resisted General Zia’s Islamisation in the late 70s and early 80s.
Before joining NED University, the professor had served in the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP). While at NED, he voluntarily worked with Edhi Foundation during the era of bomb blasts and ethnic violence of late 80s and developed a wireless network for it. He has also served as technical adviser to Fahim Zaman, former administrator Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (now CDGK). The News recently caught up with the educationist who has often received criticism for airing his views against the management and the government.
Q. Tell us about your early life and education.
A. I was born in Karachi, but spent my early childhood in Lahore where my father was teaching at the Aitchison College. Later, he joined the
Agricultural Development Bank of Pakistan. The job required him to be posted in different districts across the Sindh and Punjab province so I have spent my life with people of almost all ethnicities in Pakistan. Growing up with different people from the rural as well as urban parts of the country taught me a lot about the existing challenges and contrasts within our society across the country. I later joined Cadet College Petaro from where I completed my Intermediate and then did my bachelors and Masters in electrical engineering from the NED Engineering College. WAIT! There is more to read… read on »
Posted by riaz_haq on August 20, 2007
In the run-up to the NEDians Convention 2007 on Sept 8 in San Jose, I have written a piece on “what NED means to me”.
I’d like to encourage all NEDians to capture their feelings on this subject in a couple of paragraphs and send in their thoughts either to the blog (as a comment or submission to be posted here on the blog) or via email.
Here’s my piece:
NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi, Pakistan, is my alma mater. “Alma mater” is Latin for “nourishing mother”, an apt description for the role NED played in my life. In addition to the mental nourishment I received from NED, which helped me grow up to become an independent learner and thinker, I also found inspiration from many “siblings”, who were the crème de la crème of Karachi students. People with the necessary credentials to be accepted into this great, highly selective, institution of higher learning. If the high selectivity of the admission process and the quality of alumni (the finished product) are the key measures of the high ranking of an academic institution, then NED definitely deserves to show up in the top rankings comparable to other great schools around the world. WAIT! There is more to read… read on »
Posted by aliabbasrizvi on August 11, 2007
Salaam Dear Nedians,
Since my friend Faraz has told me and encouraged me to read and contribute to the NEDians blog, I have been enjoying the posts here and thinking about what to write. Today I was browsing the NED website and found my favorite teacher on the department’s people page.
I like the fact that they have posted photos of the faculty members. Among these is my own batch mate (and approximate name mate) Syed Abbas Ali, but there are also a lot of new faces there, which is good to see. While going through the list of teachers and their description I found a unique sentence I have not seen written on the NED website about any other teacher, here it is :
Mr. Shahab Tahzeeb is among the most popular teachers amongst the students in the department owing to his excellent teaching style.
I couldn’t agree more; he is not just popular, he is a favorite. I am not sure why the most popular teacher has his photo in black and white while all others are in color. Maybe popularity has its own color, after which you don’t need any more.
By the way I am in Seattle, WA, working for Amazon.com as a software development engineer and would love to hear from any NEDians in the area (any Microsofties?).
Go NEDians!
Ali Rizvi
CS – Batch 1994-95
Posted by Shahran on August 7, 2007
I must say that I am delighted to see this blog, after such a long wait, where all NEDians can share their thoughts. This is an attempt to provide another place for discussion, where NEDians can discuss their thoughts and ideas, not only with fellow NEDians but also with the rest of the world.
This blog is an attempt to bring together the voice of NEDians, talking about things they would normally, at NED, enjoy discussing over a cup of tea or a Kabab Roll at Mech Corner, Civil Lawn or at some teacher’s room.
Having said that, here is my first Blog: “Boojho Tau Janain” .
Maumaa yeh hai ………………..
He is a prominent personality who is no longer associated with NED but most NEDians would remember him for his services. WAIT! There is more to read… read on »
