taqreer-e-Urdu

A convocation address in the National language of that country makes the news. Or at least the trend of giving speeches in English is broken. Let's hope for the best.

LUMINITEs — Yousafi, gardeners and ‘fifth lions’

THE Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) set aside the tradition of inviting government and corporate authorities and asked Mushtaq Ahmad Khan Yousafi, a renowned intellectual and writer, as the keynote speaker for ‘Convocation 2004.’

Mr Yousafi emphasised the role of education, its aim and purpose in refining society and how speaking English makes people feel like ‘intellectuals.’ His witty address was not only amusing but also informative.

Mr Yousafi was surprised by the honour bestowed upon him, warning the audience that they would have to listen to him speaking in Urdu. He said he need to give an Urdu speech to the mainly English speaking audience, to remind them about their national identity. He said a world, without examinations, was a paradise but added, “With the passage of time, I feel without examinations, the world would be the same kind of paradise in which Adam and Satan failed to clear their examinations.”

Declaring intellectualism to be a ‘mundane profession’, Mr Yousafi said that people living under ‘intellectualism’ were like ‘flying fish’. He said that many people gave speeches in English to lend credibility to their message.

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http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_20-12-2004_pg7_25