My teacher Miss. Gai taught us that people who sweep the litter and garbage we throw and defile the atmosphere, are to be respected. She said they are better than us.
Irshad Bibi served Hamdard School as sweeper. She was a very devoted and dutiful lady. When I went after years to see my friends and colleagues she was there too. I embraced her which was like something divine for her, though it gave me immense pleasure to see her still there after so long. I never saw her frowning if she had to do extra cleaning especially when dignitaries visited HPS.
I consider myself very fortunate to have come across such great people. They are the ones who should be loved and respected. They are true Pakistanis. I am proud of them all. May Almighty Allah shower His blessings upon them and keep them satisfied with what they have and keep them away from greed and selfishness which prevails all around.
Aslam Bhai runs canteen in HPS for last 2 decades consistently. He went with teachers of HPS to northern areas on pleasure trip during summer vacation. They went to see the world legendary jheel Saifulmalook. As is it’s famous about the jheel that once upon a time fairies lived there. The Prince Saif owned that jheel hence is called as Jheel Saifulmalook. Many dreamy tales are narrated by the travel guides about the prince and the fairies to travelers to add more charm to the jheel. So someone out of mischief told Aslam that if you swim in the ice cold water of the jheel you will see fairies. When he heard of this Poor Aslam dived in ice cold water. He was unmarried then. He came out blue with cold. Though he didn’t see fairies but he did get severe cold and fever. Whenever I went to Hamdard he welcomed with his same innocent smile offering tea or anything we like but it was more pleasure to meet him than eating.
Majeed Bloch has the honor to serve HPS as peon.
He invited me to his wedding. I went with Arif Bhai the son of Waqar sahib the owner of transport run in Hamdard to attend Majeed’s wedding. I asked Majeed for a glass of water. Happy to quench my thirst, he dipped his hand in a small reservoir of water and filling the glass offered me. That reservoir was also filled with cockroaches, frogs, variety of insects and pollution of all kinds. But his pure sincere affection was above all pollution. I happily drank water to quench my thirst.
Another very innocent soul is called Imam Bux. Once I had some work for him so looked for him every where but he could be found. So very irritated I came to my office. As soon as I dragged the chair to sit, I saw him sitting under my table. He timidly said he was tired so was resting there. It made anger cool off instead I burst out laughing at his truthfulness. Innocent people they are. I can’t forget all the drivers of the buses I traveled in. I got Eid cards from them so did birthday wishes. They all are real gems.
Rashid whom we called Rashid mirchi knew everything about every one. He always smiled without any ill feelings and worked with same diligence no matter whatever is said to him. He is very sincere and caring devotee of HPS.
Luqman, Arshad, Afzal, Tasleem all are very loyal and working for last 2 decades with consistency and diligence. The shine in their eyes give so much happiness when meet them.

The importance of a caring person in our life is as important as HEARBEAT! Because the heart beat is not visible but silently supports our life!
I consider myself very fortunate to have come across such great people. They are the ones who should be loved and respected. They are true Pakistanis. I am proud of them all. May Almighty Allah shower His blessings upon them and keep them satisfied with what they have and keep them away from greed and selfishness which prevails all around. Amen.

(If any Hamdardian has got the pictures of these Pearls, kindly send them to ayazamin@gmail.com, The Editor)

Even though my memory of Hamdard starts from when my siblings first started going there, I would rather begin with my first hand experience in HPS. The first time I stepped inside the primary section of HPS was when I went there to give my admission test. My mom, dad and sister came along with me. I was not so scared of the exam but was nervous about being in a new environment. I was seated next to a girl in the admission room and I believe I probably asked her for help on one of the Urdu questions since I couldn’t even write the word “chair” correctly. In return for her help, I promised her to be her best friend when school would start. When I walked out of the admission room, I told my parents and sister all about awful mistakes and how I thought I won’t get it. Fortunately, I did get in without any problems.

I started going to Hamdard Public School back in 1996 in first grade. I was appointed to section B and to the Al-Raazi House. To my benefit, and probably other student’s dismay, my class teacher and Urdu teacher both knew my siblings well as they used to be their class teacher as well. On that basis, and because I was actually good in studies as well (as long as it wasn’t Urdu) I became the Monitor of my class. It was an amazing year for me as I experienced for the first time what being a Hamdardian meant.

I was very lucky to meet 2 very beautiful people that first year (and no, one of them was not the girl from my admission test day even though we did end up in the same section). We were friends, we were competitors and we helped each other out. One of my elder brothers was in 5th grade at that time and he was a Prefect. During the lunch hours he used to stand guard in the corridor between 3rd and 1st grade grounds. The three of us often spent our lunch time with my brother since it was “cool” to be in the area where other kids were not allowed.

I should say I was very privileged to have such siblings who left a long positive impression on all the teachers who taught them. The first time I met my art teacher, I told him who my sister was and he told me that she was like a daughter for him, and so was I. I found a loving father figure in Sir Imtiaz. He encouraged us and was probably the biggest reason why I even participated in the Eid Card competition that was held each year. I got second place in that competition. I can still remember my disbelief when Sir told me that I have placed a position. To this day I am still waiting for my prize and each time I said this to Sir, his reply was the same:

“Woh Waada hi kya jo wafa ho jaay!”

(The conversation below has been presented in Roman to feel the true essence of arguments)

Me (to uncle): Agar accident ho jata to is ka zimedaar kon hota?
Him: Sab chalta hai is mulk main.

Me: Zaruri nahi keh sab ghalat karain to aap bhi ghalat karain.
Him: Sab ooper se ghalat hota aya hai, pehlay ooper theek karo ja ker.

Me: Ooper se nahi, uncle ander se theek hota hai banda, aap acha kaam karaingay to aap ko dekh ker aap k chotay bhi acha kaam karaingay.
Him: Hum ne kuch ghalat nahi kiya, apni jawani sharaft se guzari hai.

Me: Aap to baray hain, aap ko to sahi kerna chahye takay aap k chotay aap se seekhain.
Him (This time angry): Aray sab ooper se ghalat hota hai, woh dekho Raymond Davis ko chordiya.

Me (confused): Raymond Davis ka signal se kya talluq?
Him: Kyun nahi hai, jab ghalat hai to sab ghalat hai.

Me: Main ne to sirf itni si baat ki thee k signal aap ki achai kay liye hi lagaye gaye hain.
Him: Main nahi maanta angraizon kay qanoon ko, main sirf Allah kay Qanoon ko maanta hoon.

Me: Agar Allah ka qanoon agaya to kya signal tor dengay? Ya gaarian chalana bund kerdengay.
Him: Tum jaahil ho, tumhe deen ki koi samajh nahi hai.

Driver: O bhai bas kerdo, meri ghalti thee.

Me: App to mujhe jantay bhi nahi, aap ne yeh kaisay kaha k mujhe deen ki samajh nahi, main nay to yahan deen ka zikr bhi nahi kiya.
Him: Kyun keh tum Islam ko jantay hi nahi.

Me: Zaroori nahi keh aap ki umar zyada hai to aap ki knowledge bhi zyada ho
Him: Haan, main zyada jaanta hoon deen ko.

Me (at my stop): Allah Hafiz, Aap jaisay logon ne hi Mulk kharaab kiya hai.

The purpose of posting this conversation was to let people know that its not just the government, army and/or terrorist who have ruined the state but there is a great involvement of general public in the destruction of our society. We love to put all the blame on the institutions but we don’t even bother to look into ourselves. If you see the traffic signal in the light of Islam it falls under the category of “Huqooq-ul-Ibad” , it may look like a small issue, but by doing this we can save lives and avoid accidents. Remember laws and rules are not made to be broken.

I am not going to praise the government for taken this step as people of Pakistan are paying tax and this is the responsibility of the government to manage the infrastructure and provide the basic necessities to the citizens. Why wasn’t it done in the previous years in the era of so and so political party, is also beyond the scope of this blog. What I am going to praise and mention here is the bravery of our citizens that despite of having a huge metallic structure meant for crossing the road they used to cross the road from ground. Someone would have taken out the metallic rod from the green belt grill meant for bifurcating the road tracks and then people found it easy to stop the vehicles for crossing the road.

If an accident takes place in this scenario, we won’t mind in putting the vehicle on fire as a protest, but we are not ready to walk over the bridge for crossing the road. This one example of the carelessness of general mass on road. I have also noticed drivers especially the bike riders travelling on wrong side just to avoid some U turn. Although they try to drive ‘safe’ but on the wrong side.

Hats off to the bike riders and also to the minibus walas that the minute a passenger disembarks from a minibus right at the same moment a bike rider crosses him/her from the left and overtakes the mini.

It is rightly said that the behaviour of a nation can be seen on roads. How would we grade ourselves on this scale? I leave that to my readers !

I was nominated to represent Pakistan in SAARC Teachers Conference in Nepal in early 90s from Hamdard.
I mostly wore saris for I felt on duty when wearing a sari. Moreover a sari is the only dress I assume in the whole wide world that no matter how old it is, it looks as good as new. The reason is simple. It is a long piece of cloth without any size or shape. The size of blouse changes accordingly. As I had a good collection of saris so never felt need of making many Pakistani national dresses. But I wanted to wear my national dress in Nepal being the representative of my country. So I made few new suits. New shoes were needed too. I didn’t have money to waste on shoes as ENGLISH BOOT HOUSE is expensive. So sold out my car to buy shoes. I bought sandals for 600 rupees.
But the interesting part is that when I wore the new sandals to attend meeting at Prime Minister of Nepal’s house, the sandals pinched my ankles.
I prefer comfort to fashion so dropped the idea of wearing new sandals. I bought slippers from outside our residence for only 60 Pakistani rupees and attended the meeting wearing those slippers. I was impressed with PM Man Mohan Adhikari’s simplicity and modesty. He ate with us talked to us just like a human being with no attitude or complex. While he was writing in my diary I told him: “Sir, you are so polite simple and kind that you don’t look like PM” At this frank and straight remark he said with a big smile:
“I am also like you, I respect Hakim Said for he is also very simple and modest, please give him my regards”
When I came back and went to school the other day. Some one had told Mrs.Aziz that I sold my car just to buy shoes so she tenderly scolded me. She said I could have asked her for money. But I am like this—- a silly crazy and carefree——-!
My dear children my message for you all is a human being is more valuable than anything. Costly outfits, jewelry, status, pomp and show are worthless. A man like Hakim Said, Man Mohan Adhikari’s and many other God fearing people led simple honest life serving humanity without any prejudice. May we all follow the footsteps of them. Amen

مفلس کے بدن کو بھی ہے چادر کی ضرورت

اب کھُل کے مزاروں پہ یہ اعلان کیا جائے

(The body of poor also needs the sheet, it should be announced at the shrines)

I mention Mazar (tomb, shrines) as symbol here. Same is done in shrines as token of love and of course out of respect. Is hunger, poverty, ailments, inflation, unemployment, crimes eliminated by spreading the sheets on the graves?
Being a Muslim it is our firm belief that Almighty Allah gives and removes our pain and not decorated adorned sheets of cloth or banners.
The processions taken out to show strength for one’s sect is not what Islam or any religion preaches. Why cause problems for others? Why abuse and curse the VIPs for traffic jam. We do the same. We block the roads. We add noise pollution to the environment by using loudspeakers.
No one is impressed rather they make fun of us.
Our character and practical positive approach towards life is best way to impress and guide others to follow our religion or party. Be positive be realistic and be sincere to yourself, to your country and to your fellows. No matter what religion may any one belongs. He is to be respected and loved.
I request my youth to please be practical, move forward, and educate your seniors. Raise your voice against anything impractical and childish act. Prove your sincerity and loyalty with your actions.
Love one love all is my message.

]]> http://www.hamdardians.org/with-due-respect-by-mrs-rauf/feed/ 4 http://www.hamdardians.org/bodybuilding-weight-training-and-females/ http://www.hamdardians.org/bodybuilding-weight-training-and-females/#comments Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:04:48 +0000 waqas http://www.hamdardians.org/?p=597 Continue reading →]]> Difference between Weight Training and Bodybuilding 

A lot of people have a misconception that Weight Training and Bodybuilding are two names of a single sport. Some people think that weight training is just for bodybuilders. This misconception is because of several reasons, mainly lack of awareness and information about Weight Training. It is important to clear this misconception when you decide to use it, you should be able to choose which suits you best among these two.

The main motive of weight training is to build strength and stamina, while bodybuilding targets building muscles to show off or for sport. Power lifters also do weight training but their goal is just to increase their strength for lifting and moving heavy objects from point A to Point B. On the other hand weight training is something more than lifting, it not only build strength and stamina but also help in increasing your health and fitness level. It can help you in loosing fat, getting in shape and to gain optimum health.

Yes, it is true that bodybuilders do weight training for building their muscles. Not only bodybuilders but also most of the athletes do weight training for better performance in sports like soccer, swimming, cycling, cricket etc. They do not need to be huge or massive in muscles. For all those who don’t want to get big, it’s not true that just weight training is going to make you huge and look like a bodybuilder.

The basic principle of weight training is to use the gravitational force against the muscular force in order to build strength. Muscles or endurance depends upon what type of program you are using. Different types of programs are used for different goals. So weight training differs for every individual respected to his or her goal.

Weight Training and Females

Now I hope I have cleared the concept of weight training but most of the female readers probably must be thinking that this article is not for them. A question to them, How many times you hear “I only exercise to lose weight and get thinner. I can burn calories doing light cardiovascular work. Lifting weight will make me look like men; shouldn’t I just stick to the treadmill?”

This is a big misconception among most of the females. Weight training is not going to make you big and look like men. The reason behind this statement is that a woman’s body doesn’t produce as much testosterone (testosterone is the muscle-building hormone) that is necessary to build big muscle mass, and secondly most women are not eating nearly enough calories which are required to build that much muscle mass. A woman can only develop a manly body using steroids and fanatically intense training with high calorie diet.

Another thing, in most of the females think that weight training will make them stiff and they will lose their flexibility and make them muscle bound. In fact if you perform the exercises correctly with full range of motion your flexibility will increase. Just like doing chin-ups and stretching the body fully will make your back and arms more flexible. Same is for Chest flies and other exercises.

“Ok I am doing weight training but I only do isolation machine exercise”. As we all knows that a woman’s body stores most of the fat in the gluteus and thigh region. So doing free weight compound movement like squats and deadlifts can help them getting in shape and losing more fat.

Weight training also boosts your metabolism i.e. you are going to burn your calories more efficiently. The more calories you burn, the more chances you have to drop body fat.

As I said in my previous post weight training prevents and fights osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is when bone mass and density decreases causing bones to become fragile and weak. How it is done can be defined simply, our body is very clever and it uses a simple myth “if you don’t use it you will lose it” so osteoporosis often occurs when activities are limited. Hence, by weight training you are telling your body that you need  to fight more with the resistance which will result in increase in bone mass and density.

Strength training also strengthens your muscles and tendons (connecting muscles tissues); the stronger they are the less chance of injury in daily life would be. Everyone knows that most of the women suffer from backache, proper weight training makes legs and core section strong means an increase in overall balance and coordination takes place. Imagine if you are stronger you are far less dependent upon others for assistance in daily living. Daily home chores will be easier, lifting kids, groceries and laundry will be easier than before. And this is for all the late night facebook users, after exercising; you relax easily at night. You fall asleep more quickly, soundly, and awake more refreshed. And yeah, it also helps your skin to be more elastic. So, if you have a chance of playing with weight and you are not using it, you are missing a big opportunity of good health.

The two great Brothers Hakim Muhammad Said and Hakim Abdul Majeed spent their lives with impervious and industrious effort for promotion of health and education.

Hamdard Public School was a day dream of Hakim Said and Mrs. Sadia Rashid. Both of them saw a child running in HPS uniform while they were sitting and praying in front of Ka’aba. Both of them shared what they saw. That was the moment Hakim Sahib decided to set up Hamdard Public School.  This is how Allah granted us a chance to be associated with Hamdard —– the true and real dream that was realized!

The first badge of children may remember that there was no light and no water in the beginning. It was the passion and charisma of Hakim sahib’s persona that every one bore all hardships of electricity, water, broken road and security problems that prevailed that time in the city, very happily.

Today’s review is in memory of very devoted and loyal staff and students who passed away but left unforgettable marks in hearts and glorious footprints for the others to follow.

The ex-administrator Dr. Qazalbash was an institution in himself. He was greatly respected and loved by students for his expertise in English language and literature uniformly.

Miss. Samina Jafri was unrivaled in Urdu literature and sharp wit, died in childbirth.

Miss. Ghazala another gem of Urdu literature. She was a gold medalist too. She led a very disturbed and full of agony life led to heavens.

Miss. Noshaba the humane teacher of social studies also left us depressed.

Miss. Tarana a beautiful young teacher who proved her worth as English language teacher died of hepatitis C.

Mr. Abdus Samad a great human being and a very learned seasoned teacher passed away of acute gout and arthritis. He excelled both in Urdu and English.

Mrs. Raffat Sami’s daughter in law died in road accident. She was teacher for primary classes.

Mumtaz the young student of class five of Hamdard Village School died a tragic death by drowning in a poodle which had electric current due to heavy rains.

Ijteba the brilliant student of Hamdard departed to highway to heaven at such young age in accident too.

The loss of these precious lives is so big along with Hakim Said’s martyrdom can never be filled. We wish all of them the best of best place in heavens. Amen !

Causes of Procrastination 

There are several reasons responsible for causing procrastination in people or especially in students. The most common reasons are:

Negative Thoughts:  Negative beliefs like “I am not capable of doing this task, assignment or test or I cannot succeed in anything” papers and projects, rather than completing them.

Fear of Failure: You get so afraid of any given task or goal that you spend most of your time just worrying about it resulting in the end you have only limited time to finish and be prepared for it.

Difficulty in Concentrating: It means feeling bored in performing task. Whenever sitting on your desk and trying to do some work you find difficulty in concentration, instead of doing the task you start staring around your surroundings, start wondering about something, looking at your friend’s picture. You may not be completely ready and keep running back and forth to get things like pencil, eraser, pen or scale. Difficulty in concentration could also result if you are not in a properly sitting and studying such as, studying while lying in bed, unpleasant or noisy environment for study etc.  These are some of the examples which result in wasting time and creating frustration.

Poor Time Management: You may be uncertain of your priorities, goals and objectives. You may also be overwhelmed with the task. As a result, you keep putting off your academic assignments for a later date, or spending a great deal of time with your friends and social activities, or worrying about your upcoming examination, class project and papers rather than completing them.

 How to overcome Procrastination

Get clear about what you want in life: Write down all your goals in some categories such as career, education preferences, travel, building relationships etc. Once your list is ready shape them to top 10, top 5 and top 3 by asking yourself how worth full they are to you?

Plan your day to day work: This is not a big task. It should take only 15 minutes from your whole day. Perform the most easy and most important work first and then gradually move towards difficult work in afternoon, by this you will feel really good. Try to stay focus on those works which are motivational to you.

Set Goals: Set up realistic goals, short term and long term. Manage your goals and try to achieve them on certain time. Remember Rome was not build in a single day.

Imagine the End from the Beginning: After imagining the completed task try to visualize the actual process of task. You can visualize while sitting at your desk, during travel etc. Gather notes for your assignment and tools for completing it.

Add up the cost: Before putting a task on a list student should honestly calculate realistic time, cost, interest and expertise that are required to complete it.

Brainstorm: It’s better to consult than its too late ,when students feel that they are stuck on assignments, projects or any other educational tasks. Brainstorming is a great way to introduce new energy and break the hurdle. Writing down all the key ideas and possible steps on piece of blank paper; this also helps in generating and finding number of ways in order to complete the task.

Let social circle know: Theories have proven that our performances gets improved when we know that we are being watched. Let your social circle know what you are planning or doing or want to achieve. Sometimes letting know what you are up to motivates, because you will do whatever it could be to avoid failing with them watching.

Reward yourself: Last but not the least, reward you when task is done. Perform any activity by which you feel relax or happy in order to regain your energy which you have spend. In most cases summing is one of the best relief or just taking good nap could do it.

 Remember the longer you stay away from procrastination , the longer your chances to succeed.

Where our forefathers had a rather simple healthy food intake, we practically survive on fast food today. Where our forefathers were not even aware of preservatives, there is rarely anything that we eat that does not contain preservatives and artificial sugars.

Also our forefathers had a high level of physical activity whereas we today live to stare at screens. Undoubtedly modernization and luxuries have made our lives easier but have also limited our activity level. We don’t even walk to nearby shops, instead use our motor vehicles. It is the lack of exercise in our everyday life that we have become so stagnant today.

Exercise can be defined as any physical activity in which we move our body for a certain time period while burning extra calories and it is further divided into two categories: Aerobic and Anaerobic

Aerobic literally means “with oxygen”, and refers to the use of oxygen in the body’s metabolic or energy-generating process. Performing a physical activity at a moderate level for a longer period of time,whileconsuming the greater possible amount of oxygen, is called Aerobic exercise. Exercise of such type is usually adapted in order to build sufficient stamina and endurance.
Anaerobic means “without oxygen” i.e. anaerobic refers to a type of physical activity, which is performed for a short period of time at a certain high intensity. It is used to promote strength, speed and power. The people who would like to witness some form of mass accumulation are more prone to performing this kind of exercise. Muscles trained using anaerobic exercise develop differently, leading to greater performance in a much shorter duration of time, giving a person the stamina to perform well in high intensity activities.

Exercise has numerous positive effects on human body, that can bring about remarkable change to your life. For starters regular exercising helps strengthen their hearts. In a way that while performing an aerobic activity; an individual is using more oxygen for energy. Henceforth, implying that an aerobic activity increases the average heart rate up to a moderate level for a longer period of time as compared to anaerobic. However, such kind of exercise is also referred to as cardiovascular activity. That is, your heart rate is increased and you are pumping more oxygenated blood throughout your body; it is like you are focusing on the “left ventricle” of your heart, which is responsible for pumping blood to your entire body. So, basically by doing such exercise you are training your heart, you are helping it to become stronger hence reducing your chances of a heart failure.

Besides this, several studies have suggested that exercise helps and promotes bone health. Weakening of bones is a fact of life that everyone, especially women, have to face as they grow older. However, steps can be taken from the very beginning in order to prevent fatal diseases such as “Osteoporosis”, a bone condition where bones become weak and brittle. Loss of bone mass with age is a problem of growing up, but loss to the point of frequent fractures can give way to some serious health issues, including permanent dependency. However, regular exercise not only prevents the progression of osteoporosis, but helps decrease bone loss over a longer period of time also. Just like preventing osteoporosis, exercise also helps strengthen joints. Joint pain restricts movement of your body, to an extent that with time, you lose all flexibility. Exercise can help you regain that flexibility, allowing you to be able to move more freely. Lack of exercise gives way to muscle injury and other soft tissue injuries. Whereas regularly exercising helps in decreasing muscle soreness. Such as performing some basic exercises which will help you gain back that optimal level of activity. For instance, stretching every now and then helps relax your joints. But before doing so one should remember to properly perform the appropriate warm up and cool down before and after stretching joints so that they don’t go into shock due to unexpected quick movements.

Moreover, exercise also helps in improving brain function, it increases the number of brain cells and helps build stronger connections with neurons (transmitters of electric brain signals), in return helping to increase the flow of current inside our brain complexities. This helps in enhancing brain function and improving responsiveness. Exercise also protects cells and nerves in brain from injury and erosion, henceforth preventing numerous brain diseases. Regular exercise is also a way to prevent numerous form of depression. Physical activity stimulates pleasure centers in our brain, resulting in a sense of well being. Exercise can also be an effective treatment for anxiety. Some research studies have also indicated that regular exercise may be as effective a treatment, and even a healthier one as compared to medication.

During exercise, you not only are training your muscular system, but as mentioned also your nervous and cardiovascular system. The stronger your cardiovascular system the lesser chances of you getting tired. This means regular exercise performs an immense role in constructing your stamina, which helps you in performing your job with more ease, without getting tired. Furthermore it also helps you burn those extra calories, which result in weight loss and it can also help you in building some healthy muscles.Remember, the more muscles you have the more calories you are burning even when resting.

Experts have concluded that regular exercise can help improve the immune system i.e. it will respond better. This results in even lesser chances of catching a cold or flu etc.In case, even if you do catch a nasty flu, due to regular exercising your immune system will already be set on autopilot, henceforth resulting in a quicker recovery. Regular exercise can help you live a healthier, much relaxed life which is devoid of illnesses and fatal diseases. It also helps you to be more socially involved, and helps curb episodes of depression. Moreover, exercise has a very good effect on brain functioning. In addition, it is a good choice to improve your endurance in order to perform your job more efficiently while you’re at work. Therefore, it is safe to say that exercise is practically the best solution for all your physical and many of your mental problems.

Do you exercise regularly? Any suggestions on ways we can improve our health and live a healthier and smarter life? Leave your comments below.