Alumni Showcase – featuring Muhammad Hussain Alvi

On a Saturday evening, with a steaming cup of tea, I sat in front of the screen, awaiting the moment the clock struck 7; the scheduled interview time with Mr Muhammad Hussain Alvi, who is an engineer working for an esteemed corporation, currently settled in the United States. A week ago, through the guidance of Ms Shehla, I was able to approach the alumnus, and as my nerves kept me jittery, I thus started the conversation with him.

With the casual greetings and salam, the flow of our conversation began with me introducing myself and him doing the same, here follows the thirty-minute exchange which included him repeatedly recalling his school days, the reminiscence evident in his voice.

What type of student you were when u were in BLA?

“I was academically inclined like I was a sort of a nerd but I was a regular kid. I used to love my P.T period and I used to rave about some mischiefs here and there but generally, I was a good student in terms of getting the grades. The teacher didn’t generally point me out, but they did care about my progress and education at the time and they did sometimes point me out for activities out of education like extracurriculars. Sometimes teachers pointed me out as the ‘screamer of the class’, you know, for kids who scream and make noise right after the teachers are gone out of class. So yes, it was a balanced student life.”

Did you ever get in trouble for anything during your school years? And how did u get caught and what were the responses of the teachers and your parents?

“Well, nothing serious. I mean, yes I have gotten into trouble a bunch of times, been punished a bit and all. But yeah. The only extreme time was when I bunked a class and the teacher called my parents. And the thing is I was the first student whose parents were called on bunking. Those days, bunking a class was a noble concept. Many did bunk a class now and then but no one made a call to their homes… Mine was made because the teachers were like “we didn’t expect this from you”. So yes, calling the parents on bunking started after me.”

‘Ah, expectations’, I replied. As I nodded my head at the screen. ‘Bunking is still a tradition students indulge in as of now. However, punishments are less harsher if you don’t get caught‘, I stated, as I had gathered from those around me.

What were your least-liked subjects in school?

“Um, I would say Pakistan Studies. Because at our time, it was really hard with the paper pattern and we felt that it shouldn’t be that hard. So Pakistan studies, Urdu and Islamiat were the subjects I didn’t like much but didn’t dislike them either.”

I found that relatable, as I listened to him further elaborate the paper patterns. I personally felt that subjects lose their meaning with such hard paper patterns to which he agreed.

Did u get inspired by any teacher in the school? And if yes, who and why?

“Inspired is a strong word, but well, I can say I looked up to many teachers in my journey through BLA. Ah, there was miss Shehla and others like miss Laila who taught us biology. I sort of looked up to her as a student and she was the only teacher who taught me bio so I got to like the subject through her. So she was definitely an inspiration.”

How did the school prepare you for your career?

“Honestly, there were a lot of techniques I learnt from school that applied to my real life. I currently work in the engineering field so the physics formula I learnt about speed or distance actually came in pretty handy. Also i learnt conversational skills that are required in professional life. So i must say, school pretty much prepared me for my career.”

How was the bond between you and the faculty at the school?

“As I said before, I was a good student, a balanced student so the teachers didn’t dislike me at all. They sort of expected me to be a good student and i tried to maintain the image well. But I would sometimes get caught doing stuff and mischiefs like normal students do.”

What was your school major?

“I actually selected both the biology and IT subject groups because I thought I could study them both and take them together at a time, plus there were teachers supporting my every decision and helping me through it all so it was easier.” 

At the time of your journey, were there any weird or interesting traditions or trends followed in the school by the administrators, teachers or the students?

“Not really, there was a bit of favouritism going on at my time, which was sometimes unfair to the students. Also, there was a new spike-hairstyle around and I remember how it was really popular in our school. The teachers used to scold the kids who would come in with cool looking hairstyles so it gained more popularity by then. There was this ‘spike’ trend for hairstyles really popular among the guys. If you had one, you were a cool kid, not in the view of the teachers, though.”

The spike trend. I recalled it from when I was in grade two and boys with that haircut were stopped after assembly to be disciplined on the dress code. The good ol’ days.

Is there any advice you would like to give to the students of the school?

“Yes, I would suggest that you do not study to get marks. People should study to learn something, not to get good grades. What’s the use of getting good grades if all you can do is rote learn and not learn anything of substance from the subject? I used to study for grades but later onwards, further in life, I realized that grades do not matter as much as learning what you have studied or grasped the concept matters. So one should not just study to get good grades, they should also study to learn something, especially so that it can help you further in your career.”

This was something I fully agreed with. The pressure of achieving the right grades just didn’t sit right with me. This was something students should really stop focusing on. Learning matters, the grades don’t. He hummed his agreement as the conversation came to an end.

Having this intriguing and thought-provoking conversation has certainly perked up my evening. Throughout the whole conversation, Mr Hussain kept reassuring me and filling in bits with his interesting humour. I, as I personally believe, got to learn much from this conversation and him. May the nostalgia be forever our companion, the sepia seeping into our brains and hearts.

***the quoted conversation with Mr Hussain is not extracted word-to-word due to fillers and tidbits that included general human laughter and chitchat.