By Amin H. Karim MD
In the early 1990’s internet was in it’s in infancy. Emails were being sent. Netscape Navigator was introduced connecting the early websites and making them searchable. I had come details of our class fellows from Dow Medical College Class of 1975 that graduated in 1977. I bought a domain name called Dow77.com and with the help of a early HTML editing program (called ICS Spider) made a website and uploaded it. Since not everyone in Pakistan had phone modems to get access to the World Wide Web I printed out the website and printed 500 copies of the roster. This was later distributed to the Dow 77 friends at the Silver Jubilee event in 2002 and also mailed to those who could not attend. Here is a copy of the roster.
There were of course, errors in connection as to where the alumni were residing or doing. Dr. Salman Faridi wrote an email which is re-reproduced below.
FROM: S.Faridi [mailto:salmanf@super.net.pk]
Sent: Saturday, February 24, 2001 3:58 PM
To: Amin Karim; Munir A Shikari, MD
Cc: Abdul Hameed, MD; Anjum Zaki, MD.; Aziza Shad; Dowites-1977 Moderator; Dowites-1977@egroups.com; Dr. Anwar Jalil; Dr. Anwar Malik; Dr. Asadullah Khan; Dr. Ashraf Zaheer Ansari; Dr. Farid Shaikh; Dr. Irfan Daudi; Dr. Ishrat Saleem; Dr. Kaleem A. Siddiqui; Dr. Kishwar Zaidi; Dr. Mansoor Ahmed; Dr. Mohsin A.H. Laliwala; Dr. Mohsina Bilgrami; Dr. Mughis Uddin Ahmed; Dr. Murad Moosa; Dr. Musheer Hussain; Dr. Mushtaq Ali Jinnah; Dr. Naeem Choudhry; Dr. Najam Qureshi; Dr. Naseer Haider; Dr. Ninaz Bharucha; Dr. Raza Ali Sajanlal; Dr. S.M. Ahmed Naqvi; Dr. S.M. Musheer Hussain; Dr. Sibtain Ahmed Jilani; Dr. Syed Hamid Zaki; Dr. Syed Hamid Zaki; Dr. Wajhiuddin Naqvi; Dr. Zeba Alvi; Dr. Zubeda Karimjee; Dr.(Capt) Saeed Faiyaz Khan; Fayyaz Hussain, MD; Hyder Arastu, MD.; Malka Firdous Waseem, MD; Mubeen Chida, MD.; Noor Mohammad Merchant, MD; Raja Kaikaus, MD; Sakina K Valika; Salma Jamal, MD.; Samina Hayat, MD; Sanobar Khan, MD; Shaheen Zia, MD; shahid kamal; Shahid Rafique, MD; Shujaul Qadir, MD.; Sibt-e-Hassan Burney, MD
Subject: [Dowites-1977] The batch of 77
Dear Amin,
Let me compliment you on designing and furnishing an excellent web site. The photographs were particularly evocative, resurrecting memories of some of the best years of our youth. I am particularly impressed by your ability to recall such a large number of names and faces, most of them with updates regarding their present location and function. The organization that you have displayed in assimilating this data on to a web site is reminiscent of the tremendous methodical discipline that you so prominently displayed in medical school. I hope that doesn’t sound too patronising for it is meant as a sincerely felt compliment for someone who has made a huge ( and successful ) effort to rekindle old memories and provide a bonding focus for the class of 77.
I recently met Munir Shikari after a long hiatus of over 20 years. Time may have eroded his hairline but it has not dampened his enthusiasm for organizing class projects. His zest and energy of old were still visible and still as infectious as in the old DMC salad days. He, too, merits our commendation on starting an e-group for the dowites of 77.
While these two cyber sites provide an invigorating dose of nostalgia, it is important that we use them for more constructive and creative purposes as well. They must not remain confined to serving as mere address books for episodic get togethers in Pakistan or North America, nor must they be limited only to the exchange of occasional idle gossip. I am, therefore, delighted to hear that you also intend to use these fora to raise funds for classmates in need. I will be happy to contribute not only materially but in any other way that may be helpful . Perhaps something very tangible and beneficial will materialise from this function that you have identified.
I remember a little note from you Amin on the e mail line wondering why people don’t take more interest in class reunions. You felt that this was because many people try to avoid the past. This may definitely be true for a few but for the majority I suspect it is not avoidance but apathy that prevents them from establishing contact. With time we have moved along divergent paths and many 77 ers may, therefore, find little commonality between them today beyond a loosely shared period of their youth. Hence, their lack of interest in some of these sporadic social events. I hope you will pardon my cynicism. The years mave have mellowed the tone and tenor of my expression but I still retain the iconoclastic resentment of conformity that many found so unpalatable in DMC.
A little help with the UFO’s :
1) This is Bassam, our friend from Palestine; a good student and a keen basketball player. I do not know where he is now but either Jooma Abdullah or Afif Budair ( his two best friends in our class and at DMC) should know.
2) This is Seema Yousufi. She is a dermatologist in Karachi
3) This is Shamim Ahmed who is now an opthalmologist in Karachi
4) This is Samiullah who originated from Quetta, but is now settled in Karachi and practices as an opthalmologist.
5) This happens to be Man Singh, one of the few Nepalese students in our batch. I am not sure of his present whereabouts. Perhaps Kashi the other Nepalese member of our class can help.
6) Naseem ul Haque, practices as an urologist in Karachi
7) Tasneem; he works as a doctor for the newspaper Dawn
A few missing names:
1. Wali from Quetta
2. Naeem Gul also from Quetta; working as a Paediatrician in Bolan Medical College
3. Sher Ahmed from Quetta; now an urologist at Fort Sandeman in Baluchistan
4) Birjees Ahmed, married to another classmate, namely, Ishrat Saleem
5) Zaitoon who is married to Rizwan Baig
A few corrections with surnames:
1. Mubeen Hassan should really be Mubeen Hassan Chida
2. Mehboob Hameed should be Mehboob Hameed Kaakuswadia
A few amendments about my own entry ::
I am the Chief / Head of Department of General Surgery at Liaquat National Postgraduate Medical Centre. I am not a thoracic surgeon. My present home number is 589 9460. I hope to send some updated photographs soon along with some ideas for the web site.
Amin let me congratulate both you and Munir once more for the sterling efforts that you have both made to provide a cyber platform for the batch of 77 to gather on.
A verse from Faiz Ahmed
Faiz to end with:
Hum kya karte kis rah chalte
Har rah mein kante bikhrey thaiy
Un rishton kay jo toot gaey
Un barson ke yaaraanon ke jo aik aik kar kar schoot gaey
Jis simt gaey jis rah chale youn payon lahoo lauhaan hoey
Sab dekhne wale kehte thaiy ye kaisi reet rachai hai, ye mehndi kyun lagaai hai
Woh kehte thaiy kyun qaht e wafa ka nahaq charchaa karte ho
Paayon say lahoo ko dho dalo
Ye raahain jub at jayain gee sau raste un se phootain gay
Tum dil ko sambhalo jis mein abhi sau tarha ke nishtar tootain gay
Salman Faridi
