Why banning Uber and Careem is stupid?

Most of you would be aware about the recent troubling news about banning Uber and Careem. First things first, these services have not been debarred, not yet anyway. These companies have been given a certain number of days to get ‘registered’. If history has taught us anything, this registration is more like a euphemism for filling up relevant pockets. 'Pockets' belong to certain unscrupulous individuals who are so twisted by greed, self-indulgence and God knows what else there degenerate minds have managed to cook up, that they fail to realize the implications of such a step.

Why the ban is a stupid idea?

Let me tell you what banning these services means. For starters, you are preventing at least 15000 people from earning an honest-to-God livelihood and this figure only pertains to the drivers in Lahore. Moreover, this figure is only going to grow as the popularity of these rider-hailing-mobile-apps increases. In the current time of crisis where people already have a hard time making their ends meet; the government should be working to promote such ventures rather than creating hurdles for them and their beneficiaries. And although I am unfamiliar with the ins and outs of economics, even I can think of the numerous economic benefits of these campaigns. It is no secret that the public transport provisions in Pakistan are below par. They simply cannot meet the rising demand. I myself have gone through the horror of using these facilities. Old decrepit vans and buses where getting on and off these vehicles without being bruised or scraped is quite an achievement. Although, at least in Lahore, the LTC (Lahore Transport Company) has introduced a fleet of new vehicles and we have the metro bus here, but in times of need these can be dangerously overcrowded and travelling in them is more like participating in a furiously contested battle. Uber and Careem can go a long way in resolving this issue. In our society, moving about for women and families is not so simple. Many women face harassment on their day-to-day commute. This is not highlighted enough but it is quite a serious issue. Travelling with kids on buses and vans takes more than a smile. Uber and Careem provided the answer to the issues because as it stands, they are one of the safest and most secure modes of travel.

Why now?

What really confusing about this is why now? Uber for instance, has been around in Pakistan for nearly 10 months now. If government had any reservations regarding its services why didn’t they come up with them before? I have another question regarding Uber. On what grounds have these sanctions been put up? Uber simply provides software which connects riders with the drivers. Both parties are independent contractors. Uber does not own any car nor do they have any drivers. None of the drivers work for Uber, rather these drivers are constantly referred to as partners. Drivers are under no obligation to use Uber.

How does Uber work?

Assume that Driver A is a driver who decides to earn money by driving a potential Rider B to his/her destination. What now happens is that the Rider B will request for a ride using Uber app which could route the request to any of the nearest drivers connected to their Uber app. Suppose Driver A receives that request on his or her phone. It will be up to the driver choose whether to take that trip or cancel it. So we have a safe and a secure platform which also allows the concerned parties the freedom of choice. What’s not like about this? Keeping in mind that Uber extends its services to Auto Rickshaws around and the hardly-ever-seen taxis, nobody should really have any objections. Economic benefits, safety, security, freedom and a very dignified mode of travel; Uber and Careem tick most of the right boxes and for that I hope this outrage quickly subsidizes and the population continues to reap benefits of these services.

The image in this post is taken from "https://propakistani.pk/2016/11/04/uber-vs-careem-vs-taxi-one-best".

For the love of Nanga Parbat

Scaling an eight thousander is a herculean task and those who conquer them and some of them do so without the aid of a puny oxygen supply are no less than demigods; there isn’t any other way to describe it. I often heard ‘Reinhold Messner successfully summited Nanga Parbat’, ‘Hermann Buhl was the first to ascend Nanga Parbat and he did it alone’. A few others have achieved this feat, but in all these fascinating tales the words ‘eight thousander’ would always feature with reverence. Now while one could imagine why climbers spoke of a ‘eight thousander’ with veneration, but to a tourist, a bystander, a mere mortal? What led them to accord such reverence to an ‘eight thousander’? Well August 27^th 2014, I embarked on a journey with friends which answered this question. Nanga Parbat first came into sight on the 28^th covered with clouds while were making our way up to Fairy meadows. Our guide had warned us that the Nanga Parbat does not give up its secrets that easy. It will torment and tantalize you disclosing just enough detail to keep you interested at the same time poisoning your mind with the dreadful idea, “I won’t get to see it this time”, and then when you least expect, it will stun you with its magnificence. That is exactly what occurred. As the day died so did our hope of seeing Nanga and the next day situation had not improved. We spent the day toiling around Fairy Meadows which, incidentally, is a beautiful place in its own right. A couple of horses grazing on a large expanse of a lush green meadow leading up to a forest of pines, whereof a stream emanated and meandered about the meadow finding its own peaceful way out. That picturesque scene is what I retreat to when I need a break from the stimulus of the urban life. 29^th of August and the light was fading as fast as our hopes of seeing the face of Nanga, but in the dying embers of the day the clouds begin to thin and we got our first glimpse of the twin peaks. All activities stopped as eyes fixated on the face of Nanga. Though it was night when finally Nanga had come clean, but none of us dared move as it slowly unraveled itself.

Fairy Meadows, Nanga Parbat Raikot Face Night. Picture and Editing by our guide Mir Manzar Elahi.

The moon was nearly full and the horizon was pure. Never had I ever seen so many stars in the sky. To our front we could see the mountain radiating a greenish hue showing off all its features and right above us the Milky Way split the horizon, as real as the bonfire we sat around. For a long time we all sat in awe; no one wanted to leave, nor felt the desire to speak. That whole experience was surreal. In those moments I felt like a child. The mountain, the stars, the edge of our galaxy; it was all so vast and inconceivable. To think how the stars aligned in my favor as I beheld that beautiful scene accompanied by some of my favorite people in the world, it couldn’t be attributed to something as crude as chance or a coincidence; ‘a touch of destiny¹’ would be a more prudent explanation. In a way that affair reaffirmed my faith in God.

Nanga Parbat, Raikot Face. Picture by Hamza Butt

The next day brought more wonderment. I was roused to wakefulness by excited voices of my friends, throwing praises at the Nanga. Spurred by their declarations, I rushed out of my tent only to be stunned by the magnificent edifice in front. While Nanga Parbat appeared coy in the night, in the light of the day it was something else. Rising up high and mighty, Nanga presented its rugged features unabashedly as it met the light of the day proudly. The skies were almost clear; a breeze swept across the meadows and the Nanga, emboldened by the Sun’s light was eager to show off every nook and cranny of its magnificent structure. In the light of the day the Nanga was damning, domineering and disdainful, yet it remained noble and dignified and even as it bared itself to the brilliance of the day, the Nanga retained its elegance and majesty. Words cannot describe the emotions Nanga Parbat brings out in those who witness its splendor, I for one, am grateful to have sighted such magnificence.

¹ Pirates of Caribbean reference. I just love that movie.

The Plight of Material Engineers in Pakistan

“beta university mein kia parhte ho”. What are you studying in university? This is usually what follows right after I meet with someone. Well me? I just graduated from university in Materials Science and Engineering about uh six, I guess it is six or maybe seven, months ago. So nowadays, the answer is simple; I bide my time sleeping or cursing the load shedding. However, rewinding back to the good old days of university those four magnificent full of positivity and promise it went as, “uh, I am doing bachelors in Materials Science and Engineering” with a satisfied smile which after countless such encounters was reduced “Materials Engineering” and the smile turns to a smirk. You think it is rude? No; that I manage to say something is an achievement itself as my mind is now working furiously to hold the waves of anger at bay. Before you go asking I shall forestall you with the answer because after those ‘countless encounters’ the conversation predictably turns to the subsequent question; what is materials engineering?

The problem is that people especially with no engineering background usually do not have the slightest idea about what engineering is. Say chemical engineering, oh it says chemical that must mean chemistry so chemical engineering should be about chemistry. Now that is absolutely bonkers. Its ‘chemical ENGINEERING’ people, that last bit is almost as important as the first one and no it has little to do with the concept of chemistry we learn in school or college. Now imagine the scope of my problem when I had to explain to such inquirers about Materials Science and Engineering.

This is how one of the countless encounters go. A pause, a deep breath, a valiant attempt at keeping calm and I start off unveiling the train of thought (keeping the metaphorical train in check from derailing of the track). Materials Science and Engineering encompasses all natural and man-made materials – their extraction, synthesis, processing, properties, characterization, and development for technological applications. This is how University of California, Berkeley defines it and this is the kind of explanation I present to my curious interrogators in a very simple mix of English and Urdu. Job done, eh? Think again because what they conclude from all this is ‘acha tou cement bajri waighera’. (Oh so it has to do with cement sand concrete and stuff. Imagine being put through such torture for four years in such countless encounters. It takes enormous restraint on my part to manage a smile, but inside there is no more a train rather a gigantic bull with hooves on fire waiting to gore my tormentor right through his chest. I have been raised with better morals, so I vainly attempt another go at explaining knowing full well that the inane fool in front of me would never be able to get it through his thick skull.

Unfortunately, it is not only these people who underestimate the worth of a Materials Science and Engineer. This sickness spreads to frankly a startling number of organizations and industries in Pakistan. The typical ‘cement bajri’ response is a far cry from what the truth. Just start with the coursework. Fundamentals of Materials, Polymer Science, Ceramics and glasses, Composite Materials, Surface Engineering, Materials testing and characterization, Corrosion Science and Heat Treatment of Steels.

Now just tell me how can all this be justified by ‘cement bajri’? If engineering was a religion this would be considered blasphemy, punishable by death.

The coursework is not a joke. There is nothing superficial about what we materials engineers learn. The concepts regarding the above mentioned topics are extensively studied. Yet we hardly get the recognition we deserve for all that hard work. Polymer science for instance, we material engineers have enviably detailed knowledge about the subject certainly no less learned in the polymer arts than our chemical engineers, yet major industries in Pakistan fail to realize our worth and usually a Material Science and Engineering graduate is not even considered eligible for polymer related job.

Moving on to corrosion, pretty sure there is no corrosion engineering not at undergraduate level in Pakistan and almost certainly other engineering disciplines do not incorporate as part of their curriculum surely not as much as this ill-fated degree. Take a gander dear readers, who does these jobs go to? Once again the blessed students of mechanical and chemical engineering are given opportunities to make a career in this field and once again the Materials Engineers are considered ineligible.

All over the world, materials engineering is the big thing. Each day brings with it something new about the world of materials, a concrete that can absorb enormous quantities of water, transparent wood made synthetically with better properties, self-healing surfaces and what not. Companies and organizations abroad are keen on hiring materials engineers. Why don’t people here open their eyes? When will the industrialists realize the importance of a materials engineer? When will the education ministry finally do something instead of creating more hurdles in the way of education? People talk about ‘progress’ they talk about ‘brain drain’ are those than words only? All those Materials engineers out there and after those ‘countless encounters’ why do people still persist with ignorance?

Why did I start this blog?

10^th September 2012 in SCME (School of Chemical and Materials engineering) auditorium sat people of Materials engineering, fifth batch. In the following four years this notorious group was just referred to as ME 05. The excitement here was palpable; minds were working overtime as the contents of this group were busy forming judgments about each other. This was the first day of a four-year long journey full of madness, adventure, loyalty, some amount of animosity and dissent, but on the whole an absolutely adorable tale of camaraderie.

By the end of the four years, this motley bunch was literally in tears as they departed away from one another, leaving behind the best four years of their lives (no exaggeration).

So before that teary parting, when the thought that our perfect little time together was coming to an end hit us, we vowed to give it our best shot to stay in touch with each other. After all, with such a long eventful time together, we did not deserve to part ways so quickly. I told them whenever staying in touch gets harder, remember those smiles, that laughter, those comforting words we told each other when the going got difficult and how, by staying together we had managed such a feat.

This is for all that. Here we are going to share our crazy stories, our adventures; we raise our voices and our opinions about current affairs. Here we hope is that platform that allows us to honor that promise we made to each other and continue the beautiful journey which started on 10^th September 2012.