Adil Ahmad

Persistent gender bias too often disrupts the learning process at the heart of becoming a leader Culled by Adil Ahmad for publication in TCS CONNECT Corporate Magazine  (January 2014, Vol 13 Issue 1) In its September 2013 issue the Harvard Business Review featured an article titled ‘WOMEN RISING: The Unseen Barriers’, authored by Herminia Iharra, Robin Ely, and Deborah Kolb. Their findings are sobering and provide much food for thought for women in the workplace. Integrating leadership into one’s core identity, say the authors, is particularly challenging for women, who must establish credibility in a culture that is deeply conflicted about whether, when and how they should exercise authority. “Practices that equal leadership with behaviors considered more common in men suggest that women are simply not cut out to be leaders. Furthermore, the human tendency to gravitate to people like oneself leads powerful men to sponsor and advocate for other men when leadership...

Interviewed by Adil Ahmad, and published in TCS CONNECT Corporate News Magazine,  January 2014 Volume 13 Issue 1 In 1995 a young and energetic first year NCA student of textile design came down to Karachi from Lahore during her vacations, and teamed up with three friends from the Karachi Arts Council to form ARTEL with a view to doing something productive during the summer break. ARTEL literally means a group of craftsmen and artisans, and the work they had in mind had a lot to do with a revival of craftsmanship. They started with a group of potters in the Mauripur area making ‘hukkahs’ using garbage fired primitive furnaces, which they exported to the UAE. “We trained them to make the products we had in mind with greater finesse,” says Bina Ali, who is still going strong 18 years later, having taken up ARTEL as a full time pursuit while her friends moved onto other things. “We have strived to give a new meaning to terracotta. Each product is laboriously hand ...

Interviewed by Adil Ahmad, and published in TCS CONNECT Corporate News Magazine,  January 2014 Volume 13 Issue 1 Much before the advent of Malala Yusufzai, the Land of the Indus and the Karakorum had been blessed with its share of warrior princesses soldiering on in a hostile, male dominated landscape, and through their sheer dint of hard work and perseverance creating much coveted space for themselves in a conservative society, and in some cases being recognized and celebrated at international forums.  Isma Gheewala, born Isma Aitzazuddin, is in the forefront of women’s emancipation in Pakistan , and has been so for the last three decades and more. She’s a veterinary doctor, a surgeon. In 2011 the USA based Association for Women Veterinarians Foundation (AWVF) picked Isma from a star studded international field of candidates for the Distinguished Service Award. The Awards Committee included the leading lights of the profession Dr. Judy Spurling of Parker, Co...

Interviewed by Sasha Scheherzade & Adil Ahmad Published in TCS CONNECT Corporate News Magazine, January 2014 Volume 13 Issue 1 Prof. Dr. Bernadette L. Dean’s teaching and research interests are in curriculum development, social studies  education, citizenship education and action research. She has presented her research at many national and international conferences, and has published widely in academic journals and edited books. In addition, she facilitated the development of the framework for the National Curriculum 2006, and worked with teams to understand and write the curriculum for a number of subjects. Dr. Dean has written social studies textbooks for Pakistani schools and a teaching learning resource entitled ‘Creating a Better World: Education for Citizenship, Human Rights and Conflict Resolution’. Dr. Dean has remained the Principal of the St. Joseph ’s College for Women Karachi. Before that she was the Principal of Kinnaird College for Women Lahore, an...

CONTENTS Author’s Note Chapter 1 - Laws of Nature Chapter 2 - Pucca Karachiite Chapter 3 - Championing trade with India Chapter 4 - DIN Group of Industries Chapter 5 - Striking Back Chapter 6 - Championing Tanners Chapter 7 - Honouring commitments at all cost Chapter 8 - Learning from scratch and blazing a trail Chapter 9 - Proactive participation in the Nation's Health Chapter 10 - Proactive participation in the Nation's Education Chapter 11 - Seasoned Traveller Chapter 12 - Staying in circulation Chapter 13 - Countries Progress when they have Democracy AUTHOR’S NOTE I’ve had the pleasure and privilege of knowing Mr. S. M. Muneer for an entire lifetime thanks to the Karachi Gymkhana Club, more than just a second home for its members. For the most part it has been a formal relationship, the kind characterized by respect and admiration that juniors have for their seniors. Over the last one ...