Armed with bright, shiny faces, the PSA Board welcomed all and sundry at its Festifall stall on the Diag.
Thanks to Faarya and Zara’s attractive poster and our strategically located position next to the
block M, Pakistanis, interested non-Pakistanis and freeloaders (we had candy) came in the handful to
talk about PSA, the political situation in Pakistan and to share their anecdotes about visits to our
country. Thanks to all who turned up and those who helped us set the stall up!
After a last minute confusion on the part of the South Quad Hall Staff, the Mass Meeting took place
in the Am-batna Lounge of SQ. After a brief in-troduction to the board, there was pizza, an icebreaker
and mingling between new and old PSA members. Kudos to Khurram and Jasim for the presentation and its
‘revelations’ about the Board, and to Faarya for the fun ice-breaker!
PSA’s first formal event of the year, the Chaand Raat was celebrated with a Chai Time. With most
Pakistani-Americans celebrating Eid at home, the turnout was light, but we compensated it with steaming
cups of chai (made by Kodu, yours truly and some Every-day), shisha and snacks, creating an enjoyable
evening for all. Thanks to Batool and Faarya for giving us their apartment despite other commitments,
and sorry for burning a bit of your carpet! We promise to fix it (one day :P).
The 3rd Annual PSA Cricket Tournament was held at the Coliseum over a weekend in October. 6 teams–
PSA Jrs, PSA United, Garam Masala, MCC, MCA1 and MCA2- participated. After a pulsating series of group
and knockout matches, the two PSA teams met in an all-Pakistani final. It was a worthy encounter,
complete with intense cricket, umpiring controversy and a sensa-tional finish. At the end of it all,
PSA United, led by Ahmed Zaidi, claimed the title, with Khurram Siddiqi winning Man of the Series for
the third year in a row!
To fill the social calendar with innovative events, the Board decided to hold a Bowling Night at Colonial
Lanes. With free transport provided, PSAers turned up in large numbers, and spent the night trying to
knock over the ten pins! Most succeeded, at least once, with some proving far more taletented than others
(you know who you are!) Special mention must be made of Noor Pandit, who scored a night-high of 160 points!
After screening movies like Jinnah and Khuda Kay Liye, PSA showed Ramchand Pakistani at the Chem Building auditorium
as part of its Movie Night series. The movie was written and directed by renowned filmmaker Mehreen Jab-bar, and
told the true story of a young boy who unconsciously crosses the border into India. His time in jail, along with
his father, and the an-guish of his mother on the other side of the bor-der, is told beautifully. All those who
attended were gripped by the narrative and went home entertained and intellectually provoked.
Also, check out some of our
past events