22nd convocation: IVS students graduate with their heads high

102 graduates and 10 diploma-holders were awarded degrees

KARACHI: The time spent cramming for exams and preparing their thesis finally gave fruit for 102 graduates and 10 diploma holders of the Indus Valley School (IVS) on Saturday.

Wearing green and off-white striped robes, the fresh graduates made their way in an organised fashion as folk tunes played in the background. The cold morning air of December coupled with the warm sun streaks peeked in through the white tents, creating a perfect setting to celebrate their graduation day.

On this 22nd Convocation Day of IVS, 21 students attained their degrees in architecture, 26 in communication design, 18 in fine arts, 15 in interior design and 22 in textile design. In addition, 10 students also received their diplomas in digital film and video.



The star from the graduating class of 2015, who kept coming to the stage frequently, much to the amusement of the audience, was Veera Burjor Rustomji. She received an overall distinction and was also among the six students who received awards for having a CGPA of 3.25 and above. In addition, she received distinction in her thesis in fine arts, an award for dissertation and two more honourary awards in different categories.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Rustomji expressed her wish about artists' recognition at the government level. "It is not just the bankers and businessmen," she said. "Artists, too, are working hard and doing wonders that need acknowledgement."



Philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi, who was present on the occasion for a short while as he had come to see a revamped model of Edhi Home designed by an architecture student, expressed his pleasure at being invited. "I hope these pass-outs work for the good of humanity and this country," he said.

In her convocation address, Institute for Development Studies and Practices (IDSP), Pakistan, founder-director Dr Quratulain Bakhteari, congratulated the students, faculty and parents. For students, art is not just a profession but a means to connect with communities, she said. "If your profession is also your passion, life becomes hopeful," she said.

Bakhteari shared accounts of her childhood days, when immediately after the 1947 migration, her family settled in refugee homes near Shah Faisal Colony. "Security was so ingrained in us that we didn't care if we will get food if we wandered off far from home," she narrated. "We were the kids of everyone, of all the refugees. Today, it seems like the country is ours, as if the whole world is ours." She added that fearlessness in childhood gets embedded within you for life. "Artistic energy has to be joined with those who are out there," she said, urging the students to connect with those who hold similar artistic values.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 13^th, 2015.