LAHORE GYMKHANA NEWSLETTER September 2018 - February 2019 CONTENTS
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LAHORE GYMKHANA NEWSLETTER September 2018 - February 2019 CONTENTS Chairman’s Message Editor’s Note Administration 02 03 04 Entertainment Finance & Card Room Food & Beverage 09 12 13 Health Club, Gym Golf Guest Rooms & Wellness Centre 15 18 19 Library & Newsletter, Women & Youth Sports Obituaries 25 27 29 Our Breathtaking Second Home Mohsin Mughal Khalid Javeed Sana Rauf Khurram Saleem Huzaifah Rashid Khalid Javeed Chairman’s Message Dear Members, Communicating with you all after 6 months or so is an absolute pleasure. This time period has been extremely lively and the variety of well attended events along with completed projects has been genuinely pleasing. Summers are around the corner. So are the Sunset Terrace, delicious snacks and a stunning panoramic view to make your evenings worthwhile. The Main Hall has undergone its first major refurbishment in decades and was inaugurated in style with the first ever Dastangoi event, the lost art of oral storytelling, at Lahore Gymkhana. The Golf Bunker is a work in process and soon you will be enjoying a redesigned, renovated and newly furnished hall. We are doing our best to improve member experience of club services and really appreciate your support and feedback, along with constantly being in touch with you through multiple forums such as Facebook, Newsletter etc. The purpose is to not just set the bar, but set it high enough to constantly challenge ourselves. As I have always said, I believe togetherness and teamwork is the key in achieving great things for our club we all consider to be our second home. Wish you all happy playing, eating and mingling at Lahore Gymkhana. Regards Kamran Lashari Chairman Lahore Gymkhana 02 Editor’s Note Dear Members, Assalamu Alaikum! During the tenure of our Committee of Management (COM), Lahore Gymkhana has gone through remarkable changes. Whether it’s the significant improvements in services and facilities or the new developmental work that has given Lahore Gymkhana, our second home, the unique look it always deserved, convenors and their teams have worked exceptionally hard and strive towards perfection on a daily basis. Over the past 6 months all of the committees have been tremendously active with new additions and improvements, developments in process and exciting events. To mention a few, the Entertainment Committee arranged some absolutely fabulous concerts with Pakistani legends such as Sajjad Ali and internationally renowned artists like Sahara UK gracing the Lahore Gymkhana stage. The Administration made much needed strides in the form of revamping the adored Shoppe, launching an online bill payment system, arranging medical emergency training sessions for employees among many other noteworthy achievements. We at the Library & Newsletter and Women & Youth committees, also had an eventful period. The Family Carnival was a huge hit, and the sub-clubs such as the Gardening Club, Book Club, Cooking Club etc. continued to hold their innovative events regularly. Now that the Main Hall has been renovated, which having been done after decades looks incredible, we plan on hosting even more events in the future. It’s safe to say that the team spirit of the COM has been the most essential element when it comes to the marked improvement in the standard of our club. Member participation towards that change is always welcome as well, and we appreciate and act on the valuable feedback provided. Finally, I would like to thank Ms. Fouzia Ahmed (Manager Library) and Hasan Shahzad Qureshi (Creative Consultant) in extending their help and cooperation regarding the publication of the Newsletter. Regards, Prof. Dr. Syed Atif Hasnain Kazmi Editor/Convenor 03 ADMINISTRATION Convenor – Dr. Jawad Sajid Events AGM-Annual General Meeting 6th February, 2019 “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress and working together is success.” Over 500 permanent members were present at the esteemed Annual General Meeting held by the Committee of Management (COM). The Chairman, Mr. Kamran Lashari, along with the COM and dedicated senior executives of the club covered a range of topics that were on the agenda including projected revenue, expenditure, future projects etc. Members were also invited to come up to the rostrum to give their valuable suggestions or voice their concerns. The synergy, passion and willingness to make a collaborative effort between members and the COM is a distinct feature of Lahore Gymkhana, and is immensely prevalent at the AGM. These are the key characteristics of our club that contribute towards its betterment and help maintain a reputation throughout the country that is second to none. 04 “From home to home and heart to heart, from one place to another. The warmth and joy of Christmas brings us closer to each other.” There are over 200 Christian employees at Lahore Gymkhana and celebrating Christmas with them is one of the most vibrant events of the year. It’s one of those special occasions that brings everyone togeth- er in unison and the harmony prevalent is like none other. A Christmas tree decorated with colorful orna- ments, Santa Claus or Father Christmas as the gifts bearer, dancing and singing along to Christmas carols and to top the everything off, a delicious, intricately prepared, layered cake made the festivities as enjoy- able as ever. 05 What’s New! REVAMPED Shoppe has been completely revamped and is back under Lahore Gymkhana Management. It’s more organized, spacious and even has a pleasant, outdoor sitting area for around 15 people. What makes it better than ever though is the fact that freshly prepared bakery items are now readily available at Shoppe. Members are also welcome to use the suggestions book placed near the counter. 06 ONLINE BILL PAYMENT Secretary Lahore Gymkhana Rana Humayun Ihsan took over the charge of the office of Secretary, Lahore Gymkhana. He has for over 17 years served Quaid-e-Azam University, National University of Sciences and Technology, National College of Arts, Cadet College Hasanabdal, Institute of Cost and Management Accounts of Pakistan, Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology, Federal College of Education and Pakistan Institute of Development Economics. Mr. Ihsan has been General Manager (HR & Admin.) in KSA as well. He is pursuing a PhD in HRM from Malaysia and holds MA English from NUML, MBA from APCOMS, MA Education from PU and LLB from BLU. He also has certifications from the University of Nottingham, UK to his credit. As Chief Executive Officer of the Club, he is confident to leave no stone unturned vis-à-vis all professional benchmarks, traditions of the Club, especially serving each esteemed member to his/her viable satisfaction, sans any discrimination whatsoever. 07 Medical Emergency Training Sessions October-November 2018 “With CPR training you can be a critical life-saving link for the survival of a cardiac arrest victim.” Multiple groups of Gymkhana employees attended Basic Life Support (BLS) training sessions at the Pakistan Kidney & Liver Institute (PKLI). These sessions included both informative lectures on the Chain of Survival and actually practicing steps for using an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) and how to perform CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation). Eid Milad un-Nabi May the spirit of this holy occasion bring peace and joy to your heart and home! UMRAH Maj. (R) Mr. Shabbir Shah Syed Nasrullah Shah Fast Food Cook Manager Gym 08 ENTERTAINMENT Convenor – Ahsan Saeed Mian 27th October, 2018 With over 2000 tickets sold, this was surely the most successful Grand Tombola in the history of Gymkhana. Being one of the stalwart events of the club that people all over the city look forward to, it certainly lived up to expectations. The Rear Lawn was absolutely packed! Congratulations to Mr. Sheikh Asif Bashir and Ms. Parveen Afzal on winning return tickets to Dubai, and Mr. Aneeq Asif on winning a return ticket to Bangkok, Thailand! 09 Sahara UK Nirmal Roy& 26th January, 2019 “Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand.” In recent memory, this was by far the liveliest, most spirited and effervescent concert held at Lahore Gymkhana. Nirmal Roy, a Coke Studio sensation with amazingly strong vocals, sang hits that have developed into anthems for Pakistan’s youth, courtesy Pakistan’s most popular music platform. She had the energetic crowd moving and singing along to all her songs. Then came on stage one of the frontrunners of Punjabi or Bhangra music, Sahara UK. With their mega hit songs known throughout the world, such as ‘Laal Ghagra’ and ‘Billo Hai’, they had the audience on its feet and in absolute raptures. Just when it seemed the night had peaked, to make things even better they paid tribute to Pakistani singers with their renditions of popular Pakistani songs. For every member present, this was surely one of the most unforgettable nights ever spent at the prestigious club we now know as a second home. 8th September, 2018 “Music produces a kind of pleasure which Sara Raza human nature cannot do without.” FARSHI MEHFIL Sara Raza, a Pakistani singer whose talent defies her young age. In her career she has already been on many popular music shows like Coke Studio in Pakistan, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge in India etc. She actually won the Pakistani reality show Bright Star and has also won a HUM award for Best Soundtrack. A performer with so many accolades graced the Gymkhana stage and unquestionably made it her own. The Main Hall was absolutely full of members of all ages wanting to catch a glimpse of and enjoy the undeniable talent on display. Even the Chairman got in on the act and performed a bit with Sara Raza. With songs from multiple genres, an energetic crowd shouting out or jotting down requests throughout the night and an overall atmosphere which you had to be there to believe, this was surely one of the best Farshi Mehfils ever at Gymkhana.