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THE AMU Alumni annual picnic was held at Milne Park in Markham, Greater Toronto, Canada on August 2, 2008. Attended by about 370 Aligarians including their spouses, children, relatives and friends, the picnic was mainly organized by M/S Asad Alam, Ejaz Ahmad, Farhatullah Khan, Feroz Khan, Midhat Kidwai, Nadeem Siddiqui, NailaSaeed, Qazi Abdus Salam, Saeed Faizi and Zafar Saeed. The picnic day typically started at 9 AM and ended at 9 PM.
Many Aligarians came forward by themselves and took control of various tasks and activities. Among those who contributed immensely in more than one ways were Dr. Nizam Ahmad and his family, Dr. Ibrahim Nasser (an Iraqi Alig), Rasheed Khan and his wife Aysha Rasheed, Majid Ali Khan and his family,Sikander Khan, and Rizwan Saeed. Mr Sultan Ahmad Khan, a cousin of Medhat Kidwai and friend of Saeed Faizi sahib was a great help.
Several sisters including the spouses of the organizers took keen interest in the overall arrangement and worked very hard to make the picnic a memorable event. They included: Mrs. Sakina Zaidi, Mrs. Arshi Ejaz Ahmad,Mrs.Maryam Rizvi,Mrs. Najma Akhtar, Mrs. Tabassum Zafar, Mrs.Ayesha, Mrs. Ruby Nadeem, Mrs.Erum Malik and her sister–in–law.
The daughter of Saeed Faizi along with her younger brother jointly managed the entry gate. Many more Aligarians helped in various ways but could not be included here to keep the report short and readable.
The Aligarians took blessings from the senior most Aligs of 40s such as M/SHaseeb Khan and Engr. Saghir Ahmad. The other noted Aligs who graced this occasion included M/S Ishtiaq Khan, Afzal Yousufzai, Sikandar Yar Khan, Ishaq Tonki,Shujaur Rehman Khan, Dr. Khursheed Ahmad, Iftikhar Ahmad Khan, Samad Khan, Jameeland Rizwana Ahmad, Mohammad Ahmad, Haider Zaidi, Ansar Qureshi, Masood Siddiqui, Furqan Khan, Javed Danish, Mohammad Ali Rizvi, Ali Cameron, Mohammed Akhter Nihal, Jamal Nasir, Salman Akhtar, Nayed Ahmad, Afzal Khan, Sanjeev Khandaria,Wahid & Subia Zia, Nasser Khan etc. representing all the cities of GTA and surrounding areas such as Toronto, Mississauga, Markham, Ajax, Brampton, Woodbridge, Richmond Hill, Burlington, Hamilton, Milton, Oakville etc. Engr Viqar Hussainand his family and Taskeen Jamali and his family came all the way from Windsor, a city about 350 kms from Toronto.
The delicious Bar-B-Q lunch consisting of fresh and delicious Seekh Kabab, chicken tikka, and burgers supported by aaloo puri, ice-cream and water melon was followed by games, arranged by Naila Saeed. Prizes were given to the winning children.
The picnic was one of the biggest gatherings of Aligarians Canada has ever seen. It was a morale booster and an excellent source of networking for old and new Aligarians. They revived Aligarh memories and shared their diverse experiences in Canada.
Such occasions are highly essential to keep our traditions and culture intact in the Western environment, particularly for our locally raised children. Aligarh picnic has filled this void nicely.
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