Here are two books I have been reading recently:
Finished the autobiography of Syed Babar Ali (Founder of LUMS) and skimmed through the History of IBA. I wanted to get an insight into the lives of the most sucessful people in Pakistan, their life choices, their social circles, they charachter, their virtues, morals, ethics, and ways of living. I really enjoyed the autobiography of Syed Babar Ali, since I could find a lot of similarities in our family backgrounds and common ancestory from the times of Pre-Independence. The book is exceptionally written and I was hooked to it such that I completed it in 2 days. A must read if you are interested in corporate life in Pakistan, the politics and history of Pakistan, and get an insight into what happens at the top. Although I felt like the portion dedicated to LUMS was very short, it still provided a good foundational knowledge.
The history of IBA, to be honest, was a dry book. However, I did get an idea of how life was like for students in the early years of the IBA and how the institute managed to distinguish itself due to strict enforcement of discipline and merit. Unfortunately, as Dr.Ishrat Hussain mentions in the book, IBA has been neglected in between good leadership and today my class was cancelled although all routes to city campus were open. In the book, it was written that the classes at IBA used to continue even if there was political unrest in the city and students used to stay the night at IBA when situations got out of control. I got informed about the class cancellation after I had reached the campus early to read in the library.
Dr. Ishrat Hussain was a revolutionary leader. Under his leadership, the budget of IBA increased tenfold, from 295 Million in 2008 to 2144 Million in 2015. He built most of what IBA is today, including all the modern infrastructure. The current Dean is leaving IBA before the finish of his tenure and the future of the institute of uncertain at the moment, but I am sure that the intellectuals in the institute will keep it afloat. The work of Ishrat Hussain is not so easy to undo.
Overall, I am happy to say that both books contributed immensely to my personal growth, specially the autobiography of Syed Babar Ali. It helped me think from perspective of the truly enlightened in our society. Although he was born into extreme wealth, Syed Babar Ali took his family enterprise to the next level instead of feeding off his ancestors' fortune.