KARACHI (Staff Report) – The 60-year celebrations of Institute of Business Administration took place in form of a book launch ahead of the New Year.
The faculty, students, alumni, board of governors came together to attend the launch of the book, titled ‘Chronicling Excellence: A history of IBA Karachi’, on the last sunset of December 2015 in IBA’s Jahangir Siddiqui auditorium.
Addressing the guests at the book launch ceremony, Dean and Director Dr Ishrat Husain said the final celebratory event for 60 years celebrations had marked IBA’s recording of its printed history through the collection of scattered documents.
“IBA has a rich history which spans various locations and founders, which made the collection of its official records a challenge, but the author compiled this trove of knowledge in a comprehensive manner. “Over 100 alumni were interviewed to verify its accuracy, and still this book is not meant as a final word,” Dr Ishrat added.
He also called for the literati of Pakistan and abroad to read, criticise and contribute to the collection of IBA’s records.
Sindh High Court Justice Munib Akhtar, the chief guest of the occasion, said the true asset for the institute was its people and their contributions had helped IBA become a national icon.
Former senator Javed Jabbar offered a detailed analysis of the book, citing its unique style as a thematic record of history rather than a chronological order.
He recognised the importance of the US institutions, including University of Pennsylvania and Wharton, which had helped form IBA.
Head of human resources at the First Women Bank and former head of human resource at IBA, Ayesha Menai, recalled her journey being a student at IBA. Following her, author Sibtain Naqvi shared his approach towards compiling the historical volume, saying that the book was not a novel, but an accurate depiction of history.
He said the administrative team under the supervision of Registrar Capt (r) Ahmed Zaheer was a valuable asset which had helped him find the important documents.
Dr Nomanul Haq urged the necessity of the study of art and literature, especially at an institute of IBA’s stature. He shared anecdotes to shed light on how a well-rounded personality was created through the fusion where art and science meet.
“Intellectual nourishment is required even for business students to understand the human element as Mark Zuckerburg, Bill Gates and Mohummad Yunus used their understanding of the human psychology to develop their businesses,” he added.
