The Power of Religion

Asad Rafi writes on the power of Religion and his will to survive through the greatest challenges!

Religion has enabled me to do things in a much more organized manner and do it with much more dedication, care and love. It has taught me multiple things and the most important of all would be respecting people and how you behave with other individuals. Religion has definitely gone a long way in making me motivated and helping me to struggle in life through difficult and adverse times. [Read more]

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Physical Fitness leads to Better Health

Asad Rafi says Physical Fitness leads to being more mentally fit!

Regular exercise can provide the basis for good health and wellness. The health, fitness, and medical experts now regard exercise, practiced on a regular basis, as essential for achieving and maintaining good health. Being physically fit does not guarantee you health. However exercise is an essential component of good health. [Read more]

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The Power of Music: Asad Rafi

Music is the universal message of love and hope. It is through music that people join hands and become one as one has seen in the past. Music concerts of well renowned artists are beamed live in many of the major countries, as well as being shown on the internet. We can see over millions of people coming from different parts of the world flocked together to see their favorite artist performing. In the past we saw the world coming together to spread the word about prevention against aids and a group by the name of Band Aid was formed. It turned into a huge success as their song “We are the world” earned international fame and millions of people got to know about how dreadful aids was. This was the power of music.

Now let me tell you how music has had an effect on my life for the better.  For me music was always a part of life from the early days. I have always loved it and it brings peace and tranquility into my life. There has been a certain amount of change in the way I have listened over the years due to the rapid change in technology. Beginning from my school days when I used to listen to cassettes going on to compact discs known as a cd and onto the ipod presently. It has been a constant change and coming to the use of the ipod which was a welcoming sight for me due to it’s easy listening and my being transferred in a wheelchair. Being able to transfer songs from the cd onto the ipod while sitting on my chair really makes life very easy and worthwhile for me.

Listening to music while taking a shower, going in the car and doing my work has become a part and parcel of my life. For me listening to the ipod while at work gives me the ability to concentrate on what I am doing without any interference. Radio also over the years has improved by leaps and bounds and there has been a constant increase in the channels from having 1 to 9 at present. The level of music has also greatly improved over the years and good selection of English and Indian songs are available. It means that I do listen to the radio quite frequently including going in the car and also while sleeping at night.

I have been a fan of soft pop and rock music over the years and artists like Madonna, Bryan Adams, Phil Collins, George Michael my personal favorites. The list is a never ending one and goes on and on. Listening to old and popular Indian songs is enjoyable and easy listening. An Indian singer whom I have been fond of from the beginning has been the legendry Kishore Kumar. He has sung numerous songs and has a beautiful voice. I am crazy for his songs and try my best to get all his songs.

Even though he died 20 years ago, he is an ever green singer and his songs will always remain alive in my soul. Michael Jackson in my opinion would be another artist whose amazing videos really fascinate me and I just love him. His album titled “Thriller” revolutionized music and the making of videos in the early 80’s. The video of the song “Thriller” was out of this world and will always remain my personal favorite. Bee Gees would be another of my most cherished groups. Their songs from the movie “Saturday Night Live” are such classics that you can never get tired of them.

Going to the music shop over the weekend and trying to get some latest English or Indian songs has become normal for me. I have always preferred to get the original album from Dubai, rather than pirated copies which sell like hot cakes. The difference in the reception of songs is clearly visible when listening to the Ipod which makes it worthwhile to get the original album.

It has always been my desire and dream to attend a music concert of one of my favorites. When I got to know that Bryan Adams will be coming to Karachi in January 2006 for a concert I was so excited and over the moon. It was a dream come true for me to see the music icon Bryan Adams performing live in person in front of my own eyes.

Karachi was witness to the first ever international rock concert with the arrival of Bryan Adams to the Arabian Country Club located in the outskirts of Karachi. The city was abuzz with the upcoming concert for quite some time, the only concern being the security and the steep ticket prices. A lot of my friends did not come to the concert citing security fears but I was not going to let go this opportunity for the world.

The concert started at 7:30 pm and the place was jam packed with people. The atmosphere was absolutely electric and you had to be there to experience it. Bryan Adams came on stage half an hour later  and the massive 13,000 crowd got into high gear. Bryan rocked the house with his truly inspirational vocals keeping the massive crowd captivated to every beat. It truly was a night to remember for all. For 3 hours Karachi stood in unison and all the violence and bloodshed was forgotten. Bryan Adams was bid farewell by a fascinating display of fireworks.

 Concerts are held worldwide but for a concert of this magnitude for the first time ever in Pakistan, everyone held his breath as even a minor hiccup would send us back into the stone age. The organizers for this event have to be applauded, as they did a great job and there was not a hint of any violence. Shehzad Roy was the person responsible for bringing Bryan Adams for doing this charity concert for the 2005 earthquake. This concert again further strengthens the point that how powerful music is and what it is capable of doing.

Before I had even started listening to music, there were records on which music was heard. They were very popular and even now people from yesteryears listen to music on records having record players. The quality of music on records used to be crisp and crystal clear. Coming to the present time when people can listen to music through their mobile phones using headphones. They can also download music from the internet onto their ipod. For me listening to the ipod while, traveling long distances  is very relaxing and convenient.

As you all can see music has come a long way and has shown how powerful it is in different ways. Without music life would definitely be dull and without any color. Technology was gone a long way in making music more compact and easy to listen which is evident from the ipods in use at present. I would say that music has been my source of inspiration in many difficult and trying situations.

“Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music”.

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My experience at the Journey of Hope Seminar: Asad Rafi

On the 8^th of May 2008 a seminar titled “Journey of Hope was held at the Agha Khan University auditorium. The seminar was held to mark the 50^th Golden Jubilee of HH Agha Khan. The purpose of the seminar was to begin a journey of bringing about positive changes in the social attitudes towards persons with disabilities and pave the way for an equal and inclusive world. This initiative will lead to greater awareness and concrete actions to improve the opportunities towards people with disabilities in the educational, economic, social and cultural domains of their lives.

I will come back to the other significant points of the seminar later. Being a motivational speaker and having spoken on various occasions, I was quite excited at the prospect of speaking to a packed audience of 400 to 500 people. The auditorium was jam packed and the audience included Government officials, various NGOS and community representatives who are championing this initiative.

There were a number of speakers with disabilities before me and they all shared their personal stories, as well as highlighting the main issues faced by them in general regarding their disabilities. Everyone was to speak for 5 minutes which was fair enough, as there were around 10 to 12 speakers.

I was the second last speaker and was a bit nervous as I was taken on to the stage. The auditorium at Agha Khan is not wheelchair friendly at all and my chair had to be lifted up. One of the earlier speakers who was also on a wheelchair, had requested the Agha Khan foundation to make the auditorium wheelchair friendly. Once I was on the stage it felt very comfortable and at ease. Having spoken at the auditorium before gave me the confidence and determination.

Before my turn had come I decided to get rid of the format of my talk which was written on paper. Most of the speakers before me were reading from a paper while speaking, which was not to my liking. It was my biggest audience so far and my speech had to touch their hearts. After giving my introduction, I went to describe my disease and the effect it has had on my life. What keeps me positive?

This was the main thrust of my talk and I went to explain the factors which have helped me to remain positive and motivated. My main goal in giving talks was also highlighted. In conclusion, I talked about the simple philosophy in life “It is not what happens to you It is what you do about it” which I have taken from one of my inspirations in life and have always tried to follow.

It was an amazing experience and I truly enjoyed speaking there, What made me feel even better was the positive and encouraging feedback I received from other people. A number of people came up to me and told me that I had a great job and that my talk was really inspiring. It truly was a great feeling and I thanked God for the success I had achieved. The seminar was being covered by the media, which included TV channels also. After the seminar ended a couple of TV channels also asked me a few questions. Hi- tea followed the seminar and later on in the night there was a performance by the music group Strings.

Like I said I will come back to some other significant points covered in the seminar.  There was a research report also presented during the event representing the current status of persons with disabilities in Pakistan and the way forward. On the day after the seminar a meeting was held at Marriot in which a network was launched known as Network of Organizations Working for People with Disabilities Pakistan (NOWPDP). The network will include a website which will cater to all the disabled people in Pakistan. It will include information of all the disabled persons in Pakistan similar to Nadra. The website will also have a discussion board where disabled persons all over Pakistan can chat with each other. They can also post various topics regarding their disability.

So as you can see it makes for a very interesting prospect of the network and the website being made. I can definitely say that over the years there it has been seen that more awareness of disabled persons in the country is visible, which is indeed a very positive sig .

Considering all this, it is imperative for Pakistan to sign on the UN Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) which is gaining momentum. So far an NGO working on it has obtained 70,000 signatures and needs to meet with the Prime Minister of Pakistan. We all look forward to that and getting the deserving rights for people with disabilities. I look forward, on working for the rights of disabled people and making a difference in their lives.

“ What cannot be cured must be endured”.

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How Technology has changed My Life

In today’s day and age of fast paced activity technology is definitely a key ingredient in the making of it. Computers, cell phones, cameras, ipods are just a few of the key components making technology so much more interesting and innovative. There is so much more in life to look forward to and just with the click of a button you are able to do unbelievable things.

My first taste of technology came at IBM in the form of computers. As everyone knows IBM is an IT( Information Technology) company and it was due to my interest in computers that I joined IBM. Learning computer courses and being able to do programming was one of my first goals, but it was a bit technical and not to my liking. It was while working on the computer did I come to know about the internet. In the beginning that would be the early 90’s internet was such a fascination for everyone and everyone would love to use it. Internet was something which was tailor made for me and I used it to the fullest. With I being physically challenged and to be able to get all the information required by just using the computer was just amazing. My using the internet for various kinds of activities including research on multiple things related to work and entertainment makes it so much more interesting and enjoyable.

Internet had numerous advantages including getting the latest scores on all types of sports, knowing the latest movies and music coming up would be among them. It has various websites on different topics and there are search engines available, where you can just type whatever you are searching for. The advantages were never ending and the more you would use it, more unthinkable things a few years back would be available for your use. Along with internet also came the use of email. Email is an electronic mail service through which you could keep in touch with your friends living anywhere in the world. Gone are the days of communication through posting of letters which took quite some time to be delivered. Email on the other hand takes around 5 minutes to get to you. Since having the disease Friedrich’s Ataxia resulted in my struggling to write, the Email was the ideal opportunity for me to communicate. As I am fond of writing all my articles are typed on the computer which is so convenient for me. We also have many chatting programs and social websites now available through which friends can keep in touch with each other.

Coming to another amazing gadget which one cannot do without now is mobile phones. I remember mobiles a few years back being considered a luxury and only the well to do having it. Now you see everyone carrying a mobile phone, be it the tailor, milkman or the meat man. The advantage for me again is not having to run around to talk to someone. The mobile also has the service of sending messages to other people which is known as SMS. It is a service which has become very popular and more so than giving a call. It is very cheap and at the same time very quick and easy to use. People use SMS service while saying Eid Mubarik, Happy Birthday and Happy New Year to their relatives and friends. I would say that this service of SMS is beginning to take over the use of Email as it is much quicker and there is less effort required. There are countless other advantages including taking pictures, having the internet, radio on your mobile

Other inventions would include Ipods, Usb’s, digital cameras and  the list would be never ending. I have been a music lover from the beginning and would have a hug pile of cassettes and CD’s. An ipod would give me the same benefit as above, being able to listen to different music sitting in one place. To be able to transfer music from cd to an ipod would be requiring the use of a computer and it underlines the importance of having a computer and having sufficient knowledge of how to use it. With the new ipod having come in the market some time back and with the invention of the Iphone is evident of the fact that how faced paced today’s life has become and is yearning to become more.

One more gadget without which my work would not be complete is a usb. It is quite an amazing gadget and it has the capacity to store all your folders consisting of files, presentations, pictures etc. It is indeed a small item especially to people working in offices extremely important. A digital camera can come in handy at times as you can immediately see the pictures which you have taken and do not have to wait for them to be developed.

So as we can see from the above mentioned technology, just how much computer literate a person has to be to survive in this . I have emphasized enough the importance of the knowledge of technological gadgets and keeping updated about new products coming. As far as I am concerned, the advantages all these inventions provide me are phenomenal. For a physically challenged person these gadgets are extremely convenient and easy to handle. It definitely has made my life much more comforting and peaceful.

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How Sports Idols Inspire Me: Asad Rafi

Sports has been my first love and without it my life would be without color. I guess it runs in my family, as my grandfather, father and uncle all have been sport loving people. It would be the motivation and commitment shown by sportsmen in their respective fields which in turn would ultimately make me never to give up in life and always be highly motivated.

Ever since I was in school I used to love all kinds of sports including cricket, tennis, football, swimming etc. When I went to Aitchison College in Lahore the sporting facilities over there were considered to be the best in the country. Their cricket and hockey fields were very picturesque and were second to none. I started playing sports from my Aitchison days and was very active playing cricket, tennis, table-tennis and swimming. This was before I became wheelchair bound. So I would say from Aitchison my love for sports started.

Coming from Aitchison to Karachi Grammar School was quite a change regarding the sporting facilities. KGS is well known for it’s education and is limited in providing sports facilities This led to my being less active in all kinds of sports apart from swimming. I do swim very regularly till the present day and get a lot of motivation from swimming. Another reason for my being less active would be because I had to wear a brace due to a curve in my spine and this helped the curve from deteriorating. The brace confined my movements and thus could not run around freely. Following cricket matches on television or radio had become a passion and it would also result in my bunking classes to get to know the latest score. Shortly after the end of my schooling days, I came to know that a wheelchair would be my new companion and it was then that sports took a new meaning for me in my life.

Having sporting idols has always been something which has been so exciting and which has always helped me in maintaining my love for sports. Imran Khan would become my first sporting idol in cricket. Following his superlative performances and always egging him on, no matter how difficult the situation was, showed how much he meant to me at that time. He went on to become the captain of the Pakistan cricket team and my support for him was never ending. I remember when the 1987 World Cup Cricket was played in Pakistan the atmosphere was absolutely electric. On the day we were playing the semi-final against Australia in Lahore everyone knew that we were going to win. I had gone specially for the match to Lahore and was present in the stadium. In the morning from the atmosphere of a party filled with noise and non stop cheering had transformed into a hush of silence. Being there at the stadium it felt like someone had died after our defeat and as if we had come to for the mourning. There were tears in everyone’s eyes including mine and I can safely say that any sporting event has not had such an emotional effect on me.

Imran announced his retirement from cricket after the 87 World Cup, after which he was persuaded by the then President of Pakistan Zia-ul-Haq to take back his retirement. Pakistan went on to win the 1992 World Cup under Imran’s dynamic leadership. He led from the front and his ability of never to give up even when faced with a daunting task always gave me the hope to be positive and believe in my abilities. I also met Imran a couple of times and he also came to my house. Imran was a very dominant figure in cricket and will always due to his unrelenting attitude have a special place in my heart.

Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras have remained my sporting idols in tennis for quite a while and I have learned a lot of my fighting qualities from them. Especially it would have to be Sampras who was the one who pioneered my love for tennis. I used to love watching him crush opponents with his famous slam dunk jump. Pistol Pete would become his nickname for his thunderous serve. He was the most complete player on grass and went on to win 6 Wimbledon titles. It was during his last Wimbledon did he go on to lose to a guy named Roger Federer who I was cursing at that time. Little did I realize that Federer would go on to become my greatest sporting idol.

For me when Federer plays the world comes to a stop and everything else happening around me is immaterial. My focus and attention is centered towards Federer winning his match. No matter what time his match is coming on television I have to see it be it 4 in the morning. Even when his matches are not telecast live, the first thing I have to do is to check the score on the internet. He is the most complete tennis player to have played the game and his record speaks for itself. My sporting wardrobe has to resemble his and try to get all the tee-shirts Federer wears somehow or the other. His posters and official calendar are hanging on my wall. My prayers are always with him and even when he is in a difficult position, I know that he will win. His ability to remain positive in all situations has benefited me the most in my struggle in life.

Tiger Woods has revolutionized the game of golf to such an extent that all youngsters are taking up golf. Before Tiger golf was considered an old man’s game. The same would apply for me as my interest in golf has increased by leaps and bounds. My father and I do watch him in action together at home. It is only he is leading the tournament and playing well are we interested. I would say that we have been lucky to have been born in an era where we are able to see 2 of the leading sports personalities in action. It is their ability to bounce back at any stage from a hopeless position which makes them the number 1 in my book.

So as you can see for me sporting icons make my life interesting and always something to look forward to. Watching them in action arouses in me the spirit of being competitive at all times. My motivation in talks at times comes from watching my sporting heroes in action. Whenever I am faced with a difficult situation in life, my mind always goes to my sporting heroes as to what Federer and Tiger would do.

Here is a quotation which all sports people try to follow:

“ Let’s not limit our challenges, instead, let’s challenge our limits!”

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Disability is not an inability

Whenever a person has an accident which leads to him or her being disabled in some way the question which is most frequently asked is Why did it happen to me? At that point and time you will probably not have an answer for it and will be feeling like it is the end of the world for you. You are wrong.

When I was first diagnosed with having Friedrich’s Ataxia and was told that I will not be able to walk again, it was very heartbreaking and seeing a wheelchair for the first time was not a welcoming sight for me. At that point it felt like my life was coming to an end. All my dreams and ambitions were shattered and the question why did it happen to me kept being repeated in my mind. Being the only child of my parents was also very tough for my parents to accept in the beginning. [Read more]

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My experience at Faysal Bank: Asad Rafi

On Friday the 14^th of March I was invited to Faysal Bank to give a motivational talk. Everything was very well organized and I was taken into a board room. There were about 20 to 25 people sitting on both sides of the room and my presentation had been set up.

The topic of my speech was “It is not what happens to you It is what you do about it”.I began my talk and after starting by talking about how my disease had effected me and how I had coped with it. How having a positive frame of mind motivated me and what were the main factors which had helped me in keeping positive. I went on to talk about my inspirations and how they had a really positive impact on me. Talking about CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) was the main feature of my talk and special emphasis on making Pakistan a more wheel chair friendly place was laid by me. [Read more]

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Corporate Social Responsibility: Asad Rafi

Editor’s Note: I met Asad Rafi through a motivational talk he was giving at the T2F

and was extremely impressed with his profile. Asad has worked at IBM for almost 8 years, joined Si3 in their Marketing and Communications Department and has been promoted to head the Corporate Social Responsibility department at the company. He does all this and more despite having a neurological condition called Friedrich’s Ataxia - I can’t think of anyone better who can write about what CSR really means along with taking about what kind of Pakistan he envisions for all of us. - end of note.

CSR is a concept where organizations consider the interests of society, by taking responsibility for the impact their activities have on customers, employees and the environment. Initiatives are taken to improve the quality of life for the employees, their families as well as for the local community and society at large.

CSR has become a regular feature in every organization, especially the multinationals. The leading companies include a heavy budget for CSR activities. These activities includes the likes of providing education to the underprivileged, providing clean water to the needy and also providing better health and hygiene facilities. SI3 has been aware of the importance of CSR from the very beginning and has taken many initiatives over the years. [Read more]

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Open Source Human Capital Management Systems

Kashif Malim takes a look at Open Source HCMS in Pakistan!

Management of human resources is one of the most complex tasks of an organization, especially for medium and larger enterprises. Human resource executives have to manage large amounts of information and data points about every employee from the time they join, to the time they leave. To help manage this information and reduce manual workload, organizations have been employing human resource management systems.

With automation being at the forefront of technology industry, it links up perfectly with administrative tasks such as payroll and labor management. Faysal Bank has recently stepped up to the plate and is implementing Oracle’s Human Capital Management (HCM) Application. Si3 is managing the implementation project. [Read more]

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