Birthday Culture In NUST
The sweeping birthday culture at Nust (National University of Sciences and Technology) is unlikely to go unnoticed. Students eagerly await the birthdays of their peers and the occasion is nothing short of a formal celebration.
Hussnain Qasim, a junior year student at the School of Applied Bio Sciences believes that “anday thapper” (egging) and embarrassing wall posts are the highlights of the birthdays celebrated on campus. He notes that celebrations at Nust usually take a violent turn.
“It is a good trend and it should continue”, said Nayab Javed a student at SEECS . However, she expressed concern over wastage of food as eggs and cake is plastered over the birthday girl or boy. She added that celebrating in the cafe`s is more exciting since the visitors also participate in the celebration and wish the birthday boy or girl. “We used to celebrate birthdays for socialising during the freshman year, all class fellows would show up but now people prefer to celebrate in groups.” she reminisces.
Usman Khan a student at NUST Business School criticised the use of eggs and water balloons and termed the practice indecent. In contrast, Taha Rao a student at IGIS feels birthday celebrations at Nust are a personal and intimate affair, compared to wall posts or Facebook wishes which are typically impersonal.
Most students identified the birthday celebrations as a means of socialising with their peers. Munazza Ahmed a student at School of Social Sciences supported the birthday culture.“Birthday celebrations help class mates get together and work in a coordinated manner while promoting friendship and altruism” she remarked.
Birthday celebrations serve as respite for students at Nust who are usually burdened with the course work. However, freshmen and sophomores show special enthusiasm for the celebrations.
