By Abdul Rahman M. Baig
JEDDAH — The International Indian School Jeddah Alumni Association (IISJAA) recently celebrated its most awaited event #iisjaafamily Reunion 2017 in style! The event was conducted on 17th February and was attended by Eight hundred people consisting of Alumni ranging from the batches of 1980’s till 2016 with their families.
IISJ Management Committee Chairman Iqbal M. Kunnath, Asif Daudi, Majid Saleem, Tahir Ali, Noorul Ameen, V Balan, Shamsuddeen, Joy Paul (IISJAA Coordinator), Core Committee members & Hyder, Murtuza along with Adil, members of IISJAA Advisory Committee graced the event with their presence.
The evening commenced with impressive welcome walk by the Excom team escorted by a group of 30 Red & Black dressed volunteers. The march was followed by official inauguration by Mohammed Zubair Siddiqui, ExCom member.
IISJAA President Suhail Mehdi, delivered the welcome address and expressed his gratitude to the participants for attending. He highlighted the association’s policy of inclusiveness. which was part of the school culture.
Daudi and Saleem were then welcomed with bouquets. Daudi in his speech appreciated the efforts of ExCom to bridge the gap by organizing various events throughout the year. Saleem, in his address, said the alumni should come forward for the growth and development of the school. “Being member of the Indian community and ex-students of the school, it was the responsibility of all to help improve the standard of school.”
Muzammil Hashmi, general secretary, IISJAA, and Ayesha Aslam hosted the show and entertained the audience. Mohamed Waseem with his guitar and voice box ability took the audience by storm, while Nada Muneer’s melodious singing set the mood of the evening.
Mehdi and seven ExCom members then showcased in a presentation their activities & events for past 8 months. Mehdi also thanked the volunteers for participating in the largest food drive ever held. He applauded the success of IFPL led by M. Ameenuz Zaman and Atif Khan.
Rayeesa Fatima, joint secretary with Sabah Noureen, then showcased the unique ladies’ event organized on the occasion of Independence Day followed by Nabeel Sheikh, treasurer who presented the upcoming mentorship program to guide the current students of IISJ. The team also presented the first look of the upcoming official website of the IISJAA.
It is one of the most awaited projects. Vice President Syed Maqdoom Ali and Muzammil Hashmi presented its features and how it will be beneficial for all. The last part of the presentation (complied by Kashif Mumtaz) had a collage of shots taken during school days. It was presented by Siddiqui, who also remembered those alumnus and teachers who had passed away.
The ExCom also expressed its appreciation to Joy Paul for his selfless services to the school and IISJAA. In addition the previous ExCom was recognized and presented with plaques by the present team for their excellent service.
The event also had a 25 minutes bite break where attendees had a choice between hot delicious grilled food from Taza grill, chocolates and chips at Al-Mutamayuz Modern sweets stall or the most loved doughnuts and snacks sponsored by Tim Horton’s. The break gave an opportunity to participants to interact and talk one on one with their old friends and family members. It was time to shift from collective reunion to individual reunion.
The second half was filled with double excitement and the fun began with the entry of host Mohammed Al Mohammedi on a bike. He co- hosted the remaining show with Imran Ghani and both kept the crowd captivated with their Bollywood-Hollywood theme.
The first performer for the second half was Jeddah’s Star Singer Fareed Ali Khan, who set the tempo for the rest of the evening with his soulful renditions. This was followed by a comic skit, which brought the entire auditorium down with laughter.
The act had noted performers like Osman Bafana as student, Lateefuddin as father, Maryam Hyder as Mother, Sadiq Hussain as a Taxi Driver. It was directed by Sami Khan (who also acted as a Teacher), written by Amtul Farooqui, choreographed by Imran Kausar and conceptualized by Zubair Siddiqui.
All the children of the alumni were then invited on stage for a dance with Mohammed Al Mohammedi on a popular children track from the Bollywood movie Chillar Party. IISJAA is blessed with unique talents, and this year it was Sami Khan whose stand-up show “Naqli Chehron ki Dukan”, with its intellectual undercurrent, left the audience to introspect and see the true face of modern day society.
In another performance B-Boying Boys Saif, Sharjil, Sahil and Saud Akhtar thrilled the audience with their magical moves and dancing skills. Their flexibility and swift movement kept the audience spellbound. Imran and Bafana’s mimicry as Munna Bhai and Circuit enthralled the crowd.
The showstopper of the night was the spectacular dance performed by Siddiqui, Al Mohammedi, Yameen Khan, Amir Khan, Zaid and Rian which brought the audience to their feet. Fahad Donzai then brought the frenzied audience to complete serenity with his soulful songs. Multi-talended Hashmi then performed as the last singer of the evening and amazed everyone with his voice on a popular song.
Vice President Syed Maqdoom Ali concluded the event and proposed vote of thanks. He made special note of the contribution from the school management, volunteers, alumni performers, audience and sponsors of the event. Sabah Noureen kept the music following in her role. Creative digital and print communications of #iisjaafamily reunion2017 was well managed by Mazahar Saleh Siddiqui.
The event was sponsored by Air Arabia who distributed 5 tickets through a Raffle draw along with Al-Mutamayuz Modern sweets, Broadway Cosmos who also distributed gift hampers through this draws. CADD Centre, CADD@School & Integrated Learning, a key sponsor of the event took this opportunity to introduce its products to the Alumni. With over 520 franchise outlets across 24 countries in the last 28 years, CADD Centre has excelled in training over one Million engineers, graphic artists and management professionals, who are employed globally. Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and Fusion 9 were also one of the co-sponsors.
