LUMS Live: Helping the Community Stay Connected and Informed

A majority of the world is confined to their homes as a result of the rapid spread of the Coronavirus. Classes at LUMS have also been moved online with majority of the staff and faculty working from home. However, just as LUMS has not let the current situation stop the students learning, it has also found a new way of keeping important conversations going.

LUMS Live, launched on March 29, 2020, is a platform that gives you the opportunity to tune in and connect with Dr. Arshad Ahmad, Vice Chancellor, LUMS and other eminent panelists as they discuss important topics. Discussions during these live sessions, hosted on the LUMS official Facebook page and moderated by Adeel Hashmi, cover topics from how to maintain good health, how to continue learning in the current environment and the changing role of technology to how to stay positive and the importance of being generous and empathetic to the people around us.

Explore our past sessions, and be sure to join us for the next session and become part of critical conversations during these unprecedented times.

LUMS Live Session 30: In Conversation with Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai

Education is a basic human right that empowers individuals and builds a better world. In today’s world, strong leadership advocates for a balanced educational landscape that is driven by a philosophy of accessibility for all. Times are tough and the challenges facing the educational landscape bring something new to the fore every day. From barriers of poverty and war, and hurdles of socio-economic class and gender, to the completely unexpected storm that is COVID-19, the fight for education for all is universal. What needs to be prioritised in the effort of making education accessible to all? What decisions must be taken to support education in the new normal? How can leaders rise to the challenge of striving for a more equal world?

Malala Yousafzai, the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate through her work with the Malala Fund, actively works to advocate the cause of gender equity and access to education, causes that LUMS champions in its everyday workings. In this common fight for accessibility to education, we can learn from the struggles that got us here and persist in our efforts of creating a world of equal opportunity.

To learn more about how education can be made more accessible and what role leadership can play in this effort, watch the thirtieth session of LUMS Live: In Conversation with Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai. Our distinguished panelists included Ms. Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Laureate and Co-founder of the Malala Fund, Dr. Maliha Khan, Chief Programmes Officer, Malala Fund, Syed Babar Ali, Founding Pro Chancellor, LUMS, and Dr. Arshad Ahmad, Vice Chancellor, LUMS.

LUMS Live Session 29: Designing Safety Nets in the Context of an Outbreak

Safety nets are made to protect nations and minimise the negative effects of globalisation on those who are economically weak. In an outbreak, these become more important as more people fall below the poverty line and are impacted by the ensuing financial crises. Thus, safety nets, which include cash, in-kind transfers, food security and feeding programmes targeted towards vulnerable households, need to be activated on an urgent basis so the poor are supported by them and do not remain trapped in poverty.

To know more about the strategy to mitigate the impact of an outbreak, watch the twenty-ninth session of LUMS Live: Designing Safety Nets in the Context of an Outbreak. Our distinguished panelists included Dr. Hadia Majid, Assistant Professor, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, LUMS, Mr. Haris Gazdar, Senior Researcher, Collective for Social Science Research (CSSR), and Mr. Rehan Rafay Jamil, PhD Candidate in Political Science.

LUMS Live Session 28: COVID-19 and the Pakistani Student: What’s Next?

The consequences COVID-19 has had on a continuous educational journey for students are not just well known at this point, but also well-experienced by a significant proportion of Pakistani society. Institutional closures across Pakistan have only complicated an already precariously balanced system in which school dropouts hover around 50% at the end of primary school, and universities struggle to establish robust funding models through which to protect research interests.

Amidst the variety of initiatives, and debates colouring the country’s education landscape, important questions about sustainability have started to emerge: once institutions reopen, what’s ‘next’? What have we learned about digital access and educational content from months of containment? How do these insights sit with lessons we may already have gained from other forms of education disruptions and emergencies to suggest directions for setting our students’ educational processes back on track? Thinking further, what can such discussions teach us about more efficient system designs so that we not only prepare for similar disruptions in the future, but also remain attentive to the variety of experiences our students have every day as they attempt to learn.

To explore some of the more specific areas of education planning and delivery that can emerge for Pakistan from such thinking, watch the twenty-eighth session of LUMS Live: COVID-19 and the Pakistani Student: What’s Next?

LUMS Live Session 27: The Forever Evolving Fashion Landscape of Pakistan

The Pakistani fashion industry has grown from being nearly non-existent to one that has collections unveiled every six months and vibrant campaigns launched with them. However, back in the 1960s, women in Pakistan wore their self-styled outfits. No organised industry existed back then. Sughra Kazmi, Pakistan’s original bridal revivalist, was perhaps the first person who was acknowledged and acclaimed as a couturier. Today, there is a definite influence of the Pakistani industry on global trends. Western designers have incorporated much of the traditional motifs and styles in their designs.

To understand the evolution of the fashion industry in Pakistan, watch the twenty-seventh session of LUMS Live: The Forever Evolving Fashion Landscape of Pakistan. Our distinguished panelists included Ms. Sahar Atif, Fashion Designer, Professor Hina Tayyaba Khalil, Vice Chancellor, Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design and Mr. Deepak Perwani, Designer and Actor.

LUMS Live Session 26: The Environmental Challenges of Pakistan

Rising sea levels, melting ice caps, drastic change in weather patterns and significant decline in the population of several species have been in the news. The winter smog in Lahore and other big cities showed us that Pakistan is going through an air pollution crisis. The country generates approximately 48.5 million tons of solid waste with a 2% increase each year. With a lack of a proper waste disposal system, most of it is burned, either causing air pollution or buried on vacant land, causing soil erosion. Each one of this directly impacts all of us. The obvious signs of climate change pose a huge threat to the entire planet, let alone Pakistan. Therefore, environmental issues in Pakistan need to be seriously addressed and dealt with on an urgent basis. As a citizen what can one do to save the environment? Is the government working on a plan to save the country from environmental degradation?

To understand the issues around environment, watch the twenty-sixth session of LUMS Live: The Environmental Challenges of Pakistan. Our distinguished panelists included Mr. Ahmad Rafay Alam, Environmental Lawyer and Activist; Dr. Fozia Parveen, Post-Doctoral Fellow and Adjunct Faculty, School of Science and Engineering, LUMS and Dr. Sanval Nasim, Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, LUMS.

LUMS Live Session 25: Ghālib'-e-ḳhasta ke baġhair

Mirza Ghalib is one the greatest poets of the Sub-continent. He was an eloquent and erudite poet who investigated and captured life’s experiences and sprinkled humour in his ghazals. Ghalib was not really fully appreciated in his own lifetime but today he stands as one of the greatest poets of Urdu. His poetry has been translated into different languages and is read extensively. It is said that his verses transcending borders, were far too advanced for his times.

To know more about the great poet, watch the twenty-fifth session of LUMS Live: Ghālib'-e-ḳhasta ke baġhair. Our distinguished panelists included Dr. Arfa Sayeda Zehra - Educationist and Public Intellectual, Dr. Nasir Abbas Nayyar - Writer, Critic, Columnist and Essayist and Adjunct Faculty Member, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, LUMS and Dr. Khurshid Rizvi - Writer, Poet and Scholar.

LUMS Live Session 24: Cooperation or Conflict During Times of Crisis? Lessons from Shared Water Resources

Water is a unique resource. As the demand for water has begun to overtake the available supply, competition for this limited resource may lead to conflicts. However, if both nations and individuals cooperate to develop their shared water resources, there may be mutual benefits. During the present situation of the pandemic, there are lessons to be learnt from the water sector on resource sharing in times of scarcity, especially on how people adapt, how well meaning policies may fail and what are the limitations of rational decision-making.

To know more about the challenges of managing water resources especially during COVID-19, watch the twenty-fourth session of LUMS Live: Cooperation or Conflict During Times of Crisis? Lessons from Shared Water Resources. Our distinguished panelists included Dr. Hassaan Furqan Khan, Assistant Professor, Habib University; Dr. Fazilda Nabeel, Doctoral Researcher, Department for International Development, University of Sussex; Dr. Muhammad Abubakr, Associate Professor and Department Chair, School of Science and Engineering and Director, Centre for Water Informatics and Technology, LUMS and Dr. Hassan Jaleel, Assistant Professor, School of Science and Engineering, LUMS.

LUMS Live Session 23: Marketing in the New Normal

It is a whole new ball game for marketing today. The new normal has marketing officers operating in an environment of change and uncertainty. Digital technologies are reshaping consumer engagement. Consumer behaviour, meanwhile, has become unpredictable, fluid, and experimental. Forward-looking CEOs are working toward a ‘New Normal Marketing’. Are you and your organisation ready to play in this obscure scenario? What tools are you exploring to transform your marketing operations? What do you predict about your consumers?

To know more about the changing marketing climate during COVID-19, watch the twenty-third session of LUMS Live: Marketing in the New Normal. Our distinguished panelists included Mr. Faisal Akhtar Rana, Head of Communications and Marketing Services, Nestlé Pakistan; Mr. Ahsan Sheikh, CEO, Kinetic Pakistan; Ms. Nadia Haseeb, Head of Marketing Lubricants, Shell Pakistan Ltd. and Mr. Rizwan Fazal, Head of Marketing, Jazz.

LUMS Live Session 22: A Dive into the World of Pakistani Music

Pakistani musicians have made a mark on the global landscape. Pakistan is proud to produce the likes of Nusrat Fateh Ali, Abida Parveen, Allan Faqir, Atif Aslam, Madam Noor Jehan, Nazia and Zohaib Hassan, Hadiqa Kiani and several others. Pakistani Music, as diverse as its multi-ethnic population, ranges from qawwali, to good old-fashioned rock 'n' roll. It includes diverse elements ranging from music from various parts of South Asia as well as Central Asian, Persian, Turkish, Arabic, and modern day Western popular music influences. A distinctive Pakistani music has thus emerged and is enjoyed across the globe.

To know more about Pakistan’s music, watch the twenty-second session of LUMS Live: A Dive into the World of Pakistani Music. Our distinguished panelists included Ms. Natasha Noorani - Musician and Ethnomusicologist, Mr. Ahmer Naqvi - Freelance Journalist and Ms. Beena Raza - Educator and Musician.

LUMS Live Session 21: Finding Opportunity in Uncertainty: Entrepreneurship and E-commerce

There has been a marked change in lifestyles during the current crises. Home delivery services have become increasingly popular, which may indicate a change of purchasing habits. Online grocery shopping and telemedicine, for instance, are helping to avoid in-person contact and reduce the risk of new infections. With 75 million internet users in Pakistan, digital economy is playing a key role in the pandemic and e-commerce is emerging as a major pillar in the global fight against COVID-19. At the same time, e-commerce is helping preserve jobs during the crisis and entrepreneurship is increasingly becoming popular. For many restaurants that have had to close during the economic freeze, online delivery services have become a lifeline. Teachers and consultants are continuing to work through video conferencing.

To know more about the changing scenario due to the pandemic, watch the twenty-first session of LUMS Live: Finding Opportunity in Uncertainty: Entrepreneurship and E-commerce. Our distinguished panelists included Mr. Badar Khushnood, Co-founder Fishry.com and Executive in Residence, School of Business, LUMS; Ms. Fatima Rizwan, CEO and Founder Plutwo.com and Mr. Asfandyar Farrukh, Managing Director, Urban Brands.