Social Expo 2013 - A Recap

Review by: Ali Carbovader

This Saturday, we PAFians assembled to volunteer for the Social Expo 2013. It was a hectic day. We were busy setting up our respective NGOs’ stalls, and enjoying it all. While I’m dead tired, I have decided to write out my disjointed thoughts about the highs and lows of the day before I completely forget everything in a blur of many photos that are coming up.

This was the first time many of us had gathered at the Expo Centre *to volunteer*. Thanks to the Outreach Society, we were given this fabulous chance to prove that we, PAFians, can handle anything we dab in. We even managed to acquire a stall at expo, and that was just a day before, so we volunteers gathered all that we could. From coloring books to face painting, Chapter’s stall attracted several of the special flowers of our society, and most were seen with reluctant, but extremely satisfied, faces leaving the stall. The volunteers at the school’s stall were making every effort to make them feel like a part of their society that had shunned them. The effort was superb, considering the time we had to prepare.

Graciously hosting the Social Expo was Markaz-e-Umeed. They ensured that volunteers not only volunteered at the stalls, but were generous enough to allow us do stage performances. Asma Mehboob’s speech in urdu, titled ‘Keep The Hope Alive’ was received in smattering applause from the audience. Asma’s commendable efforts motivated volunteers to hold hands with the special children and dance with them – not once but twice on ‘Taarey Zameen Par’. The fact that Chapter’s volunteers made their day was clearly etched on their blossoming faces. Then there was a performance by two of the shining stars of Chapter Records – yes as you might have guessed – Paul Naqvi and Mariam Tariq. Following these were two hilarious dances, the last one *breaking the stage* by all the volunteers.

With so much frick-frack going on, photographers were a must. The photographers were from Chapter records, they are not just everyday selfie-taking-people, but people with talent to turn an event into an eternal memory. And that’s when Ali Khalid, Khurram Kamran, Shafaq Javed and Anas Riaz came in handy. *Sorry-if-you-four-were-bullied-by-us-into-taking-our-photos-but-we-needed-them-and-you-need-to-understand* “Meri bhee” and “Hamari bhee” and “Is k saath” and “Us k saath” were the general cry around these people. You all did an amazing job covering each and every aspect of the Social Expo 2013.