Mind Petals Pakistan: SZABIST Chapter Launch [updated]
Mind Petals Organization is proud to announce that our first International Chapter recently began in Pakistan, SZABIST University, Mind Petals SZABIST Chapter.
Audio Press Release
This release is scheduled to be played on the SZABIST Radio Station in the upcoming month. play now [full view]
What’s Going on Mind Petals SZABIST Chapter
Ali Shah Assani, Chapter President, and Zuhaib Memon, Chapter Historian, answer a few questions about the new chapter and the creative culture of Pakistan:
What is your name and what college do you attend?
AA: Ali Shah Assani. I am attending SZABIST Karachi, pursuing my Bachelors in Computer Sciences (BS) with major in Software Engineering.
ZM: My name is Zuhaib Memon and I study in SZABIST, doing my Bachelors in Science, majoring in Computer Sciences (BSCS) from there.
How old are you?
AA: 22 years-old.
ZM: I am 21 years old.
What are some ways in which students at your university express themselves creatively?
AA: Students inform other students about their creative endeavors, but most of them are just obvious. One of the best ways of expressing creativity at the university are term projects. This gives a playground to students to work in the domain of a course or in their own student bodies and unleash their creative potentials. We have witnessed different events taking place at the university employing innovation and harvesting the wild seeds of creativity. From product/business launches, to outdoor field research, film making and dramatics, concerts, arts, Cyber Game tournaments, from final year CS projects to organizing workshops and events. Students at the university fit right onto our motto “we just don’t work hard — we work smart!”
ZM: Well, at the moment they all just tell friends their achievements and friends spread their achievements to other friends.
What are some of your passions in life?
AA: I am passionate about computers, trance/techno music, robotics, my guitar, Internet, business plans. Something I am most passionate about is the way I think; I am unemployable!
ZM: Violin, Computer, Robotics, the Web, and clean, safe, pollution-free environment.
How did you come to hear about Mind Petals?
AA: I wanted to start a Young Entrepreneurs society at my university and I was surfing over the Internet to find other related networks, so I could study their content and how they go about sharing their resources. I came across a few networks and Mind Petals was one of them. I really liked the content organization and requested for assistance and guidance. This is was when David and I exchanged emails for the first time.
ZM: I came to know about Mind Petals through the website, and lot of hype at my university about Young Entrepreneurs. So I searched Google and found Mind Petals.
Why did you want to start a Mind Petals Pakistan Chapter at your college?
AA: I was new to the word “entrepreneurship,” till the mid-2006 when I was studying the Management Principles course at my university. The word quickly grabbed my attention; I felt like this is what I am and wanted to become. We had an end of course project where students were to, really or fictitiously, launch a product/service or organize an event. Zuhaib Memon (Chapter Historian), three other team mates and I launched a website in December 2006.
Reviewing our work and potential, our instructor suggested working out a club/society at the university so that Young Entrepreneurs can come under one roof to discuss their ventures share information and resources and collaborate with each other. Zuhaib and I were busy with the website for the next 6 months when it abruptly came to a halt.
It was then that we decided to take a break from our failure and launch a society.
ZM: I want the Young Entrepreneurs at my college to collaborate with other Young Entrepreneurs all around the world. And those who want to become entrepreneurs can be guided from others. Also since I myself am an entrepreneur, I would like to help others and be helped at one point or another, so I can be guided in proper direction.
How would you rate the current state of innovation and creativity in the Pakistan society as a whole?
AA: GIGANTIC!
ZM: Tremendously huge.
What does Mind Petals mean to you?
AA: For me Mind Petals is a place where I can find people belonging to my breed. The people who highly react to jobs and for ones where getting a job is not an option. With such an unemployed mindset we were totally bored with attending guest lectures and workshops on finding the right job , passing the job interview or even writing your first resume. We wanted the paradigm to change where we could share information on finding the right employee, writing your first business proposal, and passing the first million milestone.
We love innovation! Of course, anyone who opens yet another corner cafe is an entrepreneur, but not much of an innovator. We embrace entrepreneurs with new ideas and innovate, these are the people who carry out the “creative destruction”.
Mind Petals today in Pakistan is taking its first steps towards collaboration between all Young Entrepreneurs. It is a place for any one who believes that one man can move the world. We believe that there are people around in the world who have brilliant ideas but lack knowledge to convert them into successful businesses. We would like to take up the responsibility to educate and work with Young Entrepreneurs from the refinement to the launch and continual growth of their businesses.
ZM: Its a root, from where the petals become the idea and grow up to make you what you want to be. Its like a tree, the seed you sow, the fruits you shall reap.
What is the future of Mind Petals Pakistan?
AA: Our vision is to establish Mind Petals amongst one of Pakistan’s highly reputed young leadership, entrepreneurial networks. Though we’ve just started, our team is working along to promote MP amongst corporations and other student bodies. We are currently in our induction phase where we are introducing MP to students at our campuses to tell them about the opportunities and benefits of becoming a MindPetaler. Our team is crafting the concept for a weekly show at the university’s radio to interview young established entrepreneurs — after all, content is king!
ZM: Its a bit early to say anything at the moment. But if we try to work in the right direction, we can have many people working together and sharing ideas.
