Islamabad : The Floral Art Society (FAS) Rawalpindi/Islamabad chapter holds elections every two years and it used to be a well contested affair some years back but these days the general camaraderie that exists between the members makes it a tame and ‘foregone conclusion’ affair – there is no contest and all those who give in their names for various positions are ‘elected!’
Elections and a talk on succulents was the programme for this month. The meeting was well attended, indicating that there was an interest about the process - the talk on succulents being an additional attraction. The programme began with a recitation from Holy Quran by Hina Kamran. The multimedia presentation and talk on succulents and cacti was presented by Osman Maqbool, an engineer by training, while his hobby is the propagating of succulent plants. He has collected eighty varieties over the years and shared his experience with the audience, giving useful tips for caring for these wonderful plants which grow profusely with minimum care and little water. They are the ideal plants for landscaping gardens in these times of water shortage.
As an additional incentive to grow succulents, Ghazala Abdullah, Waqar Boolani Zeenat Salim and Hina Kamran had used them to create imaginative arrangements which were displayed on a table for members to look at and appreciate – or not!
Senior members Waqar un Nisa Boolani and Asma Ansari supervised the election and the results were announced by Asma. The new committee members are :- President Zeenat Salim; VP Nahida Raza; General Secretary, Yasmin Salman; Finance Secretary, Faiezah Shahid; Event person, Parvana Maqbool; Information Secretary, Huma Ehsan; Publication Secretary, Sarwat Aslam and two committee members - Amna Abbas and Shakeela Khalil.
Each of them stepped forward to thank the members for their support and said they would try and keep up the standard established by their predecessors by organizing informative and interesting programs.
As usual it was a relaxing and enjoyable morning, emanating positive vibes of goodwill and bonhomie between the members. Needless to say there were congratulations showered on the new committee and appreciation for the good work done by the outgoing group – with Farhana Azim getting a special thank you and a round of appreciative applause for the large hearted gesture she made during the election, of which a little bird informed me in confidence!
