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This ethnic classification of scientists is the very reason I got to know about Dr. Abdus Salam.
In Jhang, sharing a classroom with his extended family has been a norm since the past decade. Surprisingly, our land had 2 Nobel laureates.
1/n https://twitter.com/jazib_parvez/status/1284650861050961921
In Jhang, sharing a classroom with his extended family has been a norm since the past decade. Surprisingly, our land had 2 Nobel laureates.
1/n https://twitter.com/jazib_parvez/status/1284650861050961921
Dr. Abdus Salam and Dr. Har Gobind Khorana (lived in a town which was a part of Jhang district) were the only 2 scientists that were glorified in our locality. It went to such an extent that I began to believe that a Nobel Prize is a prerequisite to being a scientist.
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It is hard to believe that people of Jhang, a district so popular for sectarian violence, celebrated the achievements of Dr. Abdus Salam. The ethnic identity dominated the nationalist/religious propaganda. That person was the pinnacle of intellect and academic excellence.
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I remember my uncle praising me, when I used to be the highest scorer in my class, with the words:
"Ae munda agla Abdus Salam e, likh lao!"
These words signify the regard and respect that person had. He was the definition of success in our land. We all looked up to him.
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"Ae munda agla Abdus Salam e, likh lao!"
These words signify the regard and respect that person had. He was the definition of success in our land. We all looked up to him.
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I may be wrong due to my conditioning, but the Shia/Sunni conflict was far more important for the people. Ahmedis were not hated but envied, because they had produced the most brilliant minds in the area.
Ethnocentrist ideologies always play a great role in our society.
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Ethnocentrist ideologies always play a great role in our society.
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People tend to idolize achievements that are relatable.
I have been friends with people from his extended family. They all regard research-based academics as the best career path regardless of the cost. This idea seems to be fluid as we all were inspired by his excellence.
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I have been friends with people from his extended family. They all regard research-based academics as the best career path regardless of the cost. This idea seems to be fluid as we all were inspired by his excellence.
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My first understanding of Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan was him being labeled as a traitor. But Dr. Abdus Salam's identity was the reason we all thought of bringing the next Nobel home. We all believed that a Nobel in Physics was better than all other disciplines.
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This system of classification has its own merits and demerits.
We must acknowledge that achievements must not be labeled according to irrelevant personal attributes, but to the marginal contributions they make to the existing body of literature.
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We must acknowledge that achievements must not be labeled according to irrelevant personal attributes, but to the marginal contributions they make to the existing body of literature.
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