Some might consider it just a red-bricked building that hosts hundreds of students every year but to the rest of us, Beaconhouse Margalla campus was more like home. Within these red brick walls, many of us embraced puberty, blossomed into adulthood and added a million bajillion memories to our time capsules. Making grades was an added bonus but we never really let that get us down, did we?
Here’s 20-odd reasons why we will never get over A’levels at Beaconhouse Margalla Campus:
1. The red-brick building instantly made you feel like home.
Source: UrbanPk
A feeling of nostalgia takes over you now whenever you drive past the building now but even back in the day, you had the immense feeling of pride and joy whenever you were in the vicinity. Beaconhouse will always be a part of who you are and you just can’t shake it off. Not now, not ever.
I mean, could anything else ever manage to look this dreamy?
2. You didn’t mind looking like complete idiots as long as you had a clique you belonged to
Every clique lived under the false pretense that they were the real deal. Regardless of your personality type, music preference, personal style or political stance, you would always fit in somewhere. The school hierarchy not only made it easy for you to adjust but also find your voice. You could be a part of a single group or twenty, the politics was on the down-low which ensured that you had a super laid-back year.
3. Ragging was super commonplace.
The first few days in A’levels were mostly about AS students finding their bearings while A2 planned of devouring the freshers. Despite the administrative ban on ragging, there were always the valiant few who smuggled rung in their little plastic bottles and the rest of us ended up walking to class drenched in green dye, from head to toe to the braces inside our mouth. Regardless, ragging made you popular and you ended up making friends from all disciplines so all in all, it was a pretty sweet deal.
4. Chilling at the Pavilion.
The Pavilion was always buzzing with energy, be it hosting an audience to the many activities in the sports grounds or kids just hanging out with edifiers and good music.
Pretty much the hangout central of BMI.
And also sometimes, managed to be a platform for the rising stars:
5. Budding musicians would walk through the gates with their guitars and serenade you right, left and center.
Source: Syed Muzamil Hasan Zaidi Facebook
6. Playing cards in groups of four and sixes was a norm.
You would usually exist here:
…playing your hand over petty cash, for the most part.
7. The advent of board games and more…
Pictionary, Monopoly, Ludo, Poker: You name it.
8. BMUN was the most treasured and celebrated event of the year.
There organizing team selection process was pretty competitive and everybody wanted a piece of the pie. BMUN was hands down the biggest event in the Beaconhouse social calendar with teams flying in from all over Pakistan. While the MUNers were always more interested in the debating, there were some who were only in it for the events.
Concert
Source: Koolmuzone
Carnival
9. Welcome/Farewell parties were a non-stop photography retreat.
10. The school buses posed as perfect opportunity to get around the city.
11. Birthdays were kiiiiiiiiiiiiind of a big deal.
Everybody was big on celebrating birthdays at that point in life
Surprises were crucial.
And they were usually pulled off successfully.
12. You were a part of the Banigala Social Experiment.
13. Or the BCAL Social Experiment.
Source: Twitter
Yeah, what was that massive ball of confusion, anyway?
14. Bunking classes was an easy and effective fix.
Because even if you were in class, you were busy doing:
Source: Omair Durrani Facebook
15. You got to wear Deepak Perwani to school
Source: Beaconhouse Times
Who cares if you were wearing uniform, as long as it’s Deepak Perwani. And a little improvisation was always allowed so you could manage to look fashion-forward, anyway.
16. Love was in the air.
Since A’levels is the time when your hormones are on a roll, many couples emerged during these two years – some even managed to stay together and eventually tie the knot.
MashaAllah, touch wood.
There were many spots to just meet and lounge so you could find them deeply engrossed in conversations at almost every nook and corner.
17. Canteen next to the copier was the shizzle.
18. Ma’am Viqar was your biggest confidante.
I bet everybody remembers:
Ring a bell? No…Here’s another reminder:
Source: Beaconhouse Times
Ma’am V was not only your career counselor but your friend, adviser, and confidant in all matters. You could walk into her office with matters pertaining to your career goals, self-actualization, failures in love-life or simply existentialism and she would always manage to turn that frown upside down. A beautiful human being, inside and out.
19. The guards never really made it a big deal to get past your “special guests.”
Source: Beaconhouse Times
Mr. Amin Akbar Afridi, or more fondly, cute pathan chacha would be the highlight of your morning. Always beaming and addressing you with his gentle tone, this guard-chacha was the unparalleled celebrity of Margalla campus. Not to forget, he has two decades of loyalty to the school under his belt.
20. You found friends to last a lifetime.
Safe to say, it wasn’t just school, it was our way of life. We made friends that stuck by us through thick and thin and we’re pretty sure we’ll be growing old together, if you haven’t already.
…and it all started with the infamous red-bricked wall.
