Respected faculty, distinguished guests, and fellow scholars,
Assalam o Alaikum , good afternoon
Today, I stand before you with the same spirit — to bring your focus back, to share ideas that matter, and to explore the journey we are about to undertake together.
Salman Khattak, our dear and popular CR, ordered me to weave poetry into this welcome—a tapestry of my own verses and the voices of poets I admire. The task was bold, yet how could I ever refuse the call of words? So here I stand, ready to let language dance before you, to let its rhythm sweep us away:
ہم نے خوش ہو کے بھنور باندھ لئے پاؤں میں
(قتیل شفائی)
Not everyone here can speak from the podium today, yet I want to acknowledge that every person sitting here is equally eloquent and capable. As Abrar Saagar beautifully reminds us
It is both an honor and a quiet privilege to stand here today, at the threshold of a journey few choose and even fewer complete. We gather not merely to begin a course, but to embark on an adventure—one that asks not simply what we know, but how we come to know.
We meet at a time when attention spans shrink faster than glaciers melt, when truth is negotiable, and when the din of certainty often drowns the whisper of thought. Yet, against this noise, we have chosen to study—not because it is easy, but because inquiry, however arduous, remains humanity’s most dignified hope.
The Discipline We Choose
A PhD is not a degree alone; it is a disposition—a patient engagement with uncertainty, a disciplined rebellion against the superficial. It teaches us that complexity is not confusion, and depth is not delay. To embark on this path is to accept the slow rhythm of discovery, to admit that one lifetime may not suffice—and to begin anyway.
In the spirit of Socrates, our truest beginning is not possession of answers, but the disciplined acknowledgment of what we do not yet understand. Every serious field—science, philosophy, literature—begins with wonder. And if wonder is the origin of knowledge, humility must be its method.
As Marcus Aurelius reminds us, “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” Obstacles are not hindrances—they are the path.
Our Shared Responsibility
The tragedy of our age is not ignorance, but distraction masquerading as knowledge. Surrounded by information yet starved of meaning, our task is not to collect data indiscriminately, but to discern truth—to know what to question, preserve, and transform.
A good researcher does not chase novelty for its own sake. A good researcher reclaims seriousness for what matters. In a culture obsessed with immediacy, we must defend the right to think slowly, doubt productively, and imagine boldly.
Integrity as the Heart of Scholarship
Innovation is hollow without integrity. Every thesis, every line of inquiry, shapes the moral fabric of society. To be rigorous when shortcuts abound, to remain honest in an age of spectacle—this is our quiet act of courage.
Our nation does not need more degrees; it needs researchers who connect relevance with truth, who navigate the intersection of global complexity and local responsibility, and still make sense.
At Riphah International University, we uphold core values in both academic and personal life. Al-Akhirah guides ethical foresight; Itiqan inspires excellence; Mushawarah and Ijtima’iyah remind us of collaboration; Rahmah fosters compassion; Muhasabah instills accountability. By embodying these principles, we advance knowledge while nurturing integrity, social responsibility, and holistic development—a unique union of faith and learning.
The Human Core of Research
Behind every method, citation, and sleepless night lies a profoundly human desire: to understand and be understood. Research is not a mechanical pursuit; it is a moral one—a dialogue between curiosity and conscience, between the individual and the unfinished project of humanity.
In linguistics, our work is part of a larger effort to make the world intelligible, and perhaps, a little more bearable. Languages are living mirrors of human thought, culture, and perception. Some, like the Pirahã, lack exact numbers; others, like Inuit, distinguish dozens of types of snow, reflecting environmental precision. Certain languages encode direction rather than left or right; others, like Swahili, compress subject, object, and tense into one word. Khoisan languages employ over 80 clicks; Japanese and Saraiki encode social hierarchy in pronouns; some use whistling or gestures as integral grammar. From echo words in South Asia to polysynthetic words in indigenous traditions, language reveals that thought, perception, and culture are inseparable.
Let us reclaim the dignity of thought. Ideas are not ornaments—they are instruments of transformation. As Theodore Roosevelt eloquently argued, “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena…who spends himself in a worthy cause…who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”
Everything was peaceful after the MPhil — a good job, calm days, quiet weekends, no assignments, no deadlines, no restless nights. Life was beautifully ordinary. Then came the first question of the day: when we were living in peace and enjoying life, why did we decide to do a PhD?
I suppose the answer is simple — I decided to do a PhD because, apparently, I enjoy suffering — but in a structured, citation-heavy way.
But if my answer doesn’t sound convincing enough, let us turn to Munir Niazi, who puts it far more poetically:
کُج شہر دے لوک وی ظالم سَن
کُج سانوں مرن دا شوق وی سی
As PhD scholars, when our friends ask us, "How are you?" Shakir Shuja Abadi expressed our reply in these words:
And it is because of quizzes, assignments, presentations, and term papers:
یک مشت مکا تیڈی جان چھٹے
شاکر شجاع آبادی
We gather today as dreamers, driven by ambition. Every great achievement begins with an inner fire—a yearning unique to each of us. Yet, ambition does not burn in isolation; it grows stronger or weaker depending on the influences we welcome into our lives. The flame is ours, but the wind around it shapes its course.
Now, I’d like to share a verse that captures this truth:
— Riaz Laghari
The Long Journey Ahead
The path before us will not be easy. Fatigue, rejection, and uncertainty will accompany us. Progress may appear invisible, understanding may arrive in hesitant lines. Yet transformation is never swift. Thoughts ripen into truth, and truth matures into wisdom only with time.
With patience, curiosity, and courage, our work—however quiet—will find its place in the arc of human progress.
So today, as we take our first steps together, let us do so with humility before knowledge and gratitude for this rare fellowship of minds.
Let Riphah be remembered not merely for the titles it confers, but for the clarity it cultivates and the integrity it inspires.
شوق برہنہ پا چلتا تھا راستے بھی پتھریلے تھے
گھستے گھستے گھس گئے آخر پتھر جو نوکیلے تھے
