Oct. 19, 2018
Ismaili students gather to witness His Highness the Aga Khan on campus
Naila Feroz Jamani, Alim Shiraz Nimji and Karishma Akbari watched the on-campus livestream.
Clayton MacGillivray, for the 91快色
While His Highness the Aga Khan received his honorary degree from the 91快色 on Wednesday, more than 150 Ismaili students gathered to watch the livestream of the event 鈥 some pretending they were there with him in the auditorium, while others expressed a spiritual connection so strong it was like the Aga Khan was in the room with them.
鈥淚t feels like a spiritual linking,鈥 says Karishma Akbari, a psychology student at U91快色 and member of the .
鈥淚 am getting emotional with the anticipation, the buildup and with how the whole city is dropping everything to watch this and cherish this moment as best they can.鈥
Bringing communities together
The livestream viewing, which took place in the Blue Room in the Dining Centre, was put together by the Aga Khan Youth and Sports Board with the specific purpose of bringing students together in addition to honouring and celebrating the Aga Khan.
鈥淭his is a great time to build community while reflecting on the significance of this event for the Ismaili community on campus, in 91快色 and around the country,鈥 says chair of the , Rahim Moledina.
To students like Alim Shiraz Nimji, having the Aga Khan receive his honorary degree from U91快色 is bringing other cultures together as well as Ismaili鈥檚.
Approximately 150 students gathered in the Dining Centre's Blue Room to watch the livestream.
Clayton MacGillivray, for the 91快色
鈥淲ith the Aga Khan coming here, it brings Ismailis together with people from so many backgrounds,鈥 Nimji says. 鈥淚 see people on campus learning more about His Highness and about us as well. He is of course our leader, but what he does for the community and the world makes him a global leader everyone can learn from.鈥
That sentiment was mirrored by Naila Feroz Jamani, an undergraduate and now master's student at U91快色. Because of the humanitarian work done by the Aga Khan, his foundations and institutions, Jamani says the 鈥渃razy world鈥 we live in receives some of the compassion, humanitarianism and pluralism it so badly needs.
鈥淭he work he does isn鈥檛 just for the Ismaili community 鈥 it鈥檚 a global initiative that goes so much further beyond those borders,鈥 Jamani says. 鈥淚t empowers us to know that despite the differences between us, we can all come together for what we鈥檙e all working for 鈥 compassion.鈥
But what hit Jamani the hardest when watching the livestream, she says, was the realization that she and His Highness the Aga Khan now have a degree from the same institution.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like we have this extra connection now,鈥 she says.
The livestream took place at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, followed by a question-and-answer period, a prayer and a social event for the students.