Kazai recalls his University days

Shimla, Nov 15 (UNI) Afghanistan President went down the memory lane in the Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) auditorium here, while narrating his stay during his University days here.

''I had come with a baccalaureate from Afghanistan, which was equivalent to class 12 and was given admission in the SDB College here.'' ''I then joined the University after finishing College, but I was a provisional student all through as the University authorities here then did not know what was baccalaureate. It was only in the second year of post graduation that the Vice Chancellor told me that I had became a regular student,'' he said, while addressing HP University community here.

Mr Karzai said he had come to India to get admission in a college at Delhi, but coming from the cold climate of Kabut, the July heat was simply intolerable and he told his cousin who suggested that there was a cold place called Shimla and both of us came to the hill station.

''The ride on the toy train with rains lashing left a magical impression, which only deepened as I went to the H P University and then decided that this was the place where I am going to stay,'' he said.

He also recalled his stay at Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur's attic at AIIMS hostel, which had no eating facility compelling him to eat at the labourer's dhaba.

Expressing gratitude to Shimla for teaching him English, he said, ''I did not know English and was depressed because of it.

However, SDB College principal told me to get rid of my Persian-English dictionary and buy an English dictionary and read it. I bought the Random House dictionary then for Rs 30 and worked on it meticulously, courtesy the botanical words taught in the botany class,'' he said.

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