“Pakistan through the Eyes of Natives” July 12 at Oak Park Public Library

Discover Pakistan and learn about its people from two native Pakistanis who have spent the past year in Oak Park. Lala Rukh and her husband, Dr. Muhammad Raffi present “Pakistan through the Eyes of Natives” on Thursday, July 12 at 2 pm at Oak Park Public Library, 834 Lake Street. This engaging couple will share stories about their families and their life in Pakistan and share information about the history, geography, heritage, culture, and people of Pakistan. Taste Pakistani food, listen to traditional music, and look at artifacts after the presentation. This event is free and open to the public.

Lala Rukh and Dr. Muhammad Raffi came from Pakistan to Chicago in August 2011 when Dr. Raffi was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Lala Rukh is an educational planning and management professional. She has a diverse background, starting her career as a journalist, then moving to teaching. For the past 12 years, Lala Rukh has worked with the NGO sector in Islamabad for underprivileged children and women. She has also served as a textbook writer with Oxford University Press Pakistan. She grew up in Gujranwala and the historic city of Lahore. She has a Masters degree in Psychology from University of The Punjab and a diploma in educational planning and management from University of Strathclyde UK. She also studied social enterprise management at Lahore University of Management Sciences. Lala Rukh is also an artist; she has explored oil, dry pastels and water mediums for painting landscapes and still life.

Dr. Muhammad Raffi is a researcher and teacher in the field of nano-materials. He spent his childhood and finished his early schooling in the small city of Okara, then went to Lahore for higher education. In Lahore, he spent two years at the Forman Christian College and two years at the Government College Lahore. He earned his PhD in Materials Engineering from Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences and completed part of his research work at University of Delaware Newark in the US. Dr. Raffi has a passion for photography.

Find more events happening at Oak Park Public Library at http://oppl.org/events/calendar.