The first time I encountered Syed Babar Ali was not through a conversation or a book, but through his name engraved on a building at the Lahore University of Management Sciences. Back then, it was simply the name of a benefactor, someone whose contributions I barely understood. Years later, after graduating in the USA, I find myself returning to that name through his autobiography, Learning from Others. The title is striking, as he chose to define his life’s story not by what he taught the world, but by what the world taught him.

Autobiographies like his deserve a wider audience. They should not remain confined to literary festivals or corporate boardrooms. They belong in classrooms, where young Pakistanis are searching for role models. We often lament the absence of heroes yet overlook the value of autobiographies that allow students to learn directly from lives shaped by integrity, perseverance and public purpose.

Syed Babar Ali’s centenary on 30 June offers more than an opportunity to celebrate an extraordinary individual. It invites us to reflect on a question Pakistan has struggled with since its inception: what kind of legacy truly endures? The answer is not........

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