Zahra speaks

 Reading is a fruitful habit that helps you in many pursuits of life. It is the most preferable and productive activity which helped me a lot in many ways. I could have never realized my passion for stories if it wasn't for The Wizard of Oz; The first book that I ever read. It was a long journey but somehow that book remains special. I read it when I was around eleven years old. It was my routine to write a diary before going to sleep so, I would write the important events of the day and then, immerse myself in the fictional world of the book. Honestly, I don't even remember the story clearly, but I do remember enjoying it thoroughly. It changed my perspective and instilled the passion to write. The truth is I haven't read many books, but when I turned fourteen, one of my cousins gifted me 'The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho'. When I read that book, I felt something incredible. The books were not just the pages anymore, I sensed life in them. There was an immensely spect

My elder uncle (mamoo), Syed Asad Abbas Shamsi, returned to his Maker on 28th July 2021. It was an untimely demise that shook me to the core and taught me a lot of bitter life lessons. The past few days were both emotionally exhausting and painful. I felt my heart and hope shattering. It was a difficult time for the entire family, but most importantly, each minute was painful for him. My only solace is that he is now free of the pain that he was enduring for so long, and his travail has finally concluded. Yet, his passing has left a deeply engraved scar on my heart, and I can never forget the pain he endured in the last few days of his life.  If it were not for him, my parents would not have gotten married. He was my father's friend, and through that association, my parents got married. He was cheerful, funny, passionate, and knowledgeable. I can still picture his smile. The way he beamed when we would all sit and listen to his jokes. Most of the time, he would tell us imaginative