Zahra speaks

Khud means self in Urdu. They are tirelessly working from 3 years to change the lives of underprivileged children by equipping them with digital skills and crafts. There is a persistent educational crisis in Pakistan. The main and immediate problems include the lack of schools and teachers. However, Khud is exploring alternatives by providing the children with a proper self-learning environment that gives them a fighting chance to compete in the modern, highly digitalised age. Their focus is to interject a digitalised approach to education in Pakistan. They have designed a number of digital curricula for various subjects. It facilitates a project based self-learning experience to the children harnessing the curiosity to learn. Khud aims to have over 500 kids graduate from their digital program and by the end of this year, the digital curriculums would be made public to reach the kids even from the remote areas. To give these underprivileged children a fighting chance for a better ...

HAPPY RAMZAN! Here's wishing all my readers a very happy and prosperous Ramzan. May all your deeds, prayers and fasts get accepted and rewarded. Ramzan is a time when you ponder on the blessings of Allah by fasting the whole day. It isn't about being deprived of food and water, the idea of fasting is much broader than that. It demands us to purify our souls from all the negativity that surrounds us throughout the year. Being hungry and thirsty is not enough, you must thank the Almighty for all the blessings that He has bestowed upon us. Water, for example, is a hugely magnificent blessing but do we realise it? Fasting makes us embrace God's blessings the way they deserve to be cherished. Gratitude for the smallest things purifies our soul and brings it closer to the Maker. There is a very popular reference that Satan is caged in this month. It is true but in reality, our own inner demons become dominated and even more powerful in the absence of "Satan". I...

Ageing is astounding, from childhood to adolescence to adulthood and many more stages that we cover throughout our lifetime. Nevertheless, the most precious and best face of our life is childhood. Marching into adulthood is always fascinating but experiencing being an adult is completely different from our expectations. We all have been there, done that. Every individual faces this phase where he/she looks back at the childhood and desires to be a child again. Childhood is the time when we don't worry about things, our future and it's planning. It's the time when we only worry about being happy and doing what we want to do. In the process of becoming a mature adult, we forget these two important portions of our life: Gathering happiness out of the smallest things and doing what we want. As adults, we keep our happiness on the back foot while following the norms of society and doing what others want us to do. We become busy in setting our goals, following deadlines and...

After a prolonged winter season, we are finally moving into summers, this transitional period is known as the spring season. It is one of the most celebrated time of the year because the flowers have blossomed in this era. We see beautiful colours and magnificent fragrances everywhere. The weather is also reasonable because along with the blistering sun, the winds are also prevailing. This season does not continue for a very long time, especially in Pakistan but we love this season and try to celebrate it to the fullest. Basant is a festival that was widely celebrated in this season but because of certain aspects it is not celebrated anymore but there are a lot of flower displays and Basant Melas throughout the country. This season also comes with a lot of mental health issues. It is scientifically proven that changing weather can affect your mental health. Many of us face a lot of mood swings during this season and we don't understand why we feel anxious, angry or depressed. ...

Life is very short to please others and if you keep trying to please others, it will fall out of your hands sooner. It is a very common dilemma when you have to choose between your own happiness and satisfying others. The sad part is that most of the times we sacrifice our own happiness for the sake of pleasing others. Let me break something to you, you simply cannot satisfy anyone. If you give them 2, they would want 4 and if you give them 4, they will demand 6. The most accurate solution to this problem is to stop trying. Sometimes it is very painful but the reality is pinching and we have to learn to live with it. I have seen many people striving to satisfy others and they sacrifice their peace of heart in the process. My only question is, is it worth it? No, because they will always want more from you. Many people spend all their lives to please others and in the end there only left with regret. They give up on their dreams and follow a path that is not made for them. The for...

The main characters of my novella “the stranger” are Sara, 21 and Roy, 34. It is a story of Sara's struggle to adapt with a whole new life and the disloyalty of a person who she once loved with all her heart. She is a very emotional girl and values relationships more than anything. The immense courage and natural instinct to protect her family are discovered when she faces a life-changing incident. She is curious and takes any challenge hands on. She lives with her parents and sister but due to circumstances, moves to London for further studies where she meets Roy. Roy is a middle-aged man with an enigmatic persona. He is very elegant and smart. His life is packed with secrets and mysteries. He is soulful and caring. The life was not very easy for him either as the story progresses, he reveals his inmost secrets to only one person, Sara. Despite all the distress and ongoing matters, he has the most positive attitude, a very hopeful approach towards life. Unlike other protagon...

Writing has always been my passion and I had a lot of stories to tell. Last year, I attempted to write a short story called coincidental love . I received some extraordinary responses on that story and I can absolutely admit, it motivated me to write more of the short stories that I did later on! However, I had the urge to experiment with my skill and in December 2018, I found some motivation in the form of a story. It was like a moment when I decided to write a story and the very same day, I started writing it down. I owe a lot of credit to my readers and I am very happy to introduce the name and cover of my first book that is releasing on the 14th of March, 2019. It is also up and available for pre-order. My first book is named “The Stranger” and here is the cover, The story is very close to my heart and as they say, a writer is always inspired by some true events if not all. When I started the story, I observed a huge difference in my attitude, I started seeking inspiration f...