Sidra Amin – The Powerhouse of Possibilities

We often come across certain individuals in life who have a spark in them like no other. They have an everlit passion for changing the narratives in our society for the better. Team Daastan has been fortunate enough to be associated with one such persion.This year for Sidra Amin’s birthday we wanted to do something special. We at Daastan are sharing with you all snippets from the absolute powerhouse that Sidra Amin is. 

So Who is Sidra Amin?

Sidra has a degree in Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering from the University of Engineering And Technology, Peshawar. Getting a degree in Mechatronics was her passion and so is writing. Both of these aspects are a part of Sidra’s being. It is one of the things that makes her such a diverse personality.

Let’s have a rundown of Sidra’s milestones! 

Sidra Amin And Daastan

Sidra and Daastan go way back. Alongside our CEO, Syed Ommer, Sidra was the one who helped build Daastan from ground up, along with Hafsa Idrees. At the young age of just 20, she co-founded Dastan. Even though the responsibility that came with was enormous but Sidra paved her way through it all like a boss lady she is! She considers Syed Ommer to be her mentor who provided her guidance and exposure to the writing industry. Daastan couldn’t be more to watch her transform into the person she is today. Amidst the many lessons and tireless efforts, Sidra found her happiness. 

10 Fun Facts About Sidra Amin:

1. She found Daastan online in a Facebook group where she initially applied to join as an employee.
2. Her network and personal efforts helped Daastan survive the initial years of struggle.
3. She named our product QISSA (www.meraqissa.com) and starting book publishing was her idea. Initially Daastan was building a freelance marketplace which never worked out.
4. Sidra was the first ever editor of Daastan.
5. She made the first ever version of publishing policies and formal documentations which are still used by the company.
6. She loves travelling and food blogging.
7. Before joining Daastan, she was one of the most powerful community builder of KP where she raised thousands of ruppees just by posting a facebook status and mobilizing her network.
8. Sidra is also a twitter influencer who tweets about her everyday life.
9. Most of the funding Daastan raised has been possible because of Sidra’s efforts.
10. Sidra is crazy about cats!

Chosen for Dubai Tech Camp 2018

On 19th Nov 2018, Daastan’s co-founder, Ms. Sidra Amin was invited by the U.S. Charge d’Affaires Ambassador Mr. Paul Jones and his wife for dinner at Ambassador’s Residency, US Embassy. She, along with other participants of TechCamp Dubai’18 discussed the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in Pakistan. Ms. Sidra explained how Daastan is assisting women writers, esp. mothers to monetize their time, content and skills to support their families.

Peshawar Book Club

Sidra Amin co-founded the Peshawar Book Club. The story of how the club came into existence is random yet interesting. After a literary meetup, a mutual friend told her that he would like to be a part of such events more often. Eventually this vision furthering the reading habits through meetups assumed the shape of a book club. Today we know it as the Peshawar Book Club. Since 2016, the club has had 22 book meetups. 

Young Women Writers’ Forum (YWWF)- Pakistan

Among her many goals in life, working for women’s empowerment is of paramount importance. She joined YWWF in 2014 at a tender age. Few months into the job she was appointed the Press Secretary. She climbed her way up to being the Overseer who lead in the major cities of Pakistan. In her time with YWWF, Sidra was an active member working to empower female writers.

Words & Metaphors

Until now we can all say that Sidra’s work is multifaceted. Peshawar Book Club and Daastan are not the only passion projects she has co-founded. In 2017, she brought to literary souls a platform that focused on the propagation of literature. Words & Metaphors is a seed of hard work. It is Sidra’s labour of love that came to fruition. Since its conception it has continued to strengthen the literary society of Pakistan.  

Sidra is now working with i2i and recently also started her own YouTube Channel!

Team Daastan wishes Sidra a very happy birthday. Here’s little prayer from Daastan to you:

May the veils of peace descend upon you,

May your days never be blue,

And may you always walk in the light of faith!