In the May of 2018, Preston University Islamabad organized its 6th successive national Inter University business plan competition called “Preston Entrepreneurial Challenge”. They opened gates to almost a hundred students from all across Pakistan to bring their innovative idea to the forefront. The teams that applied for the prestigious award included private university students, as well as public universities, to ensure fair chance to exhibit their product or idea. Out of 237 entries, only 31 were selected for the grand finale. Selected teams were invited to the university. The event had various challenges so that one clear winner could rise to the top. Daastan stood singular among all, and was awarded Preston University’s first ever Startup Cup.
Daastan’s Founder Mr. Syed Ommer Amer, holding the Preston Startup Cup
Daastan Stands Tall
The purpose of this event was to provide a platform to the rising entrepreneurs of our country. It was a great opportuniy for participants to exhibit their ideas to the most expert minds in the domain so they could provide technical guidance to them. Daastan pitched Qissa to the jury members from both private sectors such as SA Consulting Private Limited and government sector, like Ignite. The contest was sponsored by more than ten different brands and businesses. The chief guest of the competition wasPresident Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sheikh Amir Waheed, and the event was organized under the distinguished leadership of Mr. Shuja Humayun, the Director Entrepreneurship at Preston University.
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The establishment of Daastan was not just a step towards bringing the writers of Pakistan to get themselves recognized, rather also to utilize and improve the education sector ofPakistan. Our foremost mission was to spread knowledge and for this , we welcomed every opportunity to engage and positively modify the current state of education. Our Founder, Mr. Syed Ommer Amer, collaborated with Al-Huda to engage children in a different learning experiece. Mr Ommer has been writing stories to attract children to learn in unconventional ways. A previous example of this was the animated series Teetoo and Tania, aired on PTV, the script of which was written by Mr. Ommer himself.
Daastan x Al-Huda:
Therefore, we acquired the chance to partner with Al-Huda International in Wah Cantt. The team of Daastan generated tailored content, which aimed to enhance the learning experience of the 700+ students enrolled in the school. We wanted to promote learning through storytelling, which would thoroughly capture the interest of students listening and therefore learn from the story.
Mr. Ommer on Color Day in Al Huda Int. Wah Cant., narrating his story
Painting the World with Words:
Daastan ran its first prototype of this vision of proliferation of knowledge through stories, on more than a hundred students. The tale which was read to them was titled “Bakhshu Mian”. The story was written and read by Mr Ommer Amer himself. It was a treasure trove which highlighted the importance of being grateful for the blessings endowed upon us. The recital was aptly written for the “Color Day” theme which was being celebrated in the school. The story taught students moral values in order to help them recognize their privileges over others.
If you want us to revamp the teaching structure of your school you can drop us an email at merasawal@daastan.com. Let’s start transforming the future together. Sign Up today to change tomorrow!
Stories Untold made rounds over social media recently. Our story writing competition was based on the tragedy of Zainab. Writers poured their hearts out to express their feelings on the incident in order to spread awareness regarding the issue.
Following the horrific misfortune that befell the beautiful little six-year-old Zainab Ansari belonging to Kasur, Punjab, a wave of fright and panic went through all of Pakistan. Each person was recounting the report of that tragedy the family of the little girl had gone through. The trauma they must endure for the rest of their lives is unimaginable. The horrendous act of the perpetrator shattered the happiness of a sound family. It wasn’t one life we lost that day, rather a part of the whole nation seemed to have died along with her.
The Stories Untold Season 4, themed I am Zainab
The Stories Untold : I Am Zainab
At that time, many of the organizations stepped forward to improve the situation and all they could to help. Daastan, after careful consideration decided to launch the fourth season of its signature writing competition, The Stories Untold. The theme of “I am Zainab” was chosen to honor the life that was lost.
Through Stories Untold, we wanted our writers to address the grave issue of child abuse. Moreover, we encouraged them to write about any form of abuse – physical, sexual or emotional. We wanted storytellers to highlight effective ways in order to educate children and protect them from such experiences. Another purpose of this theme was to encourage our community to write stories which would serve as guidance and educational material for their children, helping them learn about this social evil and ways they could protect themselves against them.
Top 5 Urdu entries, from Stories Untold season 4
Top 5 English entries, from Stories Untold season 4
The Response to our Competition:
Despite the social stigma surrounding the topic, we received a lot of entries, out of which we selected a dozen as finalists. The authors of these stories were put into contact with a professional psychologists. We made sure that the message of their stories would spread and be followed. Daastan went through various such screenings to make sure the stories would be child friendly and could serve as a genuine guide for both parents and children.
The finalists selected were all published digitally through Daastan. Top 5 stories are to be printed with Qissa so as to help spread this message as far and wide as possible.
We are proud to welcome Botanists to our list of authors. Qissa has seen and been an avenue which promoted a fair share of fiction writers over the years. We are very grateful for the way Qissa has grown. When we started Daastan, our dream was to propagate education and simplify the process of sharing knowledge with people. One thing which we really looked forward to on Qissa was academic writing because it helps readers explore whichever subject they wish to learn.
The book contains detailed morphological descriptions of the herbs and flora of the area of Lahore. It provides vital information about a plethora of herbal species. The book was specially aimed to help Botanists and ‘Hakims’(Homeopaths) of the region broaden their medicinal plant base and as a result, acquire thorough knowledge.
About The Authors
The authors include Ms. Mehwish Jaffer, a PhD Scholar author of Six International and national scientific papers. Her co-author is Ms. Shabnum Shaheen, who have alsopublished Six International monographs and books, 68 research publications, and has won a gold medal in an international conference of Botany.
Choose Qissa Today
To sum it up, Qissa is honored to be chosen as your platform for publishing. We hope that such intellectuals and distinguished individuals will keep making Daastan their first choice for any publishing related services they might require. Extend your knowledge forward to the community and join us today by signing up with Qissa!
Book cover, A Practical Guide To Herbaceous Flora of District Lahore, Punjab
Qissa has worked hard to bring together people from all walks of life. If there lives inside you a storyteller who has the ability and creativity you will find your way to art. Literature enables people to truly be themselves, and sometimes, even more– despite any prosecution or judgement from the world.
What is the purpose of Qissa
It was our ambition to empower the artist that lives within you. We wanted to give people the motivation to spin words into tales, without having to worry about any of the procedure that follows. And we knew we were on the right track when, despite rejection and demotivating factors we received an overwhelming response. From your support, love, and eagerness to be a part of our platform, we collected our strength to expand our operations.
About Qissa’s Author
Qissa gained popularity and as a result, we started receiving the attention of highly qualified people from many different fields. One of the authors who joined us, Ms. Hafsa, was a geneticist. She believed in finding a fix to problems no matter how deep she needed to dive in. Her book “Hossana”, is a collection of poems with illustrations, which was crowdfunded and brought to print. Different languages and genres are featured in it. The book is divided into 3 sections. The first one raises questions that go bone deep and rattle one’s perceptions about life. The second part provides answers, helping us reconcile with reality. The last is titled ‘messages’, connecting us irreversibly with the author who takes us along this journey of thoughts and knowledge.
We are proud to assist such talented writers who are struggling to contribute to the publishing industry of Pakistan. It gives us immense joy to see our literary society growing. Sign up with us at Daastan if you are that author who wishes to get published. Let us grow together!
