This year, Daastan completed 5 years of bringing good literature to Pakistani readers! Starting in 2016, with only a vision and an intense passion, Team Daastan worked tirelessly, day and night to revamp the literary community and bring the love of reading and writing back.
Now we’ve finally reached the 5 year mark and it called for celebration! We at Daastan threw a Literary party to celebrate a milestone in our journey towards creating a better informed, enlightened and learned society. On the very first day of the new year, when hopes and dreams fly as high as the sky, the founder of DaastanMr OmmerAmer along with his team celebrated the efforts that shaped what Daastan is today. At this memorable occasion, people were invited to showcase their talent through performances and interactive talks were held to further our vision. Let us have throwback at an unforgettable memory!
Mr. Ommer Amer at Daastan’s 5th Birthday partyGuests for our Literary party
Party Itinerary!
Held at the National Incubation CenterIslamabad, Daastan’s fifth birthday was an enjoyable interaction between the representatives of Daastan, authors, students and journalists. The event began with reminding our spectators, the vision behind Daastan, our journey from where it all started, the hardships we faced and the position we now hold at a local as well as global level. A fun online quiz based on contestant’s knowledge of Daastan was also played. Mr. Ashraf, one of our panelists, won the quiz!
In an attempt to promote local languages and talent, we encouraged our participants to perform in their local languages. Some immensely beautiful songs were hummed and the variety showcased was commendable. Our newly launched OST Rabba was also played to acknowledge the efforts of our diverse team.
A discussion was held on the ‘Past, Present and Future of Publishing in Pakistan’, our esteemed panelists Mr. Ashraf Baltistani, Mr. Abdul Samad Ms. Aleena Khan and Ms. Khunsa Naseer, contributed considerably. It was discussed how the influence of this revival of Publishing in Pakistan had an impact in the respective fields of all the panelists. Daastan’s role in this revival of the publishing industry and the future prospects created henceforth, were highly congratulated and acknowledged.
Happy 5th Birthday, Daastan!
Daastan’s Birthday Cake
What’s a birthday party without cutting a delicious cake, right? Ending on a sweet note, our Founder Mr Ommer Amer cut a cake and everyone got a chance to personally interact with our team, the authors and the spectators. We hope to keep growing and sharing this bond created on and through the love of Literature. If you share our passion and want to contribute with us on this vision in any capacity, sign up with us at Daastan and become a part of our journey!
Mused is an attempt towards a better informed society. Good content and literature is essential in making any society prosper, grow and develop. Whilst struggling with economic, political or social problems in Pakistan, we often tend to over-look the root of the cause; little intellectual growth. No matter how much we strive for our economy or peace in political matters, if we do not work on our intellectual capacities and not give food to our minds, social growth will always remain stunted.
Mused– The Art of Everything
To bring about an intellectual revolution, Daastan has been working tirelessly for these past few years in developing opportunities for writers and content creators to widen the access of literature to our public. Mused is Daastan’s first Live Show, aimed towards boosting the creative industry and helping artists accelerate their growth, both intellectually and career-wise. Spanned across a number of seasons, each season of Mused deals with a separate theme. These include book writing, female entrepreneurship, creative spaces in South Asia and more.
The first season of Mused dealt with the theme “The Art and the Artist – Writing a Book.” If you missed the live show, not to worry! Become part of the discussion by watching the session here
Poster for Daastan’s Live Show “Mused”
The Host– Miss Summaiya Naveed
Mused is hosted by Daastan’s Editor, Ms. Summaiya Naveed. Summaiya is a published writer with a particular interest in poetry. She is an English Literature and Linguistics grad in the making and has worked for the Pakistani literary community as both an editor and a content creator. She is one of those passionate writers who possess the courage to submit to whatever circumstances they are faced with while pursuing a career they love. Through Mused, she is bringing together artists from all creative communities into a single space.
Ms. Summaiya Naveed, editor Daastan and host for Mused
For the first episode, we received an energetic and were able to reach 1000+ viewers. Here is a quick summary of what the discussion was.
What we talked about
The agenda for the first episode was 3-fold.
1. Tips on Improving your Language
The episode began with how to improve your expression. For this, Summaiya explained to us the difference between informing and expressing. She emphasized the need to express in a way that the reader feels engaged and can relate to. It was also advised to use simple basic vocabulary so that the essence of the work was highlighted and not covered up by complicated vocabulary. She explained how in the manuscripts she had come across as an editor, most writers try to plant in fancy words and phrases to make the text look more professional which often backfires because there is little sense made by merely attaching enormous words for simplistic feelings.
Another mistake she pointed out was the use of clichés in writing. This, she explained, creates a boring image and suggests un-originality on part of the writer. To improve expression, shesuggested extensive reading to explore further expressions and using writing prompts to develop writing skills.
2. Preliminaries of Book Writing
Thesecond idea discussed was the Preliminaries of Book Writing. Summaiya pointed out that when writers are inspired by some idea, most of the time, they just start writing instantly without pre-planning the material. By laying down a rough timeline of your story and sketching out the main events that will take place, the story achieves greater finesse. Thus, she suggested making a journal and keep filling it with the events of the story. Decide before hand how the story will start, reach a middle and what will happen at the end.
After setting up a fair idea of the timeline and events, start building your characters. A very good idea of doing this, Summaiya explained, was to put your characters in different situations and see how they will act upon it. Get to know your character before telling the reader who he/she is. After characterization, came setting. She talked about the importance of the time and place of your story and developing the characters accordingly. Lastly, tone and genre were extensively discussed. Summaiya describes that each genre has a specific tone which should be maintained throughout the story. The tone is vital since it is what through the tone that the reader will connect and be a part of the story.
3. The Confidence to Self-Publish
Lastly and most importantly, we discussed the lack of confidence in many writers when it comes to publishing their own work. Summaiya encouraged writers to put their work out there and emphasized on the need for Pakistani writers to contribute in this social development of their society. She also assured new writers that even though their book might not reach the kind of fame they had imagined, they should not beat themselves up about it. Pakistan’s literary space is still young and evolving and it will take time for us to get to the point where our writers reach international recognition. But this must not dishearten you and your strife should go on. Pakistani literature needs you!
Moreover, joining literary communities on social media was another suggestion made. This will widen your exposure and allow you to explore and be inspired by other struggling or contemporary writers. Through these communities you can also take part in literary activities and improve your skills. We were lastly reminded that we ourselves are our biggest hindrance and also our biggest supporters. Which role we play in our journey is entirely our own choice.
This sums up our first live session of Mused. We hope that you enjoyed the first episode and we look forward to bringing more informative sessions to keep the healthy debate active and alive. If you feel you share our passion for literary development in Pakistan and want to work on our mission, sign up with us at Daastan. Let’s grow together!
In this crucial time, when relations between Pakistan and India are at a sensitive stage, it has become more important to promote peace, positivity and love among the two nations. While the drawing of our borders years ago declared us two separate nations, at heart, a Pakistani and an Indian are the same. They are born of the same homeland and in their hearts, they carry the same love. To explore and promote that love and to reminisce the past, we decided to do something. In collaboration with White Falcon Publishing, India , Daastan launched a #WriteForPeace letter-writing campaign.
Chitti Sarhad Parr Say– a letter-writing campaign which began in January 2020. It aimed at reconciling peace across borders through letter writing which is a long-forgotten art. Writers from both countries were requested to send in their letters for the campaign as part of a contest. This activity was mainly aimed at mending the relation between Pakistan and India. Letter writing is a very personal and emotional task that requires both the reader and writer to invest in a piece of paper. By doing so today, thousands of readers and writers got a chance to feel and connect with their counterparts.
The Love for Peace We Received
We received an enormous amount of love from both countries in shape of letters that touched us deeply. Daastan processed the entries from Pakistan while the submissions from our Indian writers were handled by the good folk at White Falcon. Letters from Pakistan were submitted in English and Urdu. From a huge number of submissions, 19 were short-listed. Selecting the letters from a pool of immensely talented Pakistani writers was one of the hardest tasks we had to do. Every submission was heart-felt, and struck a cord. The entries went beyond our expectations and we got to see some highly well-articulated letters.
The Selected Entries
We decided that the selected entries deserved a book of their own. So, in collaboration with White Falcon Publishing, India, Daastan chose some of the best entries to be compiled together in book form and be published digitally on Qissa–Pakistan’s first self-publishing platform. Qissa provides local writers an opportunity to publish their work and reach readers on a wide scale. Qissa has been publishing stories and anthologies since 2016 and aims to reinstate a literary culture in Pakistan.
The entries that spoke to us (and in some cases, made us tear up!) are:
English:
Sami Ghazal
Afraz Jabeen
Syma Tasaduq
Mahnoor Nadeem
Urdu:
Qudsia Batool
Iqra Nadeem
Filza Kamal
Hajra Imran Khan
Fatima Khan
Muhammad Ali
Areeba Sheikh
Naheed Akhtar Baloch
Alina Irfan
Kursum Fatima
Dr Fiaz Ahmad Dar
Sadia Mazhar
Ifrah Ahmed Malik
Hania Armiya
All writers showcased great skill and talent. We were moved by the gush of emotions that each letter brought with itself. Stories of pain, suffering, love and tragedy were all equally spell-bounding. A small peek into one of our short-listed letters read:
‘At the time of departure our hearts were crying. Do you know why we don’t come back? Because things never did get settled. I know you cursed me early the next morning when you came to our house for breakfast and no one was there. I know you wept bitterly when the walls and swings in my courtyard didn’t answer your questions. I know you asked every passerby about us.’
-Afraz Jabeen
Chitti Sarhad Parr Say was an attempt in writing for peace at a time when atrocities between the two countries are increasing every day. The medium of letter writing perfectly complements the campaign as letters provide a very personal account of one’s feelings which the reader can easily relate to. The bond between the two countries is above political agendas and must be achieved so through a positive communication. We, at Daastan, promote the ideology of peace and love through words. Help us grow by sharing your stories and becoming a part of the Published writers in Pakistan simply by signing up with us @ Daastan.
The APYE is a two-weeks intensive program that aims at increasing awareness among youth about global problems. The program helps them develop and enhance skills to combat those problems by taking initiative. Combining activity-based learning, immersion from local communities and leadership training, APYE encourages youth to take action furthering the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
. The program helps them develop and enhance skills to combat those problems by taking initiative. Combining activity-based learning, immersion from local communities and leadership training, APYE encourages youth to take action furthering the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
Daastan in APYE-2019
The theme for this year’s APYE was Sustainable Tourism and with 116 delegates from 15 countries, the competition could not get any tougher. The participants were divided into groups and had to devise applicable solutions to address some of the most pressing problems faced by Thai villages and their inhabitants.
Daastan’s CEO, Ommer Amer, leading a group of six dedicated and hardworking individuals from different countries came up with an innovative digital toolkit to help local businesses market themselves. For their unique idea, they bagged the 2nd prize at the APYE. From a cultural perspective, the experience was rich and enabled Ommer to take part in many interactive activities such as Canal Cleaning Drive, Mini marathon and Thai Cultural Dance.
Your Chance to Shine in APYE-2020
After the success at the intercultural exchange event, Daastan decided to go one step ahead and partner with APYE to provide an all-expenses paid trip for next year’s programme. We’re looking for dedicated entrepreneurs, aged 18-28. You should have a basic understanding of SDGs in Action and posses critical thinking skills. Fluency in English and strong leadership qualities are a must and specialized skills such as ability to code, design, paint, write, sing, play, build and plan using digital technology would secure you an edge!
You will be able to learn and train with the 2nd prize winner of APYE and leader of his group: our very own founder, Mr. Syed Ommer Amer for 2 days. Learning from his experience and sharpening your social entrepreneurship skills. The challenge is to win the first prize at the APYE for Pakistan! The schedule for the 2-day training is as follows:
Day 1:
Intro to APYE
Identifying Problem and Interview Ethics
Mock Interviews of local leaders
Prototyping solutions
Day 2:
Project Exhibition
Project Pitching
Results
Regular fee including all expenses per delegate is around $2500. However, participants trained by Daastan only have to pay a non-refundable fee of 25,000 PKR— all other expenses including air fare and lodgings will be covered by us. Moreover, you can avail an additional discount of 5000 Rs by registering by 30th Sep, 2019.
Do you have what it takes to become APYE’s champion?! If so, gear up to bring the first prize home and register now by filling out this form. For more information, you can check out our Facebook event page or leave a comment down below.
Among the most fearless, most resilient creatures on earth are the soldiers of a country that fight and bleed for the protection of their beloved homeland. Over the course of 72 years, Pakistan has been no stranger to war. Today our history books are filled with countless sombre and often gruesome yet heroic accounts of our brave soldiers. We hear about them from our grandparents, watch and read through their lives, priding in their bravery; basking in their glory. One such story is that of Maj. Aziz Bhatti.
The Tale of Maj. Aziz Bhatti
One such life story is of the receiver of the Nishaan-e-Haider, Major Raja Aziz Bhatti Shaheed. His is a name familiar to every man, woman and child of Pakistan. He is a national hero; an awe-inspiring leader who led a limited number of soldiers to carry out a fiercedefense of the Burki area of the Lahore sector in the 1965 war with India. Despite being outnumbered and under unceasing fire from the enemy, Maj. Aziz Bhatti launched a strong, impenetrable defense against the Indian Army. Dismissing offers to rest or even see his family members in Lahore, our hero soldiered on. During an intense exchange of artillery fires between the two armies, he was hit by an enemy tank shell and embraced Shahadat.
The valiant soldier stood undaunted in the face of the raging enemy and laid down his own life to protect countless others.
Bringing his Story Back to Life
This is the aspect of his courageous story that we are familiar with. But what most don’t know is who Maj. Aziz Bhatti was, without the title. Who he was as a person, a son, a friend. When, earlier this year, his brotherSardar Ahmed Bhatti reached out to Daastan with the intention of publishing a biography he had written about his brother, we were honored to be chosen for the task. Written from the perspective of a loving brother, the book gives an insight into previously unknown events of Maj. Aziz Bhatti’s life, his relationship and closeness with his brother, his life in Hong Kong as a boy before and during World War II and several unpublished, memorable pictures.
Daastan’s Role
As a platform bent towards literary revival, Daastan strives to bring lost stories to life; stories that are worth being told and preserved. We are proud to be the means of bringing forth this heart-warming account of Maj. Aziz Bhatti’s life away from the border, to the public. The book titled “Raja Aziz Bhatti Shaheed: My Brother, My Hero” is available on Qissa’s website and has received over-whelming responses and appreciation from all over the country on our social media.
Book Launch
To honor the story of Pakistan’s son, a book launch ceremony is being held on the 12th of September from 14:30-17:30 at the Pakistan Academy of Letters, hosted by Daastan. On this Defence Day, as we look back to the lives of our warriors, let us seek inspiration from their courage and glean wisdom from their actions. Join us on the 12th to remember the sacrifices Maj. Aziz Bhatti has made for the protection of this beloved homeland. As we stand with the Shaheed’s family, we stand united under the slogan that kept him standing for so long, holding his own– unbroken, relentless–in front of the enemy: Pakistan Zindabad!
You can order your copy of Raja Aziz Bhatti Shaheed: My Brother, My Herohere.
