Daily Times

Google’s celebration of International Women’s Day’18 includes a British Pakistani along with 12 other female artists’ doodles on its homepage.

On 8th March, the search engine giant displayed interactive illustrations of artists from 12 countries, including the US, Japan, Mexico and Pakistan.

According to Google, each story represents “a moment, person, or event that has impacted their lives as women”. While each artist tells a unique story, the themes are universal, reminding us of how much we often have in common.”

British-Pakistani artist Saffa Khan appeared on her doodle, titled as ‘Homeland’, around being an immigrant, writing a love letter to her first home in Pakistan.

“Being an immigrant, I want people to simply be able to empathise and visualise this small fragment of my most cherished memories of the home I had to leave behind,” Saffa told Huffington Post. “And to understand that the love and support received from strong womanhood can help you accomplish anything,” says Saffa.

Talking about what International Women’s Day means to her, Saffa says, “International Women’s Day is not only to celebrate numerous achievements of women across the fields of science, arts and humanities, but also to recognise the sacrifices and changes made by women as they fight for recognition and equality everyday in a society dominated by men.”

Saffa’s story of her homeland featured on her doodle reads, “On the roads of my homeland, you will find queues of vibrant trucks and rickshaws full of poetry.”

“Every Sunday, my family and I would go to our local Itwar Bazaar for fresh samosas in winter and sweetest mangoes in the summer. Mama would spend a lot of time hand-picking garments to make clothes for us to wear on Eid,” adds Saffa.

The artist further says, “I went to the smallest school in the city, but I was taught by the strongest women with the biggest hearts.”

“This was my home for nine years: Mama’s little jungle, our tiny secure bubble. Despite not having electricity most days, or clean water, we made it work. Thank you, Mama and Baba; home is wherever you are,” are the word of Saffa Khan.

The Google Doodle highlights artists Anna Haifisch, Chihiro Takeuchi, Estelí Meza, Francesca Sanna, Isuri, Karabo Poppy Moletsane, Kaveri Gopalakrishnan, Laerte, Philippa Rice, Saffa Khan, Tillie Walden and Tunalaya Dunn.

Google is also encouraging other women across the world to share their own stories for International Women’s Day by using the hashtag “#HerStoryOurStory.”

Published in Daily Times, March 9^th 2018.