Daily Times

Karachi: Sparkistan is an initiative taken by Atlas Battery to showcase the ‘spark’ of the country’s unsung heroes. According to Atlas, the name Sparkistan is a positive play on the country’s name. This initiative worked as a platform for many talented and hardworking Pakistanis whose achievements are not widely known.

Through its Sparkistan initiative, Atlas Battery gave prominence to such unsung heroes. The team interviewed 14 unacknowledged men and women from different cities and areas of Pakistan. These included Dr. Naeem Taj from Rawalpindi – Guinness Record holder for successfully removing the world’s biggest gall bladder, Muhammad Ali from Karachi – Founder of Roshni Helpline, dedicated to search operations for missing children in Pakistan, Samar Khan from Islamabad – Pakistan’s first cyclist to cycle all the way to Biafo Glacier, Nazir Sabir from Islamabad – The mountaineer who summited Mount Everest and K2, Aneeqa Bano & Afzal Rasool from Skardu – Aneeqa Bano and Afzal Rasool, two individuals who are impacting lives of hundreds by providing deaf children with an education and safe shelter. The resolve and spark in them to help the disabled has led them all this way to a successful mission with their school project.

Azeema Haider from Islamabad – 21 years old girl with a physical disability who makes use of prosthetic limbs. She’s an artist who has managed to inspire thousands of people around her through her hard work even after facing such difficulties in life, Roma Sayyedian from Islamabad – Youngest Microsoft Certified Professionals from Pakistan, Fahad Ali from Karachi – Founder of Aghaz School, providing free education to children residing in slums, Zymal Umer from Sargodha – Founder of Zee Bags, who raises funds to help underprivileged children, Master Ayub from Islamabad – A teach and mentor for underprivileged children, Champaa from MirpurKhas – Self-taught master-trainer, teaches women to make earthenware and eco-friendly stoves, Yasmeen Lari from Karachi – Pakistan’s first female architect, restores cultural heritage and builds houses for flood & earthquake victims, Zafar Ahmed from Karachi – A courageous fire-fighter revered for saving countless lives, Mussarrat Misbah from Karachi – A beautician and founder of Depilex Smileagain Foundation, whose motive is to provide acid victims the confidence to face the world again with a smile.

Makers of Atlas Battery aim to celebrate the year 2017 as the year of inspiring lives. This year’s calendar published by Atlas showcased the stories of these lesser-known heroes. The campaign also consisted of an anthem specially created for these citizens. The anthem was titled, “Tum ho Sparkistan, Tum se hai Pakistan”. Inspirational stories of these folk kept a large the audience engaged on social media and the efforts of Atlas in this context were highly praised.