Daily Times

Writers have to find their inner voice which they use to explore the world around them and to express their thoughts to the readers.

Dr Erum Hafeez found her voice when she was a student in the Mass Communication Department at the University of Karachi more than two decades ago. Since then, she has been associated with the print media of Pakistan having published over 150 articles covering various topics. Out of these, a hundred articles have been published in her book, Life Literally.

“Most of my articles are written from a social perspective and revolve around the diverse themes of culture, gender, education, health, media and relations,” Dr Hafeez writes in the Preface.

‘Life Literally’ is not just a collection of her published articles, features, columns, and blogs, written over 25 years of her literary journey, it is a doorway into her thoughts. She has discussed a plethora of topics that appeal to the common man, no matter what profession they are from. The book is divided into various sections: Social, Education, Media, Health, Relations, Women, Articles, Columns, Reviews, Interviews, and Blogs.

Dr Hafeez has written her articles and columns with a fine sense of judgment. The readers will absorb information, details and opinion, to analyse her pieces of writing and the messages. She touches upon how Pakistanis are settling in Dubai for greener pastures. She talks about how patients with critical conditions are compelled to wait in traffic that is halted to give way for the VVIP protocol. She dwells on why weddings have lost their simplicity as people spend millions. She talks about life inside an SOS Village, the extreme pressure students have during studies that compel them to end their lives, and the truth about private education., among others.

Dr Hafeez’s articles are thought-provoking and are written with simplicity. They induce the readers to introspect and wonder how true her insights, ideas, and perspective are that we so easily ignore. She has dedicated one chapter to Women. One of her articles questions the role of women in our society. She covers topics such as women choosing marriage over their careers, the challenges working women face, and why women in Pakistan are not encouraged to choose a career. ‘Drawing Room Torture’ is one article from this chapter that aptly explores the mental and emotional pressure girls go through when they have to meet the family of a boy searching for a bride. The book also includes the interviews of experts from various industries that Dr Hafeez took over the years.

Javed Jabbar in the Foreword aptly writes, “Readers will certainly find this book’s content an accurate, interesting and expressive survey which spans 25 eventful years.” Journalists Zofeen T. Ebrahim and Farahnaz Zahidi have also shared their thoughts on the book. ‘Life Literally’ is indeed a kaleidoscope of views that makes this book an interesting read. It speaks to the readers and discusses what they think or want to know about.

The writer is an independent researcher, author and columnist. He can be reached at omariftikhar@hotmail.com and Tweets at @omariftikhar