3. The Purpose of going back.

By Summaiya Noor Ali

I had gone back to continue work, and then leave later when I do not want to extend my stay anymore. Basically when I am ready for the final move. I had also gone back to finish my incomplete projects. This meant publish my thesis, which right now is a manuscript, complete the writing of another book that was in the narration and compiling process. In fact this is a good time to tell you about it.

My thesis, interviews compiled and written in 2012, is ready for publication with a few more chapters added to it. It is a book that covered 10 women business owners in Karachi. These women belong to unique industries, different age brackets and different stages in their entrepreneurial pursuits. This book was written once I witnessed so many people around me who were stuck in one role; housewife.

Being housewives defined them. Their children defined them. They did not have an identity of their own. Every human being needs to know who they are down to their core. They have to be comfortable in their own skin so that they can live alone, and enjoy their own company from time to time. Women, even families, do not realize how essential this is. The book was written to focus on these women, and showcase the milestones in their life, and also to show housewives that they can do something to find their core. My solution was launching businesses of their own. Everyone needs to come up with their own solutions. I had found a publishing company that was ready to publish my manuscript in the form of an e-book. But it was quite expensive, with the wedding and everything, I was not left with much to pursue this. Current status: Looking for sponsors. Well, actually I looked into self publishing and it seems to be my best bet. Current Status: Finding people to read it once, make edits, someone to design the book. Then Self-Publish. Kindle Zindabad!

The second book is about miracles. The magic of miracles. Also how they strengthen our faith. Especially youth these days. They have so many questions but they do not know how to pose them. Also, a lot of older people do not know how to answer them since they are quite a curious generation. When older people do not know how to answer such questions, it puts a dent on their own faith, and also a question mark in the minds of the children who ask these questions. Hence, the miracles that we were capturing were first hand & second hand accounts from one person who has a collection of these stored in her mind. Her name is Narjis, she is an orator, a storyteller, a voracious reader, and an incredibly knowledgeable person with a passion for passing on knowledge and wisdom from her years of experience. What happens is we sit with her and take notes while she narrates her experiences and the tells us about the things she has seen. Since we jot down points while she narrates, we go home and sometimes elaborate them. We meet her again and she corrects us. The book will hopefully be published in English and in Urdu. InshaAllah. Current status: Compiling the manuscript.

So I went back for all this. I managed to have one day long meeting for the second book. I also realized I am out of money to publish my own book. For my business ideas, that needed time and hence, I was going to do that when I was in Dubai. Where I have nothing but time, and nothing much to fill my day with. I do not know what happened because I was supposed to work on the miracles from here, on skype, but have not heard from my partners about it.

Also, I got busy with 3 weddings in February (For which I was out of dresses, since I had said NO to JAHEZ! But it was fine since I got new ones made) which was the perfect ending to my trip home. So many functions, wearing saaris to milaads. Saari’s are my new found love. Everyone should dig into their mother’s closets and bring that fashion back. Alhumdulilah. Milaads were coming up left right and center since it was a happy month. I love milaads.

Cannot thank Allah swt enough for the extra time that I was given. But since I was, I have been preaching about it to people. All girls should be given this time. It was amazing. Feeling like you still belonged, even when you know that you now also belong to another place. It was quite wonderful and I cant put it into words. The feeling that your heart was now cut into 2. It was enough to help my mental state settle, and adjust to the new things that my life was suddenly throwing at me.