I started reading Us when I was in grade eight. It all started with the newly found craze for Harry Potter, and it was that full-page photograph of Daniel Radcliffe that introduced me to Us magazine.
Words say it all
Here we are with the second part of ‘Words say it all’!
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Unsa Athar I started reading Us when I was in grade eight. It all started with the newly found craze for Harry Potter, and it was that full-page photograph of Daniel Radcliffe that introduced me to Us magazine. Of course, I was super excited for the picture, but I also fell in love with the magazine. Being a medical enthusiast, reading articles of Saad Javed and Awais Aftab were the high points of my life. And when I saw my book review in print, I was over the moon. I will always be grateful to Us for giving me the confidence to use words as my power. Unsa is a medical student at King Edward Medical University. |
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Syed Rameez ul Hassan It feels great to be a part of something that has been more than just a magazine for us, something like our childhood love. Glad to be a proud member of the Us family. Then, now and forever. Rameez studies at the University of Karachi, and is a freelance writer who loves to sketch in spare time. |
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Asif Nawaz It’s difficult for me to be writing anything about Us that starts with a convenient “it is the greatest magazine” and ends with a well-rounded “thank you”. For what I share with Us is personal, and I owe it a lot more than words can cover. Writing for me was just another hobby I was trying, and Us picked me up and nurtured and nourished my callous skills ever so encouragingly. Whatever semblance of a writer I might now possess (a very average one, I admit), are all due to Us. I’m not really writing for Us anymore, partly because I’m not writing much in general and partly because I’ve spread on to other publications (for reasons the Us desk understands - no, I’m not talking about the payments), but Us will always have an unmatchable distinction for me. I don’t write what/when I don’t want to, but if I ever make that effort - it’s for Us alone. Meeting Lubna Khalid and Fatima Zakir last year in Karachi, and visiting The News Building just completed the circle for me. Us is family, and hopefully will always be! A doctor by profession, his writings have been a favourite both in-house and amongst the readers. |
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Neelum Afridi I ran through the corridors of my department into the library looking for a copy of Us Magazine. Inquired the librarian, and he said it was with the Chairman. I rushed to the office and there I saw my name in print. It was just a poem, but a big achievement at that time. I asked the Chairman for the copy of Us, telling him about my poem. Instead of giving it to me, he searched for my poem and read it aloud. Then, he said, “Next time I want to see you on the cover.” The very next year, my story was on the cover of Us magazine. I interviewed the same Chairman for the “On Campus” issue. I have written dozens of poems for Us and played my part in covering the APS incident. This was just a glimpse of my struggle, to say it all; Us magazine has given me an identity. Not only this, for a tribal girl like me, it is a ray of hope. People are often surprised and ask me, “How can an Afridi write in English?” But, I believe everyone is talented and things like ethnicity and socio-economic statuses don’t even matter. I wanted to raise my voice on the issue of girls’ education and wrote tales of hope and resilience. Us helped me do that. Us has given me most of what I have today. Neelum is currently studying at the Department of English, Islamia College, Peshawar and manages a blog, ‘Nightingale’. She is a bibliophile who loves her personal library. As a founding member of Young Women Writers’ Forum Peshawar Chapter, she engages with budding writers. |
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Sidra Amin It has always been a pleasant surprise to see my work in Us. Surprisingly, Us has always printed my favourite poems, and knowing that I got published in a magazine I have been reading for 15 years, I feel honoured. Sidra is an old contributor. |
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Suhd Nazeer Well, Us to me is like Jessie James to Robert Ford. Except I don’t need killing it. I love this magazine! It has done great for my literary pursuits. Cheers! Suhd is a regular part of the “Poets’ Corner”. |
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Vaheid Khizar It was the winter of 2009, the very first Friday of a new year, when I proudly became part of the Us family. Since then, I’ve been a not-so-regular part of it, mostly through my favourite section, ‘Poets’ Corner’. Us has not only given me a platform to uncover that hidden insane part of me, but also some wonderful people who are more like family for me now. Us is love! Vaheid is a poet and a business graduate |
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Zahra Akbar Working with Us has been an amazing experience for me. Us taught me a lot about the print media. I believe Us has really encouraged young writers by giving them exposure and a platform through which they express themselves fearlessly and learn about their hidden potentials. The editors have always been cooperative with their contributors. Zahra is a poet, fiction writer and a literary activist, pursuing her master’s degree in English Literature and is currently working on her first novella. |
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Zainab Khawaja Three years back, when I first saw my name in print, I could barely contain my excitement. My internship at Us and my contributions have helped me come a long way and helped me find a purpose in life. It’s because of Us, I’ve started to believe that dreams do come true! A student |
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Zunaira Afzal I am an ordinary person with some extraordinary dreams. Before writing for Us, I was associated with art and for some reasons I couldn’t carry on with it. So, the process of creating inspired me to write poems and articles for different publications and blogs. My experience at Us was fabulous. It gave me friends, and it gave me confidence to write more. I feel so good when someone approaches me through social media and tell me that they love my poems. Us made me famous! :-D Apart from these, it gave me the chance to share my ideas with fellow senior writers and a chance to learn from them. Zunaira graduated in English Literature and is planning to do master’s in the near future. A writer who loves to paint! |
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Sameen Amer Being a part of the Us Magazine family has been an absolute joy. Without this platform I would never have been drawn towards the world of writing. I owe both Asfiya and Lubna a massive debt of gratitude for the guidance, love, and support they have given me. And I can’t thank all the sub-editors - Rahma, Javeria, and now Shermeen and Tooba - enough for being my impromptu therapists whenever I’ve needed. Sameen is a prolific writer and our oldest (not in age) family member. |
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Hamid Gulistan Us is simply wow! I have known Us for almost four years. Whenever I reminisce about the time I started sending my artworks for the back cover, I feel electrified. I just sent it to see if my ‘not-so-great’ art gets some place in the mag; it was a challenge for me. And then, one Friday morning, I saw my artwork in the magazine! That was a memorable day! Us magazine has always been appreciative of my work. Here, I would mention Lubna, Fatima Zakir and Madiha: thank you guys for being supportive and patient - as I was always late with my submissions. He loves to illustrate, and is very good at it. |
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Muhammad Omar Iftikhar I have been reading Us magazine since 1999. My first article “Effective writing” was published in Us magazine on Friday, April 14, 2006. It was the fourth article of my writing career. This publication has become a part of my life; it is like my friend. It is always an honour to see my name and work in Us magazine. During my writing career that began in July 2004, 24 articles have appeared in Us magazine including three cover stories which were “Remembering the Caribbean saga” (May 4, 2007), “Cartoons we watched” (July 6, 2007) and “High voltage” (December 14, 2007). Moreover, my story “One of a kind!” received the third prize in the Us story writing competition in 2007. Good luck, Us team! Muhammad Omar Iftikhar, a former digital media strategist and content planner, is also a writer and columnist. His debut novel will be released later this year while his short stories have been published by a Rawalpindi-based publishing house. |
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Osama Rashid Qazi Us has been an integral part of my life. I used to wait for it every Friday. I started writing letters to the editor and surprisingly they were published. I personally know Us star Asif Nawaz; he was my senior in high school. To see him write in the magazine really encouraged me to explore my talents as a writer. I still remember the joy I felt seeing my name in print. The surprise was actually ruined because I had already been told about it. Still it was one of the greatest feelings I have ever had. When I am not writing and reading Us, I am actually stuck in some hectic stuff - and that is studying medicine! |
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Mariam Malik Us has provided me a platform to demonstrate my skills. It’s always great to see my name in print. This creative genius is studying Dentistry. |
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Zara Niazi Syed It is a joy to work for Us magazine. Where there are not many publications that cater young readers, Us has emerged as a champion. An MBA Marketing, she writes about the youth and their encounters. |
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Mahwish Mukhtar Back in school days, I always admired the people who wrote for different youth magazines but never realized that I could be one of them too. It all started with an editorial letter; this platform groomed me so much that today I own a blog and earn a bit through content writing. However, seeing my name in Us, is all together a different feeling. I used to boast about my printed stories in my friends’ circle. I have seen Us flourish through years and one thing is totally incredible: it’s readers. Mahwish is part of youth mobilization campaign Balochistan, and volunteer at Aangan. |
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Naeema Yahya I love to illustrate for Us stories. The good part is that I learn a lot; it gets challenging when I have to draw on urgent basis. A cery creative contributor. |
