Stories are Powerful

I have always been interested to know what people think about “ life”. I encounter with different people on daily basis and it’s very fascinating to know that the word “ life” can be defined in so many different ways. I am very fond of hearing stories of people and therefore I follow few reality shows for this purpose.The Daily Show by Trevor Noah, The Ellen Show,Ed Mylett Show and Speak your heart with Samina Peerzada to count as few of my favorite reality shows.  One of the best things about these shows, is that people who are being invited are mostly celebrities. Those celebrities whom we watch on television and we think that they all have a very perfect life. But the story is not the same what we usually see on the screen. They are the people who have struggled a lot to reach that position. Recently, I got a chance to see the interview of one of the new faces of Pakistani drama serials “ Komal Aziz”. Komal is one of those actors, who got popularity working in two serials “ Gumrah and Bisaat-e-dil”. There is concept in our society that people who are affiliated with the profession of acting, they are not educated. At least this is not true in the case of Komal.  Out there, there are hundreds of actors who are well educated beside being a really good actors as well. Komal is the eldest daughter of her parents and had been an outstanding student throughout her academic career. She did her O levels and A levels from Beacon house school on full scholarship. Her dream was to be an actress since childhood and she was also had a keen interest in business management. What I liked about her interview is that she was very honest. She shared all the incidents about her life and the lessons which she learned. Komal was interested to take admission in LUMS, one of the leading educational institution of Pakistan, but she was unable to get admission there and took admission in Institution of Business Administration (IBA). Komal told that she was suspended for three years by IBA, when she was caught while doing cheating in exam. Now, here is a question. Komal being one of the exceptional students, why she chose to cheat? She answered that in IBA, students memorize rather understanding the concepts and that was the reason Komal was unable to adjust herself with the system in IBA. It is the case with most of the institution of Pakistan, not only in IBA. I am not criticizing the systems of these institutions, as they are considered the best options for students. But the management of the institution should take notice, why students prefer cheating in exams. Ofcourse, it was difficult time for Komal but she had moral support of her family, but that is not the case with all the people. When people fail in their life, did we ever think why they commit suicide? Because they don’t have family support. Everyone sees them as a failure and burden. People left no options for them and they prefer to take their own life, leaving thousands of questions in the minds of people. Komal was fortunate in this case and she was able to get 100 percent scholarship to continue her studies in the United States. Here I was able to relate my life story with Komal Aziz. I myself at the age of 18 came to Bangladesh for my bachelor's studies.Trust me, living in a foreign country is not an easy task, but it really helps you as a person to grow by interacting people from different cultural, educational and religious background. And then you realize that life is all about being a good human and being humble. That’s what I have experienced so far. Another thing is that, when you are living far from your family, you become independent. You develop the courage to take you decisions by your own and then you implement them. Sometimes the results of your decisions are not fruitful, but they gave you a lesson to learn and I believe that  life is like climbing a mountain, no matters how many times we fall but we want to reach the top of it. So, Komal after coming back from America, convinced her family to become an actress. She struggled a lot as things had changed when she came back. It was just the beginning of her career and she lost her father, whom she loved the most. She was devastated but she never stop trying and at last she was able to reach top of the mountain. This is the journey of Komal Aziz and I therefore love to hear stories of people, because stories are powerful and they challenge you to think and do something different:)