Two months back while talking to a friend, we planned to help flood victims families through fundraising and creating awareness about. We had idea to arrange a play, where we can show their suffering. Unfortunately the friend had to step back because of some personal reasons. And here was me with the idea, hope and bit uncertainty.
It took me two days to control my Lizard Brain, which kept me insisting to give up and get back to routine stuff. Finally I got the courage and shared the idea with some other friends online & offline (I knew, now I can’t step back). They all said YES to this and started working with me, now I was a team member not alone.
I really had not the idea how many challenges we’ll face & how to cope with them, but my team was ready to DO IT!
I never wrote any play script before but don’t know from where all the motivation came and I started on. We even had not any place for the play rehearsal & any skilled team to perform. I asked to my parents and they allowed us to do rehearsal at my home, when we needed few more people to act, I asked my cousins & siblings to get in (my two sisters & one brother performed in the play along me).
Some people were encountering us commenting, “You guys are wasting your time & energies for something which is not gonna complete & bla bla.” When bureaucracy showed its negative side to us. When some people refused to work on their commitment in final days. When two of our artists who were performing in the play were injured in an accident just a day before event and we all were in hospital praying for them with uncertainty.
Thinking now about that tough time, in fact that gifted me some of the happiest moments of my life. It is not conventional for girls of town like Okara to work in such activities. Because majority is to blame and to discourage.
Event included the play named “Umeed Ki Kiran” (The Ray of Hope). We some how succeeded to show how the life of the people have changed because of this disasters and what are the challenges with victims. And more importantly how we can help them to stand back. Secondly we had Quiz & Singing Competition among students of local colleges. They event was attended by around 200 students, some teachers and guests. The final message was of peace, stop complaining start doing and tolerance.
Students performing in the play.
They all liked it. 
It was really heart touching to have the appreciation of audience, old teachers, fellow citizens. We all were filled with joy. When my teacher came and said, “I’m proud of you Sidra, congrats,” and they gave me a prize for appreciation too.
This event brought me closer to my friends who believe in making difference. I would especially like to say thanks to all the team members who worked with me to make this event successful. Thanks to Reena Satin, Jatin Sukhija, Shabnam Gul, Waqas & Ivana Sendecka for their beautiful message and strong appreciation. Here is a video message by Ivana Sendecka to the youth of Okara, it worked a lot. I would love you to see it too.
This experience also introduced me some beautiful humans like Diep Saeeda, Qalandar Memon, Shehzad Asi, Kaisar who all encouraged me with their support.
The idea which my team presented to the young students is worth important. We left them with a message to learn, act and make a difference in their life and others around. Which is very important to build a great, peaceful and respectable nation.
The event has taught me some very good lessons.
- Your determination is the mirror of your sincerity for your work.
- Your work shows your dreams to others.
- You have to believe in something before making others to believe in.
- Like Minds people are very important to bring change, we need to share the good which we find.
- There is lot more work needed on awareness among young minds, nothing easy to be done but if few young from small town can make it happen, all can do too.
Friends, share story from your part of the world where you have done purely for others. Tell us how you made it possible and what it has left for you? Thank you all very much!!
~S
Its really encouraging and appreciatable work.Thumbs up to yoy:)
Thanks my dear friend,
.
World must know who had shared this idea, yes its you. I never forget how much you suffered just to attend the event. Really love you
I am very happy for you. Thanks a lot for your kind words, Sidra. I don’t think i was able to help you much from this far a place. My best wishes for your future endeavours.
Reena, presence of people like you around me is blessing, who have experience of life, who are working for peace and who are encouraging youth all the way without any prejudice . Thanks for everything.
Wonderful, Sidra!
I am so proud of you & happy I could be of help.
Hope to meet you in person in 2011.
HUG
Thanks Ivana,
Yes its you who asked me to control my lizard brain.
I am more excited than anyone to meet you in person. we will meet and it will be great great time. Thanks for wonderful message.
HUG
Welldone Sidra !!!!
these words really took me to the summer season, when we got off from University, planned to go to northern areas of pakistan, visited there, and were just planning to concentrate on future plans of settling the business, working on assignments that i received for my summer vacations and while planning and pondering over things in cloudy weather with a bit of showers , at that very moment , no one really realized that these occasional showers can turn into such catastrophe, and people would be affected in that magnitude, but it happend, so decided to postpone our near future plans and gathered few friends , talked with organizations , visited those flood affected areas, huge area was under water, upfront , it seemed a bit difficult , that yeah, wait HANG ON, salman khan, r u joking , r u able to help them out, they are in a large number, but i still really dont believe myself that fortunately we started the initiative (me along with my friends) first we completed a survey of how many people are there we`ll be able to provide ration and things necessary to ensure that they can live and can breathe because they just left their houses in a rush and infact they brought nothing with themselves and were bare footed no CHADDAR on females shoulders ( PUKHTUN SOCIETY *) kids were crying , females were crying, young boys were in dismay and all did not understand that what actually happened with them ???? the people who used to give charity to poor people were begging and snatching things from others , this is how i can define their stance here… after completing the upfront survey, we along with organizations, mainly PYO ( peshawar youth organization) we delivered ration there for 9 weeks continuously , we arranged camps on different locations with the help of EDHI ORGANIZATION…..and did all the efforts that we could do on our behalf , but i have hope and trust in my mates and fellow age mates , they are capable and infact we are capable and we will change the fate of our country and these flood affected brave people will go back to their towns and villages and they will lead a successful life.
let me share a video recorded by my cousin who was their , who actually is an army man and was there on mission against millatantcy but ended up in rescuing visiters from that particular place , called KALAM, the tourists hub and unfortunately there were quite a few people there because it was summer and was a good time to go out with families and spend time in northern areas but what happened with them is really some thing which they can not forgets for years and years, here it goes ;
this was my story and i really thank all those friends , teachers , community elders, PYO and all who helped me out in taking this bold step.thanks mates
take care !!!!!!!!
salman khan
Salman, I love your story of doing. You rock man.
You know Salman they people still need lot more help but now people dnt have enough emotions for them as were at that time. We have done this event to incite their emotions through our play at this particular moment.Hope things will be better soon in those areas.
Have good day.
Very well done Sidra!
Great to seeing you out of uncertainty.
Thanks Waqas for everything.
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