It is a story we hear often. It is a story of rejection, where we place blame on circumstances. Where we don’t try to bring about a change ourselves. This is a story of a nineteen-year-old differently-abled boy, with the dream of becoming a game developer by joining the premier VFX institute in Pakistan. His disability, a factor out of his control, becomes the reason for his rejection by the university—and he places blame on his country for the setback. However, by embarking on a journey of resistance, and experiencing an enlightening realization, his perspective changes.
Kashaf, a differently-abled Pakistani boy, walked back home with a rejection letter from his dream university. His disability had just become the reason he couldn’t get in. He spent the day browsing through his Instagram, and watched his other disabled friends living abroad getting into their dream institutions. Hopes lost, Kashaf saw a small Pakistani paper flag flying towards him and his recent troubles made him infuriated at the sight. Filled with exhaustion and frustration, Kashaf buried the flag in the ground and walked away feeling desolate.
Meanwhile, a man in his 70s, wearing a shirt with a Pakistani flag, was tied with chains. He watched a screen in front of him, playing the video of Kashaf burying the flag. The man struggled to free himself from the chains, desperate to help Kashaf, but his chains keep him bound and unable to do so. He continued to bear severe pain as he tried to free himself.
Kashaf spent his days in a terrible state, depressed and confused. He stopped eating and conversing, spending most of his time alone. That is, till inspiration struck and he used his own story of despair as motivation to start writing a book. The book was based on teenagers like him, intending to provide them with much-needed support and motivation. The first line of the book aptly described his state of mind “I feel like I am caged in a country, that doesn’t care…”.
Well-written and relatable for many, Kashaf’s book received fame. Soon, the young author was invited to an event to talk about his book. And when he ascended the stage and stood in front of a mass of people, Kashaf became nervous and starts shaking. He started communicating in sign language, but was unable to get his message across to his audience who did not understand. Gradually feeling disheartened, Kashaf suddenly spotted the man wearing the Pakistan shirt get up and start interpreting his sign language. The act gave Kashaf an immense boost of confidence and he delivered his speech to the audience—followed by tremendous applause filling the conference room.
Once outside, Kashaf turned to the man and inquired about his identity. The man replied ‘I am what you buried. Don’t give up on me so easily.’
A drop of tear streamed down Kashaf’s eyes as he ran outside. He stopped at the same spot where he once buried the flag and dug frantically. He managed to find the flag after a few minutes and hugged it tightly. That was the day Kashaf started another book. And the first line read “We expect so much that at times, we forget to care. We forget to think, we forget to understand. We forget to respect”.
And as Kashaf continued to write, the chains started to break, and the man smiled as he embraced his freedom.
