Asma Hassan’s captivating podcast for Radio Pakistan

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Radio Pakistan Podcast with Asma Hassan, a renowned writer and author of Mayar-e-Zindagi, turned out to be quite a captivating session as she shared her views, aimed at motivating the masses in general and the youth in particular, in a most candid fashion. 

The credit for making the interview so thrilling also belonged to Dr Karim Ahmed, the young and energetic Programme Manager of Radio Pakistan Lahore, who conducted it with high standards of professionalism on November 7. Quite remarkably, the whole session of nearly half an hour was recorded without any retake. 

Asma Hassan, during the podcast, revealed having gained the confidence to write for various newspapers and digital platforms from the training provided by her parents who always encouraged her to pursue a career of own choice. 

“Soon after completing MBA, I took to the profession of teaching because of the eagerness to share the knowledge obtained during my university life with the students. Then, since 2019, I turned towards fulfilling my ambition of making a name in the literary world. Starting with poetry, my interest then shifted towards writing motivational articles,” she recalled. 

When inquired about the publication of her first book, she disclosed that it was during the period of lockdowns caused by Covid-19 when ‘Mayar-e-Zindagi’ was conceived in the summer of 2020 and the team of Jumbo Publishing enabled it to see the light of the day in a matter of just a couple of months. The book was subsequently launched with great fanfare at the Karachi Press Club. 

The interviewer, quite articulately, touched on various subjects which were covered by Asma Hassan in ‘Mayar-e-Zindagi’ and the author explained the situations wonderfully to sustain the high intensity of the podcast. 

Upon arrival, Asma Hassan was warmly received by Dr Ahmar Sohail Basra, the station director of Radio Pakistan Lahore. The author presented a copy of her book ‘Mayar-e-Zindagi’ to the learned official, who praised its contents and production. Syed Khalid Mahmood of Jumbo Publishing was also present on the occasion.