'Reading should lead to happiness'

Dubai - 16-year-old Zainab Ujjaini loves to read weekly column 'Last Word.'

Zainab Ujjaini walked into the Khaleej Times office with the latest issue of the Wknd magazine in tow. On her way, she says she had a good laugh, courtesy of Last Word, a weekly column in the magazine by Bikram Vohra. "I love Mr Vohra's writing. His words are like magic to me. They're always so true and at times, inspiring too." She can't stop gushing about his writing, "He is such a funny man! On my worst days, he brings a big smile to my face. How come he always writes something that I can connect with?" We try to quiz her on his columns and are left surprised by her religious reading.
The 16-year-old loves being surrounded with positivity. She feels that reading should lead to happiness. No wonder, her second favourite thing to read in the paper is the cartoon strips. Why? It, too, is like a ray of happiness. "I read every single article in the newspaper, at times even Classifieds." Plus, as a habit, she reaches out for Your Stars Today as well, knowing that the horoscope may not hold true for her. "It's nice to have a little belief in something," smiles the Grade 11 student from Al Ameen Private School, Dubai.
And this passion for reading is in her genes, "My dad tells me to read everything. He says: You should read everything, only then will you someday find what you really love." Weekends in their home are reserved for a special ritual called 'TED Talks at home'. It requires Zainab and her younger sister to select a topic, prepare a talk, and deliver it to their parents. Last week, her sister shared her views on passion. Zainab's latest talk was on the value of time.
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Along with reading and public speaking, she enjoys writing as well. In Grade 8, she along with seven of her classmates published a book (as a school project) of short stories. "It was about going back to one's roots. I obviously wrote about my Indian roots." Not surprisingly, she wants to grow up and be a writer. "But, before that, I want to be a print journalist." But is the youth even reading the newspaper these days - aren't they getting their updates from Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat? "The newspaper is my fantasy world. Also, some time in the future, people will realise that newspapers (and books) are the real deal, and not the internet." She has no qualms about being called old school. She takes pride in her obsessions - be it dressing up in her traditional attire (Rida) or loving the smell of the newspaper.
"May I make an unreasonable request?" she asks as she leaves. "The negative news in the paper makes me feel terrible. I know you have to talk about the bad things, but could you print only facts and no opinions - I want to form my own opinion on politics, wars, and leaders." That, certainly, qualifies as a TED talk.
purva@khaleejtimes.com
 

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