Kinza Asghar Khan, also known as Akasious, talks about what inspired her to write a novel and what is her poetry book about.
1. Tell us about yourself?
My name is Kinza Asghar Khan however among my readers I am known as Akasious, which is my pen name. I was born and raised up in Khanewal (a small city near Multan). My academic record is neither worse nor excellent. As a mediocre or near to excellent student my primary focus was always on writing, reading and participating in debate competitions. I joined Pharmacy school at Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan in 2015 and I am in my fourth professional. I have written two books and the third is on its way. I visited the Senate of Pakistan in 2017 for a national level debate competition organized by Hanns Seidel Foundation on the pattern of Model CCI. This instilled a new spirit in me because after that I began to see my country, my state, and the higher officials with a new perspective. I am also a CSS aspirant.
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2. How do you strike a balance between writing and studying Pharmacy?
This was never easy. In 2016 I finally decided to write my first novel and with pharmacy studies ongoing it was not an easy decision but I finally decided to jump in. To stick to is as hard as the decision itself. Since I never believed in averages and you can’t be excellent in something that is not your passion so following your passion besides tough studies is not as hard as it seems to be. Once you are in you feel like you always wanted to be there. We all know that to achieve excellence, hurdles, and hardships are compulsory even if you are following your passion.
3. What led you to become a student of Pharmacy?
Studying medicine was my dream since childhood.
4. Tell us about your book “Lone Wolf till Last Breath”?
It is a general fiction novel based on the tale of Loners. There are different characters. All of them have their share of tragedy and all of them deal it their way. This is not just one story, this novel encapsulates five different stories of five different characters and every single character has a message for the readers. Only the wise among my readers pick the message while the rest can enjoy the story. Happy Reading to both. For more information, you have to read the book. I am updating it on Wattpad chapter-wise. People can read online chapters until the book comes out in hardcopy this year.
5. What inspired you to write this book?
I wrote it after getting inspired by a few real stories. I felt like writing it when I realized mental health is as important an issue to be addressed as any physical disease. This book also breaks a perception that makes a common person idealize western culture. According to my observation, the western culture is not that good to adopt everything from them, for instance, they are lacking the family system which is one of the leading cause of depression among teens while here in South Asia and Pakistan we do enjoy a good family system. Broken families are rare and are not appreciated here due to religious or cultural reasons but this is a positive aspect of our society to be appreciated. The book also highlights the negative role of media in a person’s life and how advanced media i.e youtube is playing a role. On a side note, I dedicated this book to a very inspiring personality who was my ex-roommate so indeed she gets an obvious share among my list of inspirations for this book.
6. What were some of the challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?
Well, the first big challenge was to start and to jump into writing despite tough studies but I did. Another big challenge was the society which still remains a challenge. You are not accepted as easily in the society as a writer as you are accepted as a pharmacist that’s why I hid behind my pen name Akasious for a long time and finally came out with my first poetry book ‘The Ashes of Feelings’ this year.
Another big challenge is publishing. Publishing is a total mess in Pakistan. A writer without a strong financial background can never get his or her book published but I do recommend Auraq Publications to beginners. Their package is better than other so-called publishers with big, big names.
7. Tell us about your poetry book, ‘The Ashes of Feelings’?
‘The Ashes of Feelings’ is neither about the ashes nor about the feelings! It’s far away from your mainstream kind of poetry. It is about the society which has never been fair, it’s about the people who never leave being judgemental, it’s about the life which has always been ruthless, it’s about the unrevealed truths people fail to utter, and the white lies people never fail to utter. Reading this piece would help you discover a perspective you never had seen before. There are also poems that I dedicated to the Army Public School (APS) martyrs and the children of Palestine, those two poems from my book are very close to my heart
8. Share a few verses from your poems?
Sure, I’ll love to share the most prized piece of my writing here:
‘Egos before Love’
Drowning in their egos
they all craved for Love
sinking into despair
they all longed
for miracles
bending to their knees
they all wished to,
have their heads up high
dying for their dreams
they all secretly
welcomed death
~Egos before Love // Akasious
9. Where do you see yourself five years ahead in life?
I can’t say anything about it before time. I’d let the world to wait and watch. Of course, they can always come back to this interview later in the years to come and comment ‘it was an inspiring read’ *wink*
10. Your message for the youth of Pakistan?
You are here for a reason. You get a life once and for all. So discover your reason before you end up into nothingness.
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