‘Be Kind’, ‘Everything is Shut’, ‘Kashmir’: 18-year-old poetess pens pain, tribulations, resolve

Srinagar: When Class XII student Mir Areiba started writing poetry, little did she realize that she would be mocked by the people for trying her hand on English literature.

Two years on, she has proved all her critics wrong as a reputed publishing house has decided to publish her collection of poems.

“I could not believe my luck when I received an email from Inkart. I did not tell my family until I was sure that it is not a prank. My happiness was doubled when I noticed a smile on my parent’s faces,” Areiba told The Kashmir Monitor.

Titled ‘Nimble Kingdom’, the book is a collection of 32 poems on different themes.

Areiba has been looking for a publisher since class 10th and her search ending in June this year when she approached Chhattisgarh based Inkart publishing.

“My search ended when one of my friends helped me in approaching Inkart Publishing. I sent them an email and within a few days I got a positive reply,” she said.

Hailing from Pampore, Areiba, apart from writing, is also fond of painting and reading. A class XII student, she is studying science at the Muslim Educational Institute, Pampore.

“In the beginning, I used to show my poems to my family, relatives, and friends. But they criticized my work instead of guiding me. Sometimes, they even tried to put me down. Many times I felt weak but giving up was never an option,” Areiba said.

Reading short stories and novels since her childhood, Areiba developed a strong penchant for writing poems. She was in her sixth standard when she wrote her first poem for her grandmother. Since then, as they say, there was no looking back. Areiba is writing poems both in English as well as in the Urdu language.

Some of her works include ‘God’, ‘Be Kind’, ‘Memories will Last Forever’, ‘Everything is shut’, ‘Moon and Me’, ‘My only Colour’, ‘Patience’, ‘Never Give Up’, and ‘Kashmir’.

‘Never Give Up’ is based on the personal hardships. The poem describes her struggle to achieve her dreams. Likewise, `Kashmir’ is inspired by the 2016 unrest. After the abrogation of article 370 abrogation, she wrote ‘Everything is Shut’.

Among the 200 poems, Areiba has selected 32 best for her debut book. “It is my first experience. I just wanted to see how people will react to my work. I wish my next book is published by Penguin.  I know I have to work very hard for that,” she said.