A calligrapher, painter and an avid reader, Afshana hails from Kashmir. She has channeled her thoughts and emotions through poetry and has penned down some beautiful poems enumerating the beauty and pain of the valley. She has also pursued a course in Human Rights.
Her curiosity and enthusiasm are unmatched and she puts her soul into any task that she undertakes. She has taught and guided numerous students of her community during the shutdowns. Passionate about gender studies, she has been volunteering for organisations working on gender in Kashmir. Through her work on gender, she has supported and helped amplify the voices of women in their fight for natural rights of life, liberty, equality and property.
She aims to pursue her education in gender studies and wishes to work with young girls in Kashmir, facilitating career opportunities for their growth. She has joined Young India Fellowship to experience opportunities which help her realise her potential and skills and capacitate her better to work for her community and contribute towards a positive change, however small.
In times of uncertainty, she finds solace and inspiration in the following couplet of “Mahjoor”: ولو ہا باغوانو نو بہارک شان پیدا کر پھولن گل گتھ کرن بلبل تتھی سامان پیدا کر Come ye gardener let us create magnificence of a new spring, A spring in which the roses will bloom the nightingale will sing.
