INTERVIEW WITH SHAKILA RAFIQ

Sohail: Let me start my interview from your childhood. What kind of family environment did you grow up in? What are some of the memories of your childhood?

Shakila: I have very many fond memories of my childhood. My family used to live in Seetapoor, a small town close to Lucknow in India. I was a small girl when my family immigrated to Pakistan. There were seven children in the family. I was the second last. As far as the family environment is concerned it was quite traditional and religious. My childhood was exciting but I faced some problems when I became a teenager and those problems made those years painful.

Sohail: Can you share something about your parents? What kind of people were they?

Shakila: My parents were wonderful people. My dad was really nice. I was very fond of him. He was a well-read man and was a well-respected lawyer of his community. He had a good taste in literature and remembered many couplets of Urdu and Persian poetry by heart. He was an affectionate and friendly father. My mother was a loving but traditional woman. She was caring but a bit naïve. She was not very educated and was simple like most of the women of her time. There was a special innocence about her. She was not a very sophisticated woman. She treated all her children alike without realizing that every child has a unique personality and needs to be handled in a unique way. In some ways she was quite strict. When I was hardly nine she started asking me to hold my dopatta, my scarf, in a certain way. She did not realize that putting too many restrictions on a young mind hinder its natural growth. She meant well but she was not aware of the sensitivities of young minds and hearts. She was unaware that too much discipline can cause emotional complications in children's personality. I was more affected by those restrictions as a teenager because I did not have any earlier. As a child I was free to do anything with my cousins. Since most of them were boys, I used to climb trees with them and have fun. I also remember going upstairs and jumping from one roof to the other. Because of such mischief there were times I also suffered. Once when I was staying with my father's family, I fell from the roof. They lived in a village so the only way they could take me to see a doctor was in an oxcart. I was heavily bleeding and my older brother was trying hard to stop the bleeding by putting the pressure on my chin. I don't remember the details but I was told all that later on when I was older. When the doctor examined me he told the family that I had lost lots of blood. He told them if I had waited longer I could have lost my life because of excessive bleeding. There was a big cut on my chin. Looking back, sometimes I wonder why did they not wait longer, it might have been better. I still have a big scar on my chin.

As a teenager I realized that I was different than other girls as I thought very different from them. I wanted to be special and do special things. In my free time I used to day dream and build castles in the air.

When India got divided I came to Pakistan with my mom and started living in Karachi. That is where I started my schooling. My dad had to stay behind because of family and political reasons so my older brother took over the family responsibilities for a while. My brother was a loving but a strict person.

Sohail: How were you affected by family restrictions?

Shakila: Those restrictions made me doubt myself and they undermined my self- confidence. I had many questions in my mind but there was no one around to discuss them with. In those formative years small things make a big difference.

From my early childhood I used to love to read. I would get children's books from the library and read them regularly. I also enjoyed reading children's section in the newspapers. In the jang newspaper there used to be a children's page. The same newspaper also had a children's magazine called bhai jaan [big brother] Shafi Aqeel used to edit the magazine but everybody called him bhai jaan. Those were the years I started writing stories myself by my maiden name Shakila Rahim. Once I wrote to Shafi Aqeel stating that I wrote stories, He wrote an encouraging letter asking me to send him my stories but I was too shy to send. My family never encouraged my creative expression and I kept all my literary talent locked within myself.

Sohail: How old were you when you started writing stories?

Shakila: Nearly eleven years old.

Sohail: And how old were you when you finished high school.

Shakila: I was sixteen. And I had only attended a few months in Sir Syed College when my marriage was arranged. That arrangement killed all my hopes and ambitions and dreams.

Sohail: What kind of dreams did you have as a teenager?

Shakila: I had many dreams: dreams to be a writer, a girl guide, an actor, a singer and many more but I had to give all of them up when my marriage was arranged.

Sohail: Did they not discuss with you before arranging your wedding.

Shakila: No there was no discussion. My future was decided without any consultation with me. One day a woman came to visit us. After a few days my sister told me that I was getting married to that woman's brother. I did not ask her anything about the groom.

Sohail: Why not?

Shakila: Out of spite. I thought what was the point. They had already decided about my future. Luckily my husband Rafiq turned out to be a thorough gentleman. When he found out that I had a keen interest in reading and writing, he encouraged me. His encouragement unlocked my talents and opened the lock that earlier restrictions had put on my mind. Soon after that my first short story was published and then many more.

My husband was liberal in some areas but not in others. He was neither too narrow minded nor too broadminded. Afterwards when I had children, it took a lot of my time and I could not concentrate on my writing.

Sohail: What happened to those stories that you had written for a children's magazine?

Shakila: I still have them

Sohail: Why were they not published?

Shakila: Because I never sent them for publication.

Sohail: How many are they?

Shakila: Four or five.

Sohail: How come you did not publish them later on.

Shakila: I forgot all about them because I started focusing on writing short stories for adults.

Sohail: When was your first short story published and in which magazine?

Shakila: It was a coincidence that my second short story was published in seep before my first short story was printed in naya daur.

Sohail: What was that experience like?

Shakila: It was quite exciting to see my short story published in a literary magazine. But at that time something else was also happening in my life and that was quite fascinating.

Sohail: And what was that?

Shakila: Some of my stories were published in akhbaar-e-khwateen, women's magazines and digests. There was a time I used to write for literary as well as popular magazines.

Sohail: What made you write for popular digests?

Shakila: They used to pay me a handsome amount for my stories. As I mentioned that my marriage was arranged when I had just finished my matriculation. I had a great interest to read. I remember once Rafiq suggested that instead of reading literary books I should read cookbooks. I thought I could read both kinds. I was upset by his suggestion but I did not have any argument. Being an Eastern woman I was told to compromise with my husband to keep peace at home and I followed that suggestion. But after his death I worked hard to raise my children. To earn a living I started writing for the popular digests. Pakeeza used to pay me the most. His editor was very thoughtful. He helped me a lot in those difficult days.

Sohail: How old were you when your husband died?

Shakila: Twenty-eight. After my husband's death both sides of the family offered financial support but I turned it down. I did not want my children to be financially dependent on their extended family. I was afraid it would affect them emotionally. I believe those children who are dependent on others develop inferiority complex. I wanted to look after them myself. Children who are looked after and supported by their own parents become very confident. In the beginning it was very difficult. It was hard to get a job because my education was limited. I had only passed my matriculation. Meanwhile I received an offer from pakeeza magazine. Since they were willing to pay I accepted their offer. After that I accepted all those offers of magazines that were willing to pay.

Those days the issues of survival were so important that I did not think of making a name in literary circles. I have met many editors of literary magazines in Pakistan. They offer complements but no money and you know that children's stomachs cannot be filled by complements. I was lucky to write for popular magazines, as I was very confident about my writing skills. Those magazines had a formula like harlequin romances and it was not difficult to write many stories in the same style. To look after my children and pay bills I wrote for those popular magazines for many years. Later on many literary critics acknowledged that even those stories had a literary quality. Those days I was known as a successful writer of popular magazines. They needed me and I needed them. We complemented each other.

Sohail: You also had an interest in enhancing your education?

Shakila: Alongside writing stories I also started studying for my exam. And when my older daughter appeared in grade twelve exams, I appeared in those exams too. After Rafiq'a death for the first couple of years I was in shock and could not focus on anything. I was a very sensitive person and I used to get upset by small things. It took me two years to accept his death. After I recovered I started focusing on books. After passing my intermediate exam, I started studying for my bachelor's exam and after passing that I appeared in my master's exam. I was pleased to get masters in Urdu literature. Sohail, talking about those times is making me upset as I am remembering all the sad things. The painful memories are coming to the surface. The most painful time was the time that I spent with my mother after the death of Rafiq.

Sohail: How long was that?

Shakila: Nearly two years. It was very painful because nobody had told my mother that Rafiq died. It was kept a secret.

Sohail: Why wasn't she told?

Shakila: She was sick and the whole family thought that she would die with the shock. I did not agree with them. I told them that if they had a strong faith in God then they should know that the time of death is fixed. Telling her the news should not change the time of death but they did not listen to me. Mother was told that Rafiq had gone to Saudi Arabia to earn a living. Since we were financially struggling at that time, she believed them too.

But those days she used to watch me very carefully. One of my brothers was in Saudi Arabia and his wife used to live upstairs. In the evening she used to get dressed and come downstairs to visit us. My mother used to ask me whether Rafiq called and I responded by saying that he preferred to write letters than to make phone calls. After Rafiq's death for a while I stopped dressing up. I used to be so sad I did not feel like doing anything. One evening my mother said to me, "Those women whose husbands live and work in Saudi Arabia wear nice clothes and jewelry. Does he not send you money and clothes?"

"Yes, he does" I used to lie 'those nice clothes that I wore the other day were sent by him."

I used to die inside when I told those lies to pacify her.
Every evening I used to feed my old mother with my own hands. One evening while I was finishing my story for pakeeza as that day was the deadline, my mother requested me to feed her. I asked her to wait for a few minutes so that I could finish the last dialogue of the story. Those days she had become irritable and used to lose her cool easily. In anger she said, "I would like to be fed right away. I cannot wait." And then she lost control, "What are you doing here. You should go to Saudi Arabia and live with your husband. I am afraid he might have married another woman. That is why he does not come to visit. Neither does he send you any new clothes and jewelry. Even on Eid you were wearing white clothes and had no jewelry on. That is not right."
I tried to pacify her one last time, "These days wearing white clothes has become a new fashion.' But I could not take it anymore. The cup of my patience was spilling over. She continued, "The husbands living in Saudi Arabia come to visit their families every three months. Look at your brother. He comes frequently to see his wife. I think you should go to Saudi Arabia and live with Rafiq." After listening that I could not control myself and started weeping bitterly. I had controlled my tears for two long years. I could not control them any long. My brother heard my cries and came running downstairs. He hugged me and when he heard what mother had said, he could not keep a secret any longer. He told mother that Rafiq had passed away two years earlier.
When mother heard that news she went into shock and became speechless for the longest time. Then she held her arms and I embraced her and we both cried. This was the first time mother and daughter had an honest expression of feelings and shared our sadness and grieved about my dead husband. My brother called the whole family. When they saw that I would not stop crying they said, "You are crying as if he died yesterday." I told them, "Today is the first day I shared my grief with my mother. I will try my best to control my tears. You don't worry about me." I was not even allowed to cry then.

It was interesting that mother did not die after listening the sad news and lived for another couple of years.

Those days I also met a few literary critics who advised that I should not write for popular digests and focus on literary magazines to make a name in literature. They did not realize that buying food, clothes and books for my children was more important than making a name in literature. But because of their advice I started writing for literary journals also. Those stories were hard to write and I had to spend a lot of time composing their plots. Because of my stories in popular magazines I was able to survive and those days survival was very crucial. I wanted to live with dignity and self-respect.

Sohail: For how many years did you write for popular magazines and digests?

Shakila: Nearly eight years.

Sohail: How many stories would you have written in those eight years?

Shakila: More than hundred.

Sohail: That is an awesome number.

Shakila: Alongside writing stories to earn a living I studied for my exams. After passing my bachelor and masters in literature I applied for a job and with the grace of God I got a nice job in PIA, Pakistan International Airlines.

Sohail: What year was that?

Shakila: 1985.

Sohail: How many children do you have?

Shakila: Four. Two sons and two daughters.

Sohail: So you had been a single mother. What is it like to be a single mother in Pakistan?

Shakila: It is not easy. Not only I was young but my daughters became teenagers too. You being a psychiatrist can imagine what kind of psychological and social problems a young widow faces in Pakistan. Men do not respect single women especially when they become widows. I had to be very discrete and protect myself. I wished I lived in Canada. Then I would not have to face the same problems.

Sohail: Did you have pressure from the family and the community to have a second marriage?

Shakila: Yes, I did.

Sohail: Then why did you not marry?

Shakila: Because of my children. I had many proposals but I turned them all down. I thought those men would accept me but they would not accept my children and I did not want them to suffer. I did not want my children to deal with a step-dad. I wanted to look after them myself and sacrifice my life for them.

I also remembered a promise I had made with Rafiq. I used to ask him that if I died I did not want him to marry again. I did not want my children to be brought up by a stepmother. He used to laugh and say, "What makes you so sure that you would die first?"

I used to say, "I am the one who gets sick off and on." Then like a child I used to ask him to promise that he would not die before me. One day he did make the promise but did not keep his promise and here I was left all alone to look after four children.

Sohail: How much was the age difference between the two of you?

Shakila: When I got married I was sixteen and Rafiq was thirty-two. He was an affectionate and loving husband so the age difference did not bother me.

Sohail: How did he die?

Shakila: He died a sudden death because of heart attack. He had a family history of heart problems but before his heart attack he never complained of any symptoms. He was a healthy man. It was his first and last heart attack, as he did not survive. It was a tragic death. He went to bed and had a good night sleep. In the morning when I went to wake him up…. (started to sob). Usually he used to wake me up but the day before we had a lot of household work including whitewashing, so I thought he was tired so I did not wake him up right away. I helped the children get ready for school and after they left home, I got busy with other activities. When the time to go to office came closer I got a bit worried and called him to wake him up. I called once, the second time and then the third time but he did not respond. So I went to the bedroom and when I touched him, I felt as if I had touched a stone. Even then I did not think that he was dead. I thought he was sick and needed medical attention. In the meanwhile the guy who used to bring eggs and bread every morning knocked on the door. I asked him to call my neighbor who was a good friend of mine. After she came and assessed the situation she asked me to wait in another room and called the doctor. Because of segregation she told me that other men had also come alongside the doctor. I stayed in that room for three hours and nobody told me what was happening. Finally I could not take it any more and shouted that I wanted to know what was happening. At that time my friend Zeba gently told me that my husband had passed away. She tried to console me and asked me to be patient. I can't tell you how did I cope with that death. Rafiq's death has been a mystery for me till this day. I will never be able to get over the fact that my husband was dead and I was busy getting the children ready for school and doing household work. I think it was so unfortunate. Recovering from his death was a great struggle and I had to offer a lot of sacrifices. I had to crush myself to survive. To survive I not only had to hide things from others, I had to hide them even from my own self. I had to deceive myself to cope with the tragedy.

Sohail: In the beginning you did not remarry because you wanted to look after them and did not want to expose them to a step-dad but after they grew up then why did you not marry?

Shakila: I did not meet anyone that I thought would be compatible with me. I pay a lot of attention to aesthetics. My children especially the oldest daughter wanted me to remarry but….

Sohail: If you meet someone suitable now would you remarry?

Shakila: No, not a chance.

Sohail: Why not?

Shakila: I am no longer a marriageable age now.

Sohail: I don't think love and marriage are bound to any time and any age. My favourite Argentinian blind writer Borges and popular South African leader Mandela got married when they were eighty.

Shakila: Alongside age there is one more reason?

Sohail: And what is that?

Shakila: I am so used to my independence now. I enjoy my freedom. Although I never misused my freedom, yet I feel I can do whatever I want whenever I want and whichever way I want. I don't want anyone asking me why did you come so late from mushaira [poetry recital]. When I live by myself I can read or write in the middle of the night. I don't want anyone to ask me stop reading and writing and turn off the light because he would like to go sleep.

Sohail: But that is not always the case. There are spouses who respect each other's privacy and wishes.

Shakila: I have seen so many couples. The husbands are always interfering in wife's matters.

Sohail: Some husbands might be that way. Are you saying that creative life is affected by marital life?

Shakila: Not only by marital but also by family life. Responsibilities for children hinder with creative growth. I believe many writers only became great and created master pieces because they did not have the responsibilities of a family life as they lived alone all their lives. Famous Urdu writer Qurat-ul-ain Haider and artist Sadeqain are wonderful examples of that group. Single people can devote their time and energy to their art and creativity whole-heartedly. There are many things I could not write because of my responsibilities for my children. Now I have more time and I am thinking of creating more. If I was not married I might have been a different kind of an artist. My life would have been very different.

Sohail: Then you would not have had children either.

Shakila: Now you have touched my sensitive note. But if I had never had them, I would not have missed them. But now my children are everything for me. They give meaning to my life. I want to dedicate the rest of my life to them.

Sohail: Let's go back to your education and creative life. How did you feel when you finished grade twelve exams after being out of school for a few years?

Shakila: It felt good especially because it came so easy to me. After grade twelve, I did my BA and MA in Urdu literature. Even doing MA was not difficult. I felt as if I knew the course already as I had read those books for my personal interest. At that stage of my life, I needed a degree to earn a living. So when I passed my masters exam, I got the job.

Sohail: What kind of jobs have you done?

Shakila: I started looking for a job after Rafiq's death. When I had BA I was offered a position of being the Vice Principal of a school. But I was offered only three hundred rupees salary per month. I could not imagine doing a full time job and then coming home to cook and clean for my children. I was struggling with survival issues. To work the whole month and get only three hundred rupees was not enough. I chose to write for Pakeeza digest instead as they were willing to pay me one thousand rupees [three months salary] for each story. Those days I could write a story in three or four days. Then I wrote stories for other women's magazines and digests. This went on for a few years and then I passed my MA examination and got a job in PIA [Pakistan International Airlines]. My children were grown up by then too.

Sohail: What kind of work did you do with them?

Shakila: I was offered the job of a Public Relations Officer in the Administration Department. Those days they used to publish a magazine by the name of Falak Parvaz. I used to look after that magazine. I also prepared speeches for the officers and answered letters. Although I did all the work for the magazine the manager used to put his name as the editor. There was also an English magazine by the name of Top Flight. Another woman used to do all the work and again the manager put his name as the editor. I tried to give the Urdu magazine a literary touch by including poems and short stories and interviewing some of the staff. In spite of injustices of the mangers, I tried to enjoy my job to the best of my abilities.

Sohail" For how long did you work there and then why did you leave that job?

Shakila: I worked there for seven years and when I received immigration visa for Canada, I decided to move here. I did not want to leave my job right away so I applied for leave without pay for two years but my application was turned down. Because of my obligations I had to resign.

Sohail: What kind of obligations?

Shakila: I wanted to leave my options open. I was not sure how would I feel in Canada and whether I might want to go back and work again in Pakistan. But my boss did not let leave the door open, so I had to close it against my wishes. It was a painful time but with the grace of God everything turned out to be okay.

Sohail: You have passed your masters in Urdu literature. What do you think of the progressive and modernistic movements in Urdu literature?

Shakila: It is a general impression that to be a progressive writer you have to denounce God and religion and embrace socialism. But I do not believe that to be progressive one has to be an atheist. The progressive period in Urdu offered literature a new taste and colour and a new style to create. Short story writers did some novel experiments. Some writers were more successful than others. I believe in new experiments as they open up new avenues but I am not impressed by all kinds of experiments. I never liked those abstract stories of modernistic literature that have a communication problem as I believe in communication and I do not consider those stories successful in which communication between reader and writer breaks down.

Sohail: How did your style of writing changed after you did your masters in literature?

Shakila: I did my masters as a mature student. It was done to get a degree and a job. I had already studied those books because of my personal interest and passion. After I got a job and my financial situation was secure, I stopped writing for digests and started writing for literary magazines and to do that I focused more on my craft, the topic and developed my own style to write short stories. In that way doing masters indirectly affected my writing style. I don't know how successful I am as a writer as the reader is the final judge but I believe that learning is a lifelong process and I feel good that I am still learning and growing.

Sohail: When did you immigrate to Canada?

Shakila: I came to Canada in 1986 for the first time and then I visited a number of times until I finally moved in 1998.

Sohail: What are your views about the Western lifestyle?

Shakila: I have mixed feelings. Some aspects I like, others I don't. I like that people in the West do not lie and cheat and take bribes in their day-to-day lives. They act on most of the good advice of our religion. Their religion tells them the same things but they act on them. In the East we do not follow our religious values. In the West people get the reward for their labour. That is why they have a more just and peaceful lifestyle. The aspect that I don't like is their immodesty. But that is part of their culture. My like or dislike does not matter.

Sohail: What are your views about those Eastern people who are living in the West?

Shakila: They are facing a lot of problems. Those people want their children to be introduced to the Eastern values and life-style, which is very difficult. But it might be difficult but not impossible. I have met a few families who have been successful in this regard. Children who grow up in the West get in conflict between Eastern and Western values and lifestyles. Many of those children only speak English and do not speak their mother tongue. And I feel that when children do not learn their mother tongue they are deprived of their tradition, religion and culture. Some children understand Urdu but always respond in English. I believe Asian parents should speak to their children in their mother tongue.

Sohail: What are your views about dating in the West?

Shakila: The tradition of dating has not become successful even in the West. During the daytime when I am home I watch talk shows on television. In one of the shows I saw a six year old with his mother and four men. They were going to declare the results of the test to tell the little boy, which one of those four men was his biological father. In the end we found out that none of those men were his father. So the boy discovered that the man he believed as his father was not his father. Now you tell me as a psychiatrist how that little boy's mind and personality would have been affected. At the end of the show the host asked the little boy, "What would you become when you grow old?" He said, "A good father". I think this is the end result of dating.

Sohail: Are you suggesting that as compared to the tradition of Western dating the Eastern tradition of arranged marriage, in which the bride and the groom had not even seen each other before marriage, is better?

Shakila: I think for marriages we can make a formula. In the West many couples live with each other for years and when they get married they get divorced after a few months.

Sohail: So then what do you suggest how should people get married?

Shakila: I think we need not put too many conditions on the institution of marriage. Marriage should be based on love, sacrifice and compromise. I don't agree with the bride and groom not seeing or meeting each other before marriage. I think there should be mutual liking.

Sohail: An American philosopher Joseph Campbell in one of his interviews stated that in the past human relationships were decided by tribido in which the tribe decided the future of the romantic relationships of the future generation. In modern times tribido is replaced by libido in which young people fall in love with each other and then get married. West has adopted the tradition of love marriages while in the East we still have the tradition of arranged marriage. When I was living in Iran, I was quite pleased that parents had accepted that their grown up children will date and chose their own life partners. In Persian they had words pisr doast for boyfriend and dukhtar doast for girlfriend. In Urdu we do not have such words, as we have not accepted the social reality of dating. In Pakistan mothers feel that it is their right to choose grooms for their daughters. Do you agree with such tradition?

Shakila: No, I am not in agreement with any such tradition. By the way all Eastern mothers are not like that. Some give their children the choice to choose their partners of life. I am one of them. I follow my religious tradition. Our religion tells us that we should consult the bride and the groom and do not go ahead without their consent. The young couple has the right to choose but they do not have the right to make all of their decisions and exclude their parents and families. Young people delude themselves that they are intelligent and wise and they know it all but the reality is not like that. Do you think at that age they are smart enough to make all the right choices about their lives?

Sohail: We are not talking about all the choices of their lives. We are focusing on the romantic choices. I believe that romantic love is a pre-condition for marriage. My parents had not even seen each other before they got married. They were not attracted to each other and they were not in love before they got married. Their families met each other and decided about the future of their grown up children, which turned out to be a disastrous marriage. I do not agree with such marriages in which there is no love between the spouses. In Pakistan if a young woman tells her family that she loves a man she is perceived as a loose woman.

Shakila: I don't agree with that tradition. I think in our religion a woman has every right to like a man even propose to him. Its best example was Bibi Khatija who proposed to Prophet Mohammad. We have traditions that are not part of the religious traditions and I do not agree with them. Those conservative religious leaders who are not aware of the depth and meaning of our religious tradition promote them.

Sohail: In the West romance is respected and love is celebrated. In the East they are not.

Shakila: I am not against love. In the East men have love marriages with only those women that they can control. In the East men are in power, they have the authority. It is a patriarchal society.

Sohail: Does it mean then that you are not against dating?

Shakila: I am in agreement of young men and women meeting and liking each other but I am not in favour of pre-marital sex.

Sohail: What do you think of women's rights in the West?

Shakila: In the West women take advantage of their rights. Western women have gone on the other extreme. When Eastern women come to the East and learn about their rights they exploit their husbands. Such exploitations end in disastrous divorces.
I am also critical of how young men and women in the West treat their older generation. They do not look after their elderly parents. Eastern children are adopting the same attitude, which I do not like. I feel Eastern children growing up in the West are not only losing their tradition, religion and culture, they are also losing their respect for the elders. The only time they remember their parents and grand parents are Mother's and Father's day. It is also unfortunate that Eastern children cannot communicate with their grandparents who cannot speak English. Without a common language relatives become strangers.

Sohail: You have published a number of books. Can you tell me something about them?

Shakila: My first novella dard hay apna saathi was published in 1976.
My first collection of short stories kuch dair pehlay neend say was published in 1987.
My second collection khushboo kay jazeeray was published in 1989.
My third collection qitaar main khara aadmai was published in 1998.
In 2001 I published Ismat Aapa. A long time ago I had conducted a detailed interview with the legend of Urdu literature Ismat Chughtai. After doing a lot of research I weaved the interview with my research and wrote that book. That book was liked in many circles. Numerous Urdu, Hindi and English newspapers and magazines in India and Pakistan positively reviewed it.
In 2002 my sixth book Aasman talay was published which was also my collection of stories. Now I am preparing for my seventh book, which will consist of English translations of my short stories.

Sohail: As a writer how do you feel living in Canada?

Shakila: I feel like a stranger here. I miss my literary activities and creative friends of Pakistan. But I have a learnt a lot too. Living in Canada has broadened my intellectual horizons.

Sohail: Your readers consider you a successful writer. What is your own view about your accomplishments?

Shakila: In the preface of my book I have acknowledged that readers are the final judges for a writer. If they think I am successful then I feel successful. That is my ultimate criterion.

Sohail: Do you have any regrets?

Shakila: I have only one regret but I cannot share that with you. It is very private.

Sohail: Do you have any unfulfilled desire or dream?

Shakila: I wished I were a successful poet.

Sohail: Why is that?

Shakila: I believe a successful poet can say in one couplet in poetry what takes a dozen pages to say in prose.

Sohail: Did you ever compose poems?

Shakila: Yes, I did. But people did not know about it. My first poem main aur too[I and You] was published in Jang newspaper in Karachi. Some of my poems were published in Shair a respectable Urdu magazine of India. I have been writing poetry since 1976 but most people are not aware of it. They see me as a short story writer.

Sohail: Did you create in other literary genres?

Shakila: Yes, I wrote light essays [inshaiays] also. Professor Afaaq Siddiqi recently compiled my unpublished writing in a book called shakila rafiq…fun aur shakhsiat[Shakila Rafiq…art and personality].

Sohail: What would you call a writer who is a successful poet as well as a successful short story writer?

Shakila: I will call him Khalid Sohail (smiles)

Sohail:Thank you for the complement and thank you for sharing your thoughts and life experiences with me.

Shakila: You are quite welcome.
……………………..

Dr. Khalid Sohail