Life & Work with Azra Rahman

Today we’d like to introduce you to Azra Rahman.

Hi Azra, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve always written. However, as a child and young girl, my works were hidden away within the pages of my diary. It wasn’t until my late teenage years that I mustered up the courage to share the most private part of me: My poems; with a few of those around me. But it was only after the birth of my first child that I seriously thought about pursuing writing as a career.

To be fair, it was hubby dearest whom I have nicknamed Mr. A in my blogs, who pushed me towards it. That was March 2015. It has been six years of trying, improving, being rejected, and finally a breakthrough with the publishing of a few of my works in an anthology. So, the journey continues!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Coming from a background where no one had ever ventured forth in this arena, me being the first presented its own set of challenges. The first challenge that hit me squarely and with full was the realization of the cut-throat nature of the publishing industry. I wonder why the entertainment media makes it look so easy!

To constantly try and improve my work so that it may fit the standards of the reading public was a daunting task. And something I eventually came to dislike. Which eventually transitioned into the challenge which is huge compared to the previous one. As time went by, I realized that mere calls for representation weren’t enough. It is as if the representation does not actually translate to having a spot to speak freely, but to translate the original into something generic. It can be done, of course, but as is with all translated literature, it does not do it justice.

Having been born and brought up in India, my experiences as a child, as a young girl, as a young woman, were and are quite different from those born and brought up here. I didn’t go through wars and have no tragic story to tell. But I am a storyteller. The influence of my life on my work is apparent. Something which a lot of people find fruitless to explore and uninteresting to try.

‘I can’t relate to it..’ is a common phrase I have heard countless variations of.

Yet, I wonder, why should anyone, who hasn’t shared a life I have had, relate to it?

Isn’t one of the many reasons that make people read is to explore that which they have never experienced?

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a homemaker who is a writer who is a mom who is an artist who is a poet. The many faces of the same individual make for an interesting collage.

I am known as all of them and take immense pride in each part of my personality. To further one and downplay the others would be quite an injustice to myself. Also, to compare with anyone else is an insult first, to my own sense of worth and then, the said person.

I enjoy every aspect of my life and usually dwell on neither the past nor the future. Every person is unique and according to me, my uniqueness lies in not trying hard to come across as someone special. I am happy to take the backseat as long as it’s my talent that is driving the bus.

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Artists, creators, content makers, writers, work really hard on their craft. They put up the most personal parts of themselves for reviews and scrutiny, which is not an easy task. Once up, it might not look like much. To a regular reader or reviewer, what are a few pages of a blog? Or the picture of a simple painting on Instagram? But trust me on this, those two pages and that one simple painting might have taken hours, sometimes even days of brainstorming and efforts to come to fruition.

In a world where already established celebrities become overnight artists and authors by hiring ghostwriters and freelance artists, it has become increasingly difficult for new talent to establish themselves. One might argue that the commercialization of social media has made self-employment much more easy and accessible to the common masses. Maybe. But it has also made it incredibly competitive.

It’s easy to lecture someone to follow their dreams. It’s harder to actively support them towards it. Keyword: Actively. Not just verbally.

If you have such talented people around you, your family, your friends, your neighbors, a colleague, don’t think twice about promoting them the best way you could. Share their blogs, their poetry, their art. It might not get them a huge following, but it would mean the world to them. A vindication is a strong tool for self-confidence.

And after all, everything is just a click away!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://wordsfromazra.home.blog/blog-feed/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rahmanofmanzer/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/azraisonline
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ManzerRahman
• Other: Another blog: https://homehijabandhumor.home.blog/