This has a reference to the sizeable photograph depicting a little girl walking to her school bare-footed on the front page of your paper on 26 November, 2011. As they say the art of communication is to hear what has not been said, this picture conveys its message in every sense.
She was seen walking in-between two thorn-bearing shrubs, a constant source of irritation for the bare-footed but certainly not reflected on her face. The shalwar she was wearing was above six inches of her ankle, implying that her parents were not in a position to afford new cloths for her.
She was holding a book in one hand in a way that it sheltered one side of her chest while the fingers of the other hand were seen tightly palmed: was not she feeling morning-chill in the open, being without a sweater on? Her hair were noticeably uncombed.
What prompted me to write is the little girl’s seemingly unmatched determination for acquiring education and unbelievably ultra-confidence on her face. She certainly deserves appreciation and encouragement. What I have learnt from her is more than what I have learnt from the results of various educational seminars and meetings as propagated in the media every now and often.
Z A KAZMI
Karachi
