In the Company of Those Who Read: Digital Saeen, the Pakistani Book Blog



What would you say needs to happen in Pakistan in order to increase readership?

Two steps:
1) Create a reason to read
2) Create content that would entice the reader

The Introduction

Here is where we stand: we don’t have a lot of book bloggers in Pakistan, or if we do, they’re the kind that fade into obscurity; brief bursts of inspiration and a colourfully decorated blog with the last known entry some two odd years ago. But Wasio Ali Khan is the real deal. Going by the pen name Digital Saeen, Wasio maintains his own regularly updated website, a twitter page and a portal on Facebook to connect with his book-obsessed audiences. On these multiple platforms you will find, among other things, entries about book reviews, book launches, author meet-ups, book signings, book club meetings, literature festivals, Writers workshops and literary events. With a crisp, clean home page, uncluttered and stream-lined, Digital Saeen’s website is dedicated to any and all activities related to the world of literature in Pakistan. Based in Karachi, Wasio maintains contacts all over the city, has attended various literary events and is a part of a number of book clubs. In terms of dependability, his score is high.

Why You Should Be Interested

If you love reading, then odds are you’re always looking for the next best person to recommend the next best book to you. Book bloggers can not only tell us where to be if we are interested in books, they are also honest, unbiased and most importantly, passionate. Because they’re working on it only for themselves, there’s a greater chance their output will be funnier, more charming and definitely more involved than those writing under a deadline and by compulsion. Book blogging is an art that needs to be encouraged, and if this trend is ever going to develop in a country with such limited interest in readership, we need to start somewhere. And here, with Wasio’s blog, is where we can find the possibility of a beginning. The inter-mingling of the world of the internet with the passion only books can evoke has already gained traction all over the world. It’s high time we started pursuing it in Pakistan as well. So if you want to be able to say, “I was there when it all began,” Digital Saeen’s mailing list is your new best friend.

The Location