What would you say the
readership base is like in Pakistan?
The readership base is quite strong, but I also sometimes
feel that when it comes to young adult or fantasy books, the taste is very
constrained. It’s like they have restricted themselves to certain known authors
and that needs to change. So basically the trend of book reading in Pakistan is
very cliché: lots of Elif Shafak and John Green and Khalid Husseini, but if I
ever put up a picture of something by, say, Haruki Murakami, barely any
Pakistani follower comments on those.
The Introduction
They say, and bear with me for a second on the cliché here,
that a picture is worth a thousand words. In the digital world, this becomes
valid a thousand times over, because on the internet, attention is fleeting. Syeda Urooj Fatima, an Instagram book blogger with an eye for
detail, knows this to be true, and knows exactly how to use this age old adage
to her benefit. Based in Pakistan and studying to be a dentist from Jinnah
Medical and Dental College, Urooj’s book blogging is no simple side activity.
With 10k+ followers in the space of 9 months, Urooj takes her audience
seriously, and it shows. On her Instagram account you will find everything from
gorgeous arrangements of the latest YA releases to artfully depicted portrayals
of the latest Pakistani indie venture, all put together with a colourful,
eye-catching background of scarves, rugs, beaded necklaces and stunning flower
arrangements. Pitching ideas such as the ‘Peregrinating book of Pakistan’,
where one book travels through Pakistan’s cities, exchanged from one avid
reader to another, Urooj is playing her part in making sure that the reader
community in our country is alive and thriving. In terms of book bloggers in
Pakistani who have taken over the Instagram scene, Urooj is one to follow.
Why You Should Be Interested
It’s easy to convince readers to love blogs which talk about
books, but Urooj might be that rare person who makes books look fun to the
non-reader as well. Because her Instagram blog is being run by someone
motivated purely by her connection to the joy of reading, it just might be that
niche space on the World Wide Web dedicated to the pure, unbridled bliss that
one finds in spotting a book you love, or in appreciating a book’s cover. While
it’s all good and well for academics to discuss plot constructions and
character motivations in a particular piece of literature, there’s something to
be said for the enthusiasm that a reader with a love for words can generate,
and that is something Urooj does well. And
while it might be said that Pakistanis are slowly gaining a foothold in the
social media market, very few are making a mark in that part of the online world succinctly titled
bookstagramming. In this case, any reader worth his or her salt should be
checking this blog out, if only to get a daily dose of beautiful arrangements
of books in one pretty package.
The Location
https://instagram.com/urooj.reads/
- Instagram
www.facebook.com/rooji.f
- Facebook
https://twitter.com/roojreads
- Twitter