Detective stories

This is in response to Ms Kanwal Sultan’s letter Detective stories (YW, March 12, 2011). Her allegation is that my stories are similar to Sherlock Holmes; I would like to say that there are more dissimilarities than similarities.

My stories are very short (less than 600 words) and for the readers who can’t read a complete Sherlock Holmes story. They are written in the third person format and are also based on everyday mysteries.

I am sure that none of the 56 short stories and four Sherlock Holmes novels covered the issues that have been focused in my stories. As for the similarity between my story The Cipher Decipher and The Dancing Men from the Return of Sherlock Holmes, the only thing common is the ‘letter E clue’ which is something that inspired me to write a cipher. Anyone could have written a cipher but since no one did, I tried and succeeded.

I am very much inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s works and that is nothing new. He was inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s Dupin character whereas, Agatha Christie was heavily inspired by Dr Doyle. The list goes on and I see no reason why I should be defending myself. My reward is that many readers like my stories and I will continue writing for them.

— O. A.

Symbols of our national pride

This is with reference to the article Symbols of our national pride by Mohammad Niaz (YW, February 5, 2011). The article provided marvellous information about our country’s fauna and flora and I feel great pride in belonging to a land that is full of such wonderful natural gifts.

I would request everyone to consider it as our duty to be more responsible towards protecting our natural heritage and we should never use its beauty for our personal benefits.

Hijab Fatima, Via email

(II)

The article Symbols of our national pride by Mohammad Niaz was certainly very illuminating and it increased my general knowledge about our country. I was unaware of half the things written about in the article.

One particular paragraph needs our attention where the writer has stated that even though our national symbols are of great importance, these plants and animals are facing a number of problems and that they need our help and protection. We should all pledge to work for the conservation of the natural resources and bounties that we have been blessed with.

I would like to request the YW team to start including a weekly column discussing the current situation of Pakistan as it will increase our knowledge about current affairs.

The magazine is going as strong as ever and is making our weekends wonderful by giving us absolutely fantastic reading stuff.

Shanza Sarfaraz, Karachi The amazing humming birds

This is regarding the article The amazing humming birds by S. Iftikhar Ahmed (YW, February 12, 2011). It was an interesting article with eye-catching pictures too. However, it would be great, if in such articles the writers also mention the places shown in the pictures.

Aysha Mazher, Karachi

Beat procrastination

The cover story Beat procrastination by Wajeeha Rehan (YW, February 19, 2011) was really worth reading. Many people spend a lot of money by going to various seminars and workshops to learn how to manage their tasks in time, but this magazine provided the solutions free of cost in the shape of this article!

By setting our priorities and making a schedule, we can easily overcome procrastination. I will confess that before reading the article I didn’t know the meaning of the word ‘procrastination’.

Ahsan Umar, Karachi

(II)

Young World helps us to improve our knowledge, vocabulary and word-building skills related to reading and writing. Stories, poems, articles and everything else is always informative and interesting.

The article Beat Procrastination by Wajeeha Rehan (YW, February 19, 2011) was a wonderful piece. I liked the way the writer guided the readers to utilise time effectively. Articles such as this one always help kids to learn ways to organise their life and daily routine in a proper way.

Maryam Fatima, Karachi Do the doodle

This is with reference to the article Do the doodle by Ema Anis (YW, February 26, 2011). The article immediately caught my attention because of the topic and writing style. The writer conveyed the information in a very nice and easy-to-understand manner. The general interpretations regarding the significance of the shapes of the doodles made me see them in a new light. Now I will certainly pay more attention the doodles of others and myself.

Also, I would like to thank to Muhammad Omar Iftikhar for his letter (YW, February 12, 2011) which encouraged me to share my feelings through writing by using a simple expression and style.

Muhammad Shoaib Atiq, Hyderabad