Hüsnü Cihan Yücel’s non-fiction story got the third position in the ‘Children Stories’ category of the PakTurkFile Arts Competition titled ‘My Life in Pakistan’. We publish 10-year old Hüsnü Cihan’s story titled ‘The Land of My Birth’ as is:

The Land of My Birth

Hello, I am Hüsnü Cihan. I was born on February 19, 2011 in Karachi. My parents and I left Pakistan when I was four months old. This is why, I am unable to remember Pakistan, but the place of birth mentioned on my identity card is Karachi, Pakistan. This has excited me to know the country where I was born. I am Turkish but I was born in Pakistan. Actually, this is not very known story for me.

In fact, when Pakistan is mentioned, I remember movies. I mostly watch Pakistani and Indian movies, and this is why, I have been familiar with the culture. Particularly, my curiosity and excitement to know Pakistan have increased after listening and watching their active music and dances and the colourful dresses in the movies. Of course, my curiosity has also increased as my parents still cook biryani once a month and my father talks with his Pakistani friends on the phone in Urdu.   

My parents have told me that Pakistan is a hot country with temperatures rising up to 45 degrees in summers. They have also told me that the city where I was born is by the sea, and this is why it has a humid climate. They have told me that people there go to sleep in the noon because of the heat. Evenings are more active because it is breezier. For example, the marketplaces and the people are very warm. My parents have told me that Pakistan is a warm country as warm as its smiling and happy people. For example, people love exchanging gifts a lot and they share all what they have with one another. Both the rich and the poor are like this. Children there are very happy. They become joyful with the smallest things. My parents have told me that happiness and sincerity are deep within the eyes of the children there. For example, the kite festivals are very famous. In their own world, children gather on the roofs of their houses and set their mirrored kites with colourful tails free to the sky. My parents have told me that the children race to cut the tails of one another’s kites in the sky. Even some of the children fall and injure themselves while they are trying to do this. They have also told me that cricket is a very popular sport there. For example, the voices of children playing cricket on the streets in Pakistan rise to the sky. They have told me that Pakistan is the land of the children voices and the colourful kites rising to the sky