The journey from Rs 1,000 to lakhs salary was not easy: Dr Zareen

She addressed women in a large social media group like this.

‘What will you read? Children of laborers are laborers. I often heard this in my childhood, but believe me, it is not necessary that children of laborers remain labourers. This is difficult to prove but not impossible and I have done it. I am Dr. Zareen Zahra and I am the strong daughter of a hardworking worker.’

Zareen’s talk was captivating because the story of those who do something with limited resources and difficult circumstances has more appeal and power. Majority of people compare such stories with their own sufferings and difficulties in life. As a result, this thinking is destroyed, as a result of which people consider failures as their destination and settle there.

Continuing his speech, Zareen said that all the successes he got in life were possible as a result of hard work. He said in his message to women that if they want to do something in life, it is very important to work hard for it. ‘Ever since I regained consciousness I saw my mother sewing people’s clothes, my father worked in a factory. I was a seven-year-old girl when I also started sewing with my mother. It was often 12 o’clock in the night while doing sewing work with my mother.

The story of Dr. Zareen is not only that, how his sad childhood turned into a bright future, Independent Urdu conducted a detailed interview with him. Since Zareen lives in Shenzhen, China for her post-doctorate, she could only be spoken to over the phone.

Zareen started her conversation by saying that she always believed in herself that one day she would fill her parents’ lives with comfort and joy. ‘It was 2010, I used to go to university at seven in the morning and come back at five in the evening. After that, she used to teach the children at home, which often went to 12 o’clock in the night. I used to get 1000 rupees per month for this tuition.

‘Those days I was the sole breadwinner at home as my father had TB and could not work. Life continued like this, I not only completed my and my siblings’ education, met the household expenses, but also got my sister married, and yes, I got married too.

Zareen said that she was lucky to find in-laws who did not ask her for a single straw in dowry, so she had to spend only one lakh rupees. Alhamdulillah I am doing post doctorate now. I have a PhD from Beijing. Today my salary is in lakhs. Freed the mother from the sewing machine. I have them in China today. They are rotated, well fed and clothed. My husband is also doing his post doctorate and he is a very supportive husband.’

Zareen said that he initially got the lecturership of Punjab Public Service Commission. OGDCL also offered them. He also got the honor of being a junior scientist in the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, which according to Zareen, he got on his own merit and hard work.

“After completing my MSc and MPhil from Quaid-e-Azam University, I not only got a PhD scholarship in China but also got a scholarship from the Higher Education Commission. Sometimes I wonder how I did all this because I never had time to study.’

Zareen told Independent Urdu that after marriage, she faced many challenges in bringing up children along with studies, after which she started thinking about a method that would be scientific and would help in raising children. It should also make it easier for parents.

‘It was very important for me to focus on raising children with other responsibilities. I hired three expatriate women from Canada and the United Arab Emirates to start a Facebook group to raise awareness among parents and educate them on parenting. Keep up with the research.’

According to Dr. Zarin, in his Facebook group, ‘Early Childhood and Parenting Education of Pakistan’, 9,000 parents are benefiting from expert advice and research on child rearing on a daily basis.

The main aim is to get rid of screen (mobile, TV) habit from children. Pakistani parents force their children to use screens to keep them busy, which is wrong. They consider children as robots and when children do not obey, they beat them and get angry with them. In this group, parents are being taught how to raise children in a simple way.’

Zareen plans to upgrade the group to a non-profit magazine in the future that will only feature parenting commentary, research and issues to create a positive and healthy society.