Source: Courtesy

Aaraf Afzal was well on his way to becoming a writer at very young age, when he was still a student in Sunbeams School. Years later, he is now studying in Boston University's College of Arts and Science, still to decide a major, but still with the love of writing set deep inside his heart.

“I started writing when I was young and never stopped,” says Aaraf. “Like drawing, I think writing is something that all children try out. There was a point when a lot of my friends were into it too, and we had this little series of books circulating the classrooms,” says Aaraf. Eventually, the hype had died out among his friends, but for Aaraf, storytelling is and always was a powerful thing. Having obsessed over books and movies and TV for a large part of his childhood, Aaraf believes writing is not just inspirational, but magical. “I love creating my own worlds and exploring worlds created by others. I kept pursuing it, and I kept creating new worlds that held meaning for me,” says Aaraf.

His first published book is called "Re: Revolution". It was officially released on August 14, 2014. “I have the kind people of Anyaprokash to thank for it. They've been distributing it across their Onnomela outlets across Dhaka, and online too!” mentions Aaraf.

Re: Revolution is a post-apocalyptic story, which is less about the post-apocalyptic setting and more about the people who dwell in it. “A key part of my process when I worked on it, though, was avoiding some of the other dystopian stories that have come out recently,” says Aaraf. With the coming of "The Hunger Games" and other titles, it has become a very popular genre, and he made sure his didn't seem like an imitation of those stories. He says, “I avoided a lot of that. At the same time, it's also a genre I love, and I drew a lot inspiration from Cormac McCarthy's "The Road", and the videogame "The Last of Us".”

Writing is definitely a long-term plan for Aaraf. “I want to keep telling stories. I'm definitely going to keep writing books and short stories, but I have plans to look into other mediums as well,” he says. Aaraf believes every form of media has a very specific voice. And there are definitely things in his mind that he wants heard no matter which medium is used to do so. “I want people to read or hear stories about heroes and villains and feel something; feel like they're not alone. I want to have the effect on people that the works of great storytellers have had on me,” says Aaraf, with high hopes for a successful future as an inspiring writer.