By Fazal Amin Beg
Although, I was aware of the online jobs and businesses, I was not motivated for such type of enterprises or jobs despite the fact since 2000 I have been on the Internet after acquiring my basic computer literacy. It was then perhaps in the first half of 2000 when Ali Rahmat Musofir of Hussaini/Sisuni (a small village of Upper Hunza) facilitated me in having my own blog as www.kuhimir.piczo.com with. The name Kuhimir literally meant “Mountain Chief or Leader” but metaphorically it referred to the giant mountain ranges of Karakoram, Himilaya, Hindukush and the Pamir Knot. I’d thus publish posts on this blog but with the course of time, the blog ended up officially.
It was back in April 2018 when one of my good friends, Sultanuddin Rumi of Sartiz, Hunza valley (Gilgit-Baltistan Region) introduced me with one of his colleagues, Nadeem Hayat, working also with Calibreon International (a for-profit company registered with the Government of Pakistan) about which I was ignorant and didn’t know anything about it. Calibreon International (CI) is a highly fascinating company that championed itself among the youth of Gilgit-Baltistan Region (Northern Pakistan) and is mandated for distance learning and earning and is present within the digital world . It was Nadeem Hayat who provided some information about the online jobs and free lancing with the renowned Upwork Company in the United States.
CI (well known by Calibreon: www.ccalibreon.com.pk) was initiated and founded in February 2013 from Rawalpindi by the dedicated and great friends (belonging to Gilgit-Baltistan Region) such as Fahim Samad Khan, Irfan Khan, Sarbaz Khan, Ruknuddin and Amjad Sultan. The Company paved the way for itself within Gilgit-Baltistan the nex year in Summer 2014 under the great leadership of Fahim Samad Khan as its shrewd and humble Chief Executive Officer (CEO).although, it took some time for CI to make niche for itself in the Western markets of the United States, australia and other countries, it has become so prominent in the whole region particuarly among many of the educated youth and organizations in Gilgit Center. So far, this Company has provided digital employment through its forum to more than a hundred youth (male and female) of Gilgit-Baltistan, without any discrimation of their lingual, religious, regional, gender or disability context.
Well, one day, on the advice of my friend Sultan Rumi, one of my relatives named Qudrat Karim of Jamalabad came and drove me to CI in order to look for and get connected with online jobs or enterprises. We met a gentleman, soft speaker and humble named Fahim Samad, who was introduced as the CEO of the Company. Qudrat Karim introduced me with him . we spoke around different themes related with the nature, philosophy, spiritualism, cultures and overall development.Although, there was no interview at all, through such approaches of discussion, he was able to observe where I could be fitted within the framework of CI mandated for the online enterprises, jobs and employments.
Before moving ahead, let me describe a very important and related point here. It was at this time at such a crucial juncture of my life when I had already become visually disabled (due to Retinitis Pigmentosa or shortly known as RP) and my candidacies as Assistant Professor and lecturers were denied with public sector organizations like Karakoram International University(in 2012 and 2017), Quaid Azam University, Islamabad (in2012), and Deputy Director of Tourism and Culture Department of the Local Government of Gilgit-Baltistan Region (in 2006),and many more. And more shockingly, the gates of Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), more specifically the door of Aga Khan Rural Support Program (AKRSP) was closed for me in Spring 2017, despite the fact I worked with AKRSP for over a decade with intervals when my eyesight was normal and would work as a normal person on my laptop. More importantly, it had become seven years when I had qualified my PhD coursework from Quaid Azam University on my own expenses and I had no financial support from any side to effectively address the domestic and academic needs that seriously hampered upon securing my PhD degree, though I had qualified the coursework with 4.0 CGPA.internal conflicts were on rise within myself and the frusttration was clandestinely on its peak that how to deal with the states of affairs such as the house rent of over a year, children’s education and the like (though my father-like brother Amin Beg was there but I’d hesitate to reveal him the whole stories). .
In brief, Fahim Samad Khan in Calibreon International talked and linked me with Zain-al Abidin, an intelligent young man (originally from Hunza but settled in Gilgit), who had worked in line with blogging and the like.keeping in view my background and strenghts on the one hand, and my visual disability challenge on the other , they recommended me to come up with my own website where my profile would be enriched and online businesses (such as blogging) or jobs could be facilitated through such effective approaches, as I have no background in finance at all where CI was primarily focused to employ the colleagues for the purpose. It was so interesting to know that there were some of my young relatives from Hunza who were engaged with the Online businesses and jobs in CI. They included Hussain Ahmad Shah (known in CI as Shah Sahib), Abidullah Baig and others who also extended their helping hands time to time .
However, it’s important to note that when I talk about FAZALAMIN.COM, it was another Company named U-CONNECT, initiated by a likeminded youth partners of Gilgit-Baltistan led by Ejaz Karim of hunza. The young and caring gentleman, who initiated, developed and launched my website was Zahid Karim, a partner of U-connect, a website developer and a relative of mine from Sartiz within Hunza Valley.a sketch was in my mind that how should the themes and categories should be made and follow and I thus conveyed them to him. the first post Zahid Rumi published was my short biography (or in other words as my descriptive or narrative curriculum vitae). He oriented me with the procedures of publishing the posts in different categories.It’s also noteworthy that it was teh Uconnect, which extended its support against the financial involvement of my website. But it’s also important to note that the venue, place and resources we used for the purpose was of CI. The work environment within CI is greatly enabling for all, particuarly for those who are disabled, whether physically, visually or hearing-wise as they have also been given space to work. The CI members (colleagues) proved so impressive that all live in the Company like family members.
In the later phase, it was also the great compassion and help of Naeem Khan, an expert in web development, colleague and good friend in CI, who himself is a gifted human full of wonders, as he writes on his laptop with the help of his toes because he cannot use both of his hands due to physical disability. On the other, Naeem Khan drives his car so impressively with his arms who drove me once to an office as well.
After following the guidance of Zahid Rumi and other friends in CI, I was able to publish my posts on my own in a short span of time as I work on my laptop with the help of a famous screen reading software called JAWS (Job Access With Speech). But I must confess that I couldn’t manage the related pictures due to my visual disability despite the fact they are available with me from the fields from Northern Pakistan, Western China, Northern Afghanistan and southern Tajikistan in addition to my visit pictures of Denmark, France, India, Italy and Gemrany.
There are six main themes on my website that include Home, About Me, About the Website, Publications, Gallearys, and Eagle World Studio. Within publications, there are enormous categories pertaining to my field studies within and out of Pakistan, my poetries (numbering over 160 and mainly in Wakhi, though some are found in Persian and a couple of them in Urdu and english), life histories of different personallities from Central and South Asia whom I’ve interviewed from the fields) articles and essays on various themes and the like.
By the end of 2018, FAZALAMIN.COM was not formally introduced to the public, although I shared it with some specific relatives and friends within CI and across the globe and some of them got access with it and provided their valuable inputs who, for instance, included Mehrangez Lashkarbekova (from Russia), Ghulam Amin Beg (my brother), Dr. Julie Flowerdays (from the United States), Noor Muhammad Pamiri (from the United States), Shabina Jabeen (my niece at Aga Khan University) and few others.
It was Noor pamiri (Chief Editor of Pamir Times based in New York) who generously offered to introduce my website to the digital world in the even of 2019 through the platform of PamirTimes (www.pamirtimes.net . According the New Year time of the United States, Noor Pamiri thus formally introduced my website to the related stakeholders and other audience . In addition, he also offered his voluntarism to look at the various aspects of the posts publications but because of his tight official schedule and assignments, it becomes so difficult for him in many respects to spare time.
The audience and readers may be happy to know that today, it becomes one year for the journey of FAZALAMIN.COM (after its formal introduction) and more than 40,300 (forty thousand three hundred) visits were made by the visitors on my website. It’s proving itself as a reference and particular resource for the serious, professional and honest visitors across the globe.
I’m so happy if this website facilitates the serious readers to a considerable extent around their learning and contributes a bit to knowledge. At the same time, I’d be grateful if the respected and respective readers are conscious and take fully care of the copyright of the content of this website and legal bindings pertaining to the cyber crimes.
Acknowledgement
Thanks to all the readers and visitors of www.fazalamin.com. I’m thankful to my siblings (particuarly Amin Beg and family), all my great friends (at home (such as Fazal Ali Sa’di, Qayyum Ali Shah, Melad Karim)and friends from abroad (such as Professor Dr. Hermann Kreutzmann, Sabine Felmy,Professor Dr. Julie Flowerday, Professor Dr. Livia Holden and Marius Holden, Abdul Malik of Aga Khan Foundation), Calibreon International, Uconnect, Pamir Times and others for their appreciations, gracious help and support in different contexts.
1 Comment
Congratulations man! Keep up the good work!