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" If you want to do something big in your life, you must remember that shyness is only the mind. If you think shy, you act shy. If you think confident, you act confident. Therefore, never let shyness conquer your mind."
These are the unforgettable words young Arfa Karim Randhawa had uttered in an interview for Seattle P-I, an online newspaper. This was her message to the youngsters around the world, a measure of what she wanted to be in life.
Her death is the death of a dream, leaving the country without an ambassador who won it plaudits the world over.
Much has been written about her distinguished career which is hard to be sketched in a fewwords. Recognised for her precocity, Arfa stunned the world by becoming the youngest Microsoft Certified Professional (an award given to those who master the company's programmes) in 2004.
She was hardly nine at that time and Bill Gates acknowledged her achievement by inviting her to visit the Microsoft Headquarters in USA.
Seattle P-I reporter Todd Bishop paid her a glowing tribute in these words: 'The visit to Microsoft headquarters was the culmination of a meteoric rise that has turned Arfa into something of a celebrity in her country. It began at age 5, when she walked by a computer lab at her school and started wondering about thosestrange 'boxes' the computers and monitors. Later, when shefound out what they did, she was amazed.
'When you push a button, something magically appears on the box,' she said, recalling the experience'.
She was presented the Fatima Jinnah Gold Medal in the field of Science and Technology by the then primeminister, Shaukat Aziz, on Aug 2, 2005 113th birth anniversary ofF a t i m a Jinnah. She also received the Salaam P a k i s t a n Youth Award in August 2005 and president's award for Pride of Performance.
B e s i d e s , she was invited to various international forums, including an event organised by thePakistan Information Technology Professionals Forum, in Dubai.
During her two-week stay, she flew a plane at a flying club (at the age of 10) and received the first flight certificate.
In November 2006, Arfa attended the Tech-Ed Developers Conference entitled 'Get ahead of the game' in Barcelona on an invitation from Microsoft.
She was the only Pakistani among more than 5,000 developers in that conference. Recently, a software technology park has been named after her.
Thanks to her beautiful mind, Arfa had achieved at 16 what not many can even think of in their lifetime. She proved herself ahead of the game and silencedthose who knew Pakistan for wrong reasons alone.
Her life was an example of individual brilliance this country is known for and her death at a time when there is little to cheer about in several important spheres is a bitter reality.
Arfa has gone but will not be forgotten. Her legacy will live on to remind all those at the helm of affairs that the future of the country is in the hands of the students lil(e her and that they must spot and nourish the talent and help it blossom.
It is time the powers that be moved beyond raising lifeless monuments and empty slogans and do justice to Arfa's memory by investing in the country's future.-salman.dawn@gmail.com
