WE are living in times of despair and uncertainty. The state teeters on the brink of failure and successive governments have failed to ensure uninterrupted supply of basic necessities. Disregard for the rule of law is pervasive.

In such times a strong resolve is needed by all. Irada presents interviews with individuals who possess such a resolve and have dedicated themselves to bringing about change in the lives of Pakistanis.

Irada comprises 19 chapters. The first chapter is a letter of Sir Sultan Mohammed Shah Aga Khan the third, written in 1952. The second chapter is a speech of His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan, delivered in Paris in 2007. The third is an excerpt from the writing of Akhter Hameed Khan.

The remaining 16 chapters are interviews, we are not told when and where they were conducted, with individuals who are trying to bring change — a ‘silent change’ in the words of Fayyaz Baqir — in the lives of ordinary Pakistanis.

Of these interviews, 12 are with men and four with women. Of the four women who appear in the book, two are of German origin (Dr Ruth Pfau and Helga Ahmed).

Other interviewees include Shoaib Sultan Khan, Ahmed Salman Humayun, Vincent David, Moazzam Khalil,Nazir Ahmed Watto, Rashid Bajwa, Tasneem Ahmed Siqqiqui, Gul Baz Afaqi, Rehana Hashmi, Waqar Zikriya, Amjad Virk, Zafarullah Khan, Mrs Akhtar Hameed Khan and Dr Mohammad Amjad Saquib.

While reading Irada, the reader wonders where the dedication shown by these exceptional individuals comes from. What moves these men and women to devote their lives for the sake of others while the majority is consumed by personal concerns and desires?

While all these interviews are both instructive and informative, the interview with Vincent David is a sheer delight to read. This reviewer was a school student when he first saw Vincent David teaching adult literacy on PTV.

I remember David’s passion and keenness in teaching reading, writing and arithmetic. Despite the fact that both the teacher and the student were in separate rooms and separate cities, David made learning a pure joy.His simple and sincere words instil optimism in the most hardened of pessimists and they should be remembered by those wishing to improve the situation in Pakistan:

‘Until and unless the local people don’t feel it, until they don’t realise their responsibilities and fulfil these responsibilities, the programme cannot succeed.’

Dr Ruth Pfau has spent close to half a century in Pakistan helping those afflicted with leprosy. She says that time in her country of birth, Germany, is a precious commodity but it is wasted like water by Pakistanis. She says if time could be sold, Pakistan would be a rich country.

While reading these interviews, one is struck by the dedication, care, and concern these individuals show for Pakistanis and Pakistan. This is the kind of dedication and sense of duty that our politicians and leaders need to develop.

Baqir, currently director of the Akhter Hameed Khan Resource Centre in Islamabad and a well-known figure inthe UN, has done well to share these

messages of hope with a wider audience. These messages give us strength as we help others build their lives after the overwhelming floods this year.