Cover Story
Us through the Years

By Kanza Tariq

I remember, back in 1998, when I was barely 8 and we lived in Gujranwala, my neighbour used to collect the issues of 'Us' for the 'pin ups' as the poster was called in those days. I always tried to read the mag, but the level of the stories was beyond my comprehension. I grew up admiring names like Haseeb Ahmed, Saad Anis, Bilal Naeem, Rahma Muhammad, Insiya Syed, Ghizlan Javed, S. Jee and a lot many (my memory has become weaker ever since I started going through Guyton Physiology and Gray's Anatomy), not knowing that one day I would be a part of the writers' community, too.

It was an overwhelming response that I received for this cover story for which I am thankful to all the worthy readers who took out their time to give their versions. And a very old hypothesis of mine was proved true, "Us has a greater female readership than the male readership"! It was really fascinating to go down the memory lane and visualise Us growing up from a magazine for kids to a platform for the voice of today's Pakistani youth. Take a look at the journey through the years and enjoy. Long live, Us!

Hina Imtiaz Longi

Age: 26

Affiliation Period: Since Us' inception

Even now I can vividly recall the first issue of Us; it had a glossy photo of a clown. As a kid, to me the pleasure of reading the mag was even better than being let loose in an ice cream factory. To call me a bookworm would be a big understatement and I was absolutely thrilled when Us came into being. I am no longer a kid and Us is no more the 'mag for kids', yet I still love skimming through the latest issue of Us.

I like the way Us has evolved over the years. It has grown up. It caters to a larger audience now. On one hand, the articles are more thought provoking while on the other hand, they continue to tickle our funny bones. I think the most commendable section is 'In Your Aangan'. It opened my eyes to a reality called child abuse and I am sure it did so for countless others, too, as not many people know or acknowledge the bitter reality that has marred many innocent lives. The weekly Hadith is also something I love. But I do miss the recipes that are no longer a part of Us; you would have to see the collection to believe me! Something else I really appreciated was the glossary that used to get printed. It certainly increased my vocabulary.

I've always thought of writing articles but my laziness never allowed me to do so. When I read about this cover story, I couldn't wait to get started. I think it's a great idea to look back and to solicit comments. You've got to know where you're coming from to know where you are going to. Thank you, Us, for entertaining and informing us all these years!

Aneela Mahsud

Years of affiliation: 13

Looking back through the times and going down the memory lane, I remember that I always used to wait anxiously for Us. I was a fifth grader then, and the most appealing sections for me in the magazine were 'Potpourri' and the drawings contributed by children. I don't exactly remember the editor's name at that time, as I least cared about it! I used to collect issues of Us and found a great joy in sharing it with my friends.

Time went by. I grew up. Us kept on changing gradually, and my interest in the magazine also changed. Back then, the editor of Us was Muneeza Ahsan. At that time, my favourite page was the Editorial (really, because Muneeza was my ideal), and from that day, I always wanted to be the editor of a youth's magazine.

I remember my daydreams of becoming the editor of Us... And I find it a miracle that now I'm an internee with The News, Peshawar Bureau. Who knows one day, I'll sit in the Us Editor's chair, :-) (Ma'am Lubna, beware!). I didn't intend to go for journalism as my master's subject, but I'm fully convinced that my childhood love for Us has played a big role in shaping up my decisions. And I take Us as a close friend of my childhood years.

I learned my writing skills from this very magazine. I used to write poems, and one day I just posted one of my poems to Us (I had no Internet facility at that time. Hey, who raised his eyebrows, I'm not talking about pre-historical times, it was just 1999). And I remember I was on cloud nine when I saw my poem published in the mag. The rest is history, more of my poems were published and my first article was printed in 2006. Since that day I have found immense satisfaction in writing and I have taken it as my profession, too. It's all because of Us!

Us has changed greatly in the past 12 or 13 years. I remember when the 'Greetings' page was introduced, it was an instant hit. There were no particular pages for reviews. There used to be a section called 'Buzy Body Buzz'; curious readers asked questions and would get answers in a very light and humorous tone. Now all the humour has gone to the 'Graffiti' page, which was once 'Potpourri'.

From 1996 to 1999, I knew the names of all the writers and contributors of Us by heart. I remember one poet called Fundi Ahhh (Asfandyar) whose poems were really funny and enjoyable. At that time, Us was ruled totally by teenagers and one of my favourite writers was, and still is, Haseeb Ahmed. I

Us in its new format and style is still a great joy to read. But a time came when the affinity between the readers and the editor was lost (when Muneeza Ahsan left Us). It might be due to the reason that we, the readers, were greatly attached to Muneeza and we were not able to digest the news of the new editor's arrival. But with the passage of time, everything became normal again. And I can see it again that the present editor (Lubna) also knows how to win the hearts of the readers. My prayers are with you and your staff!

Mahwish Mukhtar

Age: 20

Period of affiliation: 8 years

I have been a regular reader of Us since 2000. Us has undergone admirable changes, especially the 'Poets' Corner' has become so well and poets contributing for the page sound as if they are pros. Freedom of expression has become a permanent feature of the letter section. 'Cyberia', 'The Movie Page' and 'The Music Page' really go well with the new generation. The present lot of contributors seem to be more passionate, alert and well aware of the facts and situations prevailing around them. But what still remains unchanged is the 'Greetings' page, which has somehow survived the immense backlash over the years. What I miss the most is 'A Page Of My Diary'. That section had been a tremendous success in the history of Us. On the whole, Us has improved a lot and this new version is really up to my expectations. The Us team surely deserves the credit for this. Kudos to you, Us team!

Amna Umar

Age: 20

Period of affiliation: 6 years

 When I started reading Us, the editor was Asfiya Aziz and the 'Poets' Corner' which was managed by Shamil used to be my favourite page. Those little pieces of information on literary terms which were added in 'Rhyme 'n' Reason' were a treat and really helped me a lot in understanding poetry. The 'Cyberia' page had that QOTM every month which was very interesting and it was discontinued, but started again some time back. The layout of the magazine has also been revamped. What I miss the most in the magazine is 'A Page Of My Diary', as I loved that page and would love to see it again. Over the years the magazine has certainly improved a lot. The regular writers have changed and the new ones are good, too. But I really miss the contributions by Haseeb Ahmed who was a very prolific writer. Bilal Tanweer, who started writing during Lubna Khalid's tenure, was also one of my favourite writers. My bond with the magazine became stronger when my poems started getting printed in the mag.

Through Us magazine I even made friends like Kanza Tariq and Sehar Sheikh and got to contact folks belonging to the literary community like Naeema Akram. In the end, best wishes for the magazine and its team and keep up the good work!

Qurat-ul-ain Sikander

Period of affiliation: 4 years

I started reading Us four years ago, but I really got interested in it some two years back. Since then many things have changed. A lot of quick-witted, astute and smart writers flipped in and out like Haseeb Ahmad and Bilal Tanweer... Their take on an ordinary issue and impulsive writing style moved me.

At that time, the writers were very mature. I don't know why but the writer of nowadays lack something…

Tahira Kokab

Age: 17

Period of affiliation: 5 years

I have been reading Us for the last five years and Us really has undergone many changes during these years. There are some features that were only temporary but nevertheless entertaining.

There was a cool page that was related to the Internet 'Cyberia'. It gave pretty interesting info about the world of Internet. I can see it now but not on a regular basis. 'A Page Of My Diary' also reflected nice thoughts. On the back page, there used to be a picture sent by youngsters interested in modelling. There was also this page/section called 'The Rant'. It was good and competitive and let others vent out weird feelings (makes me think of taking my anger out while washing the dishes!!). The cover stories of Us amazingly covered a variety of topics. Anything from fashion to higher education and studies. From the Bermuda Triangle to dogs; cutting and drugs; disease and new discoveries. A tribute at the end of every year and tackling politics (hilariously!) and covering national events. I remember the O/A level vs. Matric/FSc. debate. That was impressive! A lot of different feelings surfaced and many people including international readers responded to it. Let's not forget that boys vs. girls debate either!

The stories featured in Us were wonderful, as they were not based on clichéd themes. We had some wonderful story serials in the past years, too. 

One thing I always wondered was that how come Us did not increase the number and quality of its pages? Why did you discontinue that heart health section on the last page and that global awareness page? The mag has all the sugar and spice; it just lacks the vitamins and minerals.

By the way, Us magazine is very contagious! After I started reading it, my sister also started reading the mag, then my younger brother, and then my mom, phuppo and school friends also started reading it. It's really addictive! A Friday isn't complete without it! All in all, Us has changed for the better. It will continue to improve because Us has always given its readers priority.

Best of luck for all your future endeavours!