YouTube video of the day: The Arfa we didn't know

An up close and personal interview with Arfa’s parents reveals another side of her that people barely knew.


Web Desk June 21, 2012

Many know Arfa Karim as the world’s youngest Microsoft Certified Professional, as a child prodigy or as an IT whiz kid, but how many of us knew her as a singer, a poet or as someone who would avoid studies?

An up close and personal interview with Arfa’s parents by ThinkTwicePakistan, reveals another side of her that people barely knew.

Her father tells the story of her life – an admirer of Allama Iqbal, Arfa loved poetry and wrote a poem for Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates when she went to meet him.

Moved by her gesture, Gates wrote a small thanking note for her. He described her as the “other side of Pakistan,” but Arfa’s father, Amjad Karim Randhawa, differs from his views. He says, “This is Pakistan – Arfa is Pakistan.”

Despite crossing territorial bounds, Arfa was deeply attached to her roots. The video shows her pictures in which she is seen in the fields – sitting on a tractor, gathering the crop.

Her mother, Samina Amjad, explains how she never studied without music playing in the background. Her teacher also tells that she was hardly seen studying, but she scored six As in her O-levels.

Video rating: Thumbs up for showing us the other side of this visionary.

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COMMENTS (6)

Ahmed sidduqui | 11 years ago | Reply

Nice girl who passed away, much like many others whose lives are cut short. But I can't for the life of me understand why being a Microsoft certified professional is such an honor. It is not the Nobel prize you know. And nobody has ever heard of it, outside of our pure land. And I say this as someone who worked for MSFT in seattle for 10 years. Find me someone in a reasonable country, us europe india whatever, where children grow up to be microsoft certified whatever that means. I think our low self esteem is too visible here.

What next? Youngest Cisco certified technician?

Rana Umair | 11 years ago | Reply

What a fantastic human being!!! Brings tears every time i read, watch or hear anything about her! Cannot believe how amazing she was, how simple she was and above all, how cute of a daughter she was to her parents!! I am sure she is in peace up there and busy playing with the angels and smiling at all of us =)

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