For those of you who thought Islamabad had nothing more to offer other than its abundantly lush green roads and the sounds of birds chirping, you thought wrong! In the past few years, Islamabad has deviated from its world famous title “the sleepy city” to become anything but. As a single working woman of 26, Shahmeen likes socializing over food, shopping and at events.

Ace Indian designer Payal Kapoor has a global recognition with her designer brands, “Famous” and “Raj.” Debarati Mukherjee spoke to the designer, who shared her journey down the fashion isle and offered a peek inside her latest collection at the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) in India.

“Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive, but to be young was very heaven! – oh time.”

William Wordsworth wrote these lines at the time of the French revolution. Being young is indeed a heavenly feeling and for all the young fans present at Madonna’s concert in Moscow, this feeling increased by leaps and bounds.

Most times, it’s about being fat, maybe too fat, as in the case of Holley Mangold, the US weightlifter who tips the scales at 157 kilograms and has been constantly suffering jibes about her ‘obvious’ weight problem.  But what is your take on the connection between how you look and what you achieve?

Dear readers, thank you very much for the enthusiastic response we received for our blog competition announced in June. It was very exciting to know what you think about education and the kind of experiences you have had at school.

My day begins when most people have finished theirs. I enter the misty old pub which reeks of stale cigarettes and unwashed cutlery. Before people come to amuse themselves and have a good time and one hears the cheerful clinking of glasses, the place has to be scrubbed clean. So, I roll up my sleeves and pick up the broom.

Tamana Jamily writes about her experiences at school and the difficulties women and girls in Afghanistan face. The problems they face in their homes and families have not helped improve their situation.