“Desire is the key to motivation, but it is determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal – a commitment to excellence – that will enable you to attain the success you seek.“ –Mario Andretti
They say success comes easy, or it is the lucky ones who have the easy way out. While that saying might be relatively true for some, it cannot be generalized for all hard-working individuals ready to succeed in life. Hard work, determination, sweat, blood,and tears enable one to attain their full potential and make oneunstoppable. An example of such an individual can be RomailGulzar, who has been making strides in journalism and mediafor over two decades.
Born in Lahore, Pakistan, Romail’s early life was quite stressful and challenging. Suffering from ethnic discrimination because of his religion Christianity, he always felt as if he was struggling to reach his full potential. Growing up in a society built on hate and discrimination, the journalist finally decided to take control of his life and moved out of the country in search of peace. In 2000, he arrived in the UK, where he currently lives. He settledin Southhampton, where he worked in a factory and picked up odd jobs as a restaurant cleaner. Even though the asylum seeker had high hopes about the progressive country, he was extremely disappointed to see that many people discriminated against him because of his color, nationality, and refugee status. To his advantage, things were a bit different here in the UK compared to Pakistan, where he could not raise his voice. Romail has always been a clever individual but also selfless at the same time. His experiences in life and the societal atrocities made him realize that he can use the power of his voice to bring a change in the world.
Romail Gulzar has worked hard all his life and has finally achieved his dream of becoming a world-class journalist with his Pukaar Project. Gulzar believes that the power of education is really strong and instills a drive for change, and promotes freedom of speech in society. Ready to take over the world with his opinions and call for revolution, the journalist studied Film Journalism at an Indian institute called the Asian Academy of Film and Television (AAFT). Not only that, but he attended the South Leicestershire College to get a Higher National Diploma in television and journalism. During this period only, he started circulating a weekly Urdu newspaper across Leicester. Though the newspaper did not have a large following at that time, Romail felt a sense of achievement and was confident that he could become successful.
It can be said that one’s self-less and sincere contribution to society can really benefit others, and Gulzar’s motivation to make a difference in this life is a good example of that. Since Rahim suffered immensely because of his religion, he decided to launch the ‘Pukar Project,’ a multicultural charity organization for Christians. Not only that, but the journalist has always been passionate about arts and culture and believes that they can bring different communities together. Observing the society around him, Rahim wanted to create awareness about the power of unity that can influence the government and the world to change. With his words and speech, he also wants to tell the people that they are not different from each other regardless of their age, religion, race, ethnicity, or status. Gulzar has also been inspired by different cultures and wanted to allow refugee artists to mix their cultures with the culture in the UK.
Making strides and helping various individuals, the journalist felt as if he had a responsibility on his shoulders, so he launched Pukaar News and Pukar Magazine. Since his intentions to change the world were always pure, success came running to him. While Pukar News provides broadcast media for the BBC, Sky News and ITV launched, Pukaar Magazine has featured stars such as Sir David Attenborough, Singer Sam Bailey, and Olympian Luke Greenbank. Leicester’s Got Talent(2012), Leicester Curry Awards, Toronto Curry Awards (2018), National Samosa Week happen to be some entertainment shows that are quite popular among the South Asians living in the UK. Additionally, Romail also served as the chair of CrimeStoppersNottinghamshire for two years and then became the chair of the Leicestershire branch for the next ten years. Gulzar also launched the “Always In Our Thoughts” campaign to recognize those suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic. All the money collected from his philanthropic campaign went to the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal and Care of Police Survivors charities.
It can be said that Romail Gulzar not only has his way around his words but also knows how to touch someone’s heart with his selflessness and sincere contribution.
