Muhammad Ali Bandial is an award-winning author, writer, editor, and former bureaucrat whose writing has appeared in The Friday Times, The News, Khaleej Times, DAWN, and more. He is a Faber Academy alumni and holds a Master’s in Public Administration from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. During his time in the Civil Services of Pakistan, he held several important positions, including Assistant Director of Extremism at the National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta) and Deputy Director of Trade Policy. Born in Lahore, he lives in London with his wife and daughter.

That was my first story; my characters were ‘Shantoo’ and ‘Mantoo.’ ‘Mantoo,’ the good guy, wore blue pants, while Shantoo, his arch-nemesis, wore black. Over the years, Shantoo and Mantoo had many legendary fights immortalized on the backs, fronts, and any space of notepads, grocery lists, report cards, and newspapers.

Then, as happens in life, I grew up. I want to say that I moved on from my phase of writing stories but to be honest, I never outgrew it; I just learned to live with it as I went to college, joined the Civil Services, and entered the ‘real world. Until one day, I had an epiphany. People were the colors. Like Mrs. Afzal, the math teacher with lipstick-stained teeth who chewed betel nuts and burped whenever she had to explain quadratic equations. Or Shehzad, my biology lab partner, who could turn his eyelids inside out and flap his ears like an elephant. Or Shazia, who deserved an Oscar for her portrayal of someone experiencing a heart attack every time a pop quiz was announced.

To write better about people, I realized I needed to observe and interact with them. From that day on, I closed my crayon set and opened my eyes and ears. Growing up in an Army household with frequent postings all over the country, I took inspiration from the rich tapestry of cultures, norms, and viewpoints from all corners of Pakistan. I love writing about the extraordinary in everyday life.”