Six Life Lessons That Everyone Should Take From Sinf-e- Aahan

Karachi: When was the last time you saw six powerful, ambitious and assertive women with well-developed characters in a Pakistani drama? In your dreams, right?

Since its making, women, the biggest target audience for dramas, waited for Sinf-e-Aahan. Not only because it portrays women in the lead, but also because it was a relief from melodramatic, repetitive storylines of everyday dramas. The writer Umera Ahmed penned down a fresh, entertaining script that has proven itself to be a perfect treat for drama buffs who are done with the usual female-oriented sob fests.

From Sajal Aly as Rabia Safeer, Syra Yousuf as Arzoo Daniel, Ramsha Khan as Pariwesh Jamal, Kubra Khan as Mahjabeen Mastaan, Yumna Zaidi as Shaista Khanzada, to Sri Lankan actor Yehali Tashiya as Nathmy Perrara, every character ticks all the right boxes when it comes to entertainment.

This was a much-needed story that our television screen had been missing for a long time. Yes, we have witnessed Alpha Bravo Charlie, Sunehray Din, and the latest Ehd-e-Wafa, but they all revolve around our valiant men in arms, seeing women in arms was a collaboration that we’re grateful for to the entire team of the drama and ISPR.

As the story continues to progress, it has given us a ton of positive lessons that our young minds need to watch and learn from.

1. Girls, Your dreams are never stupid

Next time you hear someone call you stupid for dreaming about your career, just ignore them and take your first step, even better – give them a piece of your mind. Women need to believe that they are not any less than their male counterparts and should stand up against convention and dissent from their families and friends to fulfill their dreams.

Use Pariwesh’s dialogue as an inspiration at the beginning of the episode when her mother scolds her for learning how to use a gun, something apparently “only men do in our society”. “Amma iss mein kahan likha hua hai yeh mardon wali cheez hai? Aurat uthai gee na tau aurat wali ban jaye gi.”

Army, police, fashion, or whatever you aspire for, keep striving for it, ladies.

2. Know your worth & ask for it

This takes us to the scene where we saw Sajal Aly ranting about her rishta struggles.

“Meray sath pass out honee wali larkiyon mein sey koi power sector mein bethi hai, kisi ko MIT sey scholarship mil gayee hai, koi Oxford mein parh rahi hai aur mein pichlay do saal mein Pakistan mein aik ‘achey larkay’ ko pasand nai asakee”

Sadly, this is the reality for most of our girls in their early 20s.  They have been told that they are never good enough for people until they know the usual house-hold chores and are often taught to give up on their careers after marriage. Women keep undermining themselves and settle with less than they deserve.

Just a small reminder – stop that and know that you deserve everything that you want. Stop coming up with justifications in trying to convince yourself that you deserve any lesser because of your gender. We all know what we deserve, we just don’t accept it at the right time.

3. It’s okay to be unsure about your career choices at the start
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We have seen Kubra Khan’s character juggling between fashion, her degree in Law and her aspiration to become a major. Don’t get confused, there’s nothing wrong with being indecisive at the start. Humans are built to explore the world, places, people, and even our career choices. Where’s the fun in knowing it all and not taking any risks due to the fear of failure, so go and explore what you want before you settle for a career.

4. Don’t let fear get the best of you

Women, Your worth is not dependent on any men. Do what your heart says, it’s been said that fear can consume you if you let it, and we all know how valid those words can be. When you let fear get the better of you, you give it the power to control how you live.

We have seen multiple instances where Syra, aka Arzoo felt bad about her choices just because her boyfriend played by Asad Siddiqui never took her opinions seriously. But as she trains in the PMA and learns to let go off her fears, only then does she truly discover herself and make decisions for herself. From th girl whose life revolved around marrying this person who was taking her for granted to rejecting that very person and refusing to give up on her dreams – she’s come a long way!

Not only that, Shaista’s grandmother always deemed her worthless until and unless she was tied to a suitor and even after she got in the PMA, her questions on whether they’re teaching them to cook and be homely refelected how deeply rooted patriarchy is in the society.

5. Support other women
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By now, we should all already know the importance of supporting our fellow women, but here’s a reminder! No matter what situation they’re in, the Sinf-e-Aahan girls support each other in difficult times – from waking each other up to sharing their struggles to helping each other grow as an individual – which speaks volumes of what the right kind of support can do for a person.

You can take Nathmy’s bond with Arzoo and Rabia, aren’t they goals?

6. If you hurt someone, we suggest you should say sorry
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Well, we have yet to see this moment but aren’t we all waiting for the time when Mahjabeen and Rabia keep their differences aside and talk it out, and apologise. Not sure who is at fault but we want to see Rabia and Mahajabeen’s friendship back on track.

Even in life, if you feel like you are losing a friend because of something that happened in the past, say sorry and move on. Life is too short to hold on to things!

Each episode has a meaning and how women should respond to the world dragging them down for no reason. Highlighting women as a strong force, having faith in the guts, respecting each one’s opinions and decisions are all portrayed so well, making it a must-watch drama for all.