A Memoir By YC Speaker Nadeem Ashraf
The Winds of Change (WOC), embarked upon in 2012, has been nothing short of a transformative journey, leaving an ever-lasting impact on countless lives. From the heart of Pakistan to the global stage, WOC has emerged as a beacon of positive change, shaping the minds of thousands through lectures, workshops, events, and stalls.
2012 — that’s where it all starts! The tour featured the dynamic duo, Hamza Tzortzis and Adnan Rashid. Islamabad, Lahore, Faisalabad, and SIST became the canvas for multiple enlightening sessions at schools and universities. The SHOWSTOPPER? Hamza Tzortzis vs Professor Hoodhbhoy and a debate with a Christian Bishop in Faisalabad, ft Adnan Rashid at LUMS. Fun fact: Raja Zia ul Haq was both cameraman & driver! My role was to pick up equipment 🙂
Indeed, a memorable first tour. Personally, it reawakened the love of dawah within me after years! WOC 2012 turned out to be supremely successful.
Fast forward to 2013, where Imran Ibn Mansur, Yusuf Chambers, and Adnan Rashid took the stage in Lahore and Islamabad. Adnan Rashid spoke to teenagers at a college in Islamabad breaking away from his usual academic style, and went almost full blown stand up comedy. Imran Mansur surprised everyone with his passion and style. Yusuf Chambers jokes impressed local desi uncles. Kuch Khaas was another specially devised event.
The WOC saga continued in 2014. John Fontain, Musa Adnan, Yusuf Chambers, and Hamza Tzortzis — the multi International speaker tour unlocked! Peshawar, Islamabad, Lahore, it was a whirlwind of events. Among the highlights were the Veranda restaurant — dawah to celebrities, PC with Singer Atif Aslam, and the Marriott Hotel story night event. An array of firsts for YC. I was the tour manager this year, not an easy task I must say!
2015 — all change please! Connected with the locals duaats to give dawah in our local language. Raja Zia ul Haq contributed as a Speaker for 2 months straight, with up to 3 lectures/workshops a day! Surely, it was a world record amongst speakers. We ventured out beyond the major cities to the smallers’ like Chakwal. Staying overnight at a hospital in Gujrat and & bed breakfast next to buffalo’s in Gujranwala!
It was the WOC’s longest — 2-month tour where we traveled to as far as Kashmir and Balochistan, covering almost the whole of Pakistan and this time Karachi too!
2016 — the only tour I missed. It brought more cities and towns in Punjab and Sindh and the use of drones captured the essence and beauty of each location. The dawah squad even went as far as interior Sindh to Kunri City, another firsts’ of WOC unfolded.
2017-2018 — no WOC tours, but the dawah continued. The speakers became more prominent and our podcasts were rising in popularity.
2019 — after a two-year hiatus, WOC made a triumphant return. With established professional speakers and the debut of vlogs and Ride for Change, the hills of Murree bore witness to the rejuvenation of WOC. Multiple cities, simultaneous events, new speakers like Tuaha Ibn Jalil and Mohammad Ali, and the introduction of Ali E Vlogs – the tour was back with a bang.
Enter 2020 — Covid! But WOC adapted, and online dawah flourished.
In 2021, the comeback was grand. From driving through the mountains of Kashmir at 3 am to covering Sahiwal, Multan, and the Northern areas, the passion for WOC reached new heights. I tried to cover most cities with a short blog. Mugheerah Luqman and Wajihuddin joined the arsenal. Our main speakers were being invited almost everywhere. Mohsin Cheema had been on the edge, working tirelessly as our tour manager.
This year marked three remarkable mega events at the three major cities of Pakistan.
2022 — WOC expanded to new horizons. We probably made a world record for how many institutes, towns and cities we covered across Pakistan! Speakers like Abu Saad, Khurram Alvi, Haider Satti, and Ahmed Khan joined the main five. A powerful protest against the LGTBTQ+ agenda at all mega events took place and people in thousands joined in support. One of the major highlights was the Campus Dawah which galore even in cities like Gujranwala, Sahiwal and others.
Lots of night travel to get to far off places within a short time. This was how we enjoyed and true brotherhood flourished.