For many people, 15 August may simply be an ordinary date, a date on the calendar, a date in political books, a date associated with the fall of Kabul and the Taliban’s return. But for me..

Sometimes I think that perhaps the heaviest thing an Afghan migrant carries is not a passport, a visa or even the suitcase brought from home. The heaviest burden is being Afghan.

I too was deprived of education in Kunduz during the first period of Taliban rule.

Though standing again in the depths of darkness was deeply anxiety-inducing for Raihan, her books once more became her refuge. She decided not to care about what people said, because people always judge based on their own minds and perspectives. What truly matters is the voice of our own heart.