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Here’s a funny take on the pandemic by a British Pakistani poetess

By Tanveer Khatana
30 March, 2020

A shopkeeper’s funny take on the coronavirus through poetry has gone viral on social media after it was widely shared on the platform.

If you have been on social media for the last few days (which we know you are) then you might have come across a video of a lady reading a poem on coronavirus.

Shamshad Ghani, a taxi driver, shopkeeper and a poet from Scotland, used her skills to express herself amid the coronavirus outbreak.

“Nas Paj (runaround)” is a short poem about coronavirus and panic buying. The poem talks about how the virus has put everyone under a lot of stress, leading to people buying toilet paper in bulk along with other unnecessary items.

Ghani told The News that she was “extremely sad and bitter” when she wrote the poem. “Coronavirus is a very serious issue that we need to understand but that does not mean we need to switch to this panic mode, buying lots of unnecessary stuff not thinking about the vulnerable and elderly who might need it more than us,” said the poetess.

“The poem is a story of this virus outbreak starting from China and its effect on us, panic buying, [and] people stuck at home. I have educated people through this poem why washing hands and sanitising them is necessary during this outbreak,” she said.

Ghani moved to Scotland from Sheikupura 31 years ago and has many talents. She is a poet, singer, music composer, taxi driver and shopkeeper. The video of the poem has been widely shared on WhatsApp, Twitter and other social media forums.