Asif Hussain Shah is a Pakistani taxi driver by profession and an author by choice. He has written an Urdu language book, “For Hire,” which comprises of 35 stories.
Asif Hussain Shah belongs to Lala Musa, Gujrat but was raised in Quetta for the better part of his early life. He later moved to Rawalpindi with his family. Asif admits that he wasn’t very fond of conventional school education and failed many times during his academic journey. After clearing the intermediate exam, he finally halted his education and became a taxi driver.
Inspiration For His Book
Asif’s book was inspired by General Pervaiz Musharraf’s book “In the Line of Fire: A Memoir.” He noted that the book, published in 2006, was based on Musharraf’s own personal experiences. This gave Asif the idea to pen down his own experiences as well. His aim was to create a piece of literature that would reflect the life lessons he had learned along the way. Opposed to traditional schooling, he believes that his best teacher has been life itself.
His Book “For Hire”
For Hire is a 120-page book published by the famous publishing house Ferozsons. The book consists of 35 stories based on his daily experiences and the thoughts of his passengers. His job as a taxi driver exposed him to several unique stories that he has made a part of his book.
His Taxi & Marketing Strategy
Asif’s taxi is also a piece of art in itself. The exterior of the car has been used as a billboard for advertising Asif’s book. It reads “Search on Google, Asif Hussain Shah” in big, bold, and bright letters. The interior of his car is painted in truck art, a popular Pakistani form of art used to embellish trucks.
Asif also uses his car to display important messages such as, in 2011, he painted on his taxi “waqt ki ehm zarurat insaaf aur aman hain” in Urdu to send a message of peace wherever he went. Later, in 2019, he got it painted in English. The top of the taxi is also adorned with autographs from people he admires and has met throughout his journey.
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