I believe everything begins with a word, they make this monotonous world a better place. Words can make or break a person, for me, they have the ability to take me to foreign lands and paint an image in my mind even though I’m just sitting in a four-walled hostel room. While some people can toss words anywhere and everywhere, some struggle with it even if they have a lot to say. It is said that ‘Words not spoken seem to echo forever’. Using her adept command over words this 20-year-old is helping people metamorphose their gamut of thoughts and feelings in words that will live forever.
We are living in a world ruled by technology. Today all communication takes place with one click. Social Media platforms are not just about selfies and check–in’s anymore, instead they have become a treasure trove of talent where the freedom to express oneself is just a click away. Using her skill to string together words into something very meaningful, Rabia Kapoor’s ‘All I Have’ project is turning unsaid thoughts and ideas into a piece of writing that resonates with them. ‘I Called it All I Have based on that Boyzone song which has the line “it’s only words, but words are all I have” because I struggle with a lot of things, but words have always had my back, and they’ve always saved me, corny as that sounds.’ States Rabia.
20-year-old Rabia became an overnight internet sensation when her spoken word video called ‘The Introvert’s Banter’ went viral introducing us to her writing. Pursuing BA in English Literature at King’s College London, Rabia was going through a dry spell in terms of writing in the social media presence but she was always showered with warm messages thanking her for saying the things they couldn’t. This gave birth to the ‘All I Have’ project. ‘I started it because writing gives me a sense of purpose, and there are people who don’t have the kind of access I have to language. I started this because I wanted to.’
‘All I Have’ takes various ideas, feelings, and thoughts that people feel strongly about and turns them into something very meaningful and impactful with Rabia’s words and imageries of the visual artists she collaborates with. Although she was very hesitant about putting this initiative/idea out there, in case no one responded to it. ‘I have a huge loser complex’ says Rabia; the response was extremely positive and has been getting a steady stream of emails. Questioned about the challenges she faced while putting this project together, she says while most of them were internal, she got the chance to learn a lot about herself, her writing and the common ideas that people struggle with expressing. Rabia states that this project has been an amazing learning experience for her ‘ It’s such an honor that people would trust me with such intimate, personal aspects of their lives.’
Although the project is only at the first stage with the aim to keep up the momentum, if it gets enough attention in the near future she wishes to put up a website specifically for the project, ‘and if this survives a year, compiling the best pieces into a book of some sort. That would be pretty cool’
To take a glimpse of this beautiful initiative check out her Instagram page.