Yes, I am a runner and I dream with my feet.
Faizi Khan is a writer, storyteller, and trainer. She is the founder of ‘Khayalon ki Udaan’. Through her stories, she tries to share her ideas, sentiments, and emotions with others, so that they are also inspired to appreciate and celebrate their own lives.
Born and raised in Chandpur, a small town in Bijnor district in Uttar Pradesh, Faizi holds a master's degree in Computer Applications. She completed her schooling in Chandpur and Dehradun's Doon International School. She went to Jaipur to receive her college education. Then she got her first job through college placement with an IT giant.
After spending six years in a corporate job, she finally decided to do something of her own. It took her time to figure out what she wanted to do in life. Her father was a Drama Director and used to organize street plays. She was also always interested in theater and drama since she was very small. She used to go with her father to various villages to conduct plays. Finally, she decided to opt for the theater and writing fields.
Faizi says she was much influenced by her father and has beautiful memories of her childhood spent with him. She was very fond of her professor's father's books. She used to go with her father to several of his literary and theater programs. She still remembers that, in her childhood, she was a foodie and used to tell her mother about the dreams she had about her favorite dishes. She recalls the time spent with her elder sister, who was six years older than her.
Speaking about her struggle period, Faizi says her most difficult time was when she was in a state of confusion and wanted to leave her job and start something of her own. She remembers the time when many people used to demoralize her about the idea of leaving her job. She found her answers when she looked back at her childhood. She was all determined to become a story writer, but in 2018, the open mic programs were in the initial stage and were new to the public. The famous blog-Kala Manthan hosted a storytelling program and offered her a chance at storytelling. She told her first story, "Bhukh," which was also written by her. She received huge appreciation for her work. This is how she was able to unfold her hidden talent for storytelling. She also feels that as a freelance artist, it's very challenging to give the audience what they want, but the organizers still pay less to the artists despite the artist's hard work.
When asked about her achievements, Faizi says she is proud of the fact that she has a fusion of storytelling abilities and a poetic touch. She also invented prose poetry for sports events, especially to express the emotions of athletes. She invented a course in storytelling called Metaphoric Storytelling. She formed groups and conducted many workshops about storytelling, story writing one-on-one sessions, storytelling performances, workshops, webinars, corporate workshops, prose for feature films, and documentaries.
When asked about her role models, Faizi says she considers her father as her role model. She follows in her father's footsteps to get deep into the field of literature. She also looks up to her mother, who has a progressive ideology and has worked for women's empowerment.
Faizi says that after delving into the field of literature, especially after reading her favorite writer, Munshi Premchand, she understood that one can make their identity when they don't forget their roots and work in their mother tongue.
Whenever she feels low and stressed, Faizi goes running and puts her emotions on paper.
Faizi suggests everyone involve some kind of physical exercise in their daily routine and treasure their bodies to stay away from all kinds of health and emotional issues. She says she favors running very much and advises others to do so too. She says her first prose about running was, "Ji haan mein runner hu, peron se khwab dekhta hu." It means, “Yes, I am a runner, and I dream with my feet.”
She says one must apply discipline in work, life, and health to keep themselves happy and healthy. She believes that discipline is essential in various aspects of life, including work, life, and health, to maintain happiness and well-being.