Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Ayoung Bahrain-based wordsmith has released a collection of 30 poems this month, creatively documenting her ‘unsaid emotions’, writes Melissa Nazareth.
Former New Indian School Bahrain student Manaal Mansoor got down to penning her debut book Perspective: Seeing the Unseen when her grandfather, who she shared a deep bond with, passed away six years ago, while also juggling grief and school work.
It was officially unveiled at an event at Swiss-Belresidences in Juffair last month.
“It was a way for me to process my feelings. The book is a labour of love of the last six years,” the 18-year-old told GulfWeekly.
In the 104-page tome, the Indian expatriate has touched upon diverse themes, including love, loss and acceptance.
An excerpt from one of her poems All that remains is red reads,
‘Let the skin be coloured or pale, what spills through is red.
No name or nation alters what’s bled.
We fight, we fall, and forge division unashamed,
Yet red remembers—we are the same.
And in our blindness, we forget what could save us all, lost in the frame.
This is the timeless truth to be claimed:
Red is what we all bleed—can we deny it still?’
“I wrote this one recently and believe it has an important message to convey: to accept, that no matter how different we all are, we live in one reality.
“I hope to inspire others through my verses, to pause, reflect, and discover meaning in everyday life, proving that even in loss, beauty and perspective can be found.
“I had a supportive, loving family to see me through my loss but there are many who might need encouragement in a moment of isolation, perhaps, and that’s what the book is for,” added the young philanthropist, who has dedicated more than 100 hours teaching English to underprivileged Arab students.
The aspiring doctor, who is set to pursue a degree in medicine at Georgia University, in the capital Tbilisi, this year, has previously contributed to an anthology entitled The Mega Manuscript, and has plans to write a novel in the near future.
Presently, she lives in Juffair with her father Mansoor Ali, a sales manager, mother Hafsath Mansoor, an administrative professional, and 13-year old brother Mahfouz, who attends the Asian School.
Her elder brother Mubaris just completed his Master’s in data analysis from Birmingham University.
The book is available on Amazon.
