The Woman Who Never Stopped Learning - By Samarah Aftab

Written By: Samarah Aftab

Category: Poetry and Creative writing Creative Non-Fiction

Competition: Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026

In the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026, Samarah Aftab shares a poignant piece titled "The Woman Who Never Stopped Learning." This work, part of the Creative Writing category, is a touching homage to her mother’s resilience and tenacity. Reflecting on real-life experiences, Samarah beautifully encapsulates the theme of continuous learning and personal growth, as she explores her mother's journey through displacement, motherhood, and self-discovery.

About the Work

Samarah Aftab's piece exudes warmth and admiration, capturing a deeply personal narrative. Through vivid imagery and heartfelt reflections, she paints a portrait of her mother’s unwavering spirit. The literary style is both engaging and introspective, weaving together themes of resilience, creativity, and the undying pursuit of knowledge. The work serves as a powerful reminder that learning and personal development can occur outside traditional settings.

The Woman Who Never Stopped Learning

Original Submission by Samarah Aftab

Global Poetry & Creative Writing Competition – HASHTAG KALAKAR

NAME – SAMARAH

THEME – Poetry and Creative writing

Creative Non-Fiction

Real life experience – By Samarah

“The Woman Who Never Stopped Learning”

My mother has always been my role model.

Not because she had a perfect life. Not because everything went according to plan. And certainly not because she had all the opportunities she wanted.

She became my role model because life gave her reasons to stop and she chose not to.

Before I was born, my mother had a different life.

Her family lived in Kuwait, and like many families, they had built their lives around a sense of home, stability, and hope for the future. But then came the war. Everything they knew was suddenly interrupted, and her family had to leave Kuwait and return to India.

They left behind more than a place.

They left behind a life they had built.

My mother had her own dreams too. She was studying and had hopes for continuing her education, but circumstances did not allow her to complete even her higher secondary studies. Her education came to an unexpected stop, not because she lacked ability or ambition, but because life had taken her somewhere she had never planned to go.

For many people, an unfinished education might become a lifelong regret.

For my mother, it became the beginning of another kind of learning.

She started learning with her hands.

She learned tailoring. She learned baking. She learned cooking. She explored crochet. She picked up one skill after another, not because someone told her she had to, but because she was curious and she loved creating things. She never stopped learning.

Later, after marriage, she continued exploring her interests. She learned embroidery. She learned zardosi work. She tried different crafts and techniques, filling her days with colours, threads, fabrics, needles, patterns, and ideas.

She built a world of creativity around herself.

Then came motherhood.

My brother and I were born, and naturally, life changed again. There were responsibilities. There was a home to manage. There were children to raise. There were countless things that demanded her time and attention. Her own hobbies had to wait. And for a while, they did. Years passed. The crochet hooks became quiet. The unfinished projects waited.

Life moved forward.

But I think some passions never truly leave us.

They simply wait patiently for us to return.

And my mother eventually did.

After years of putting other things first, she picked up her crochet again.

At first, perhaps it was simply a hobby returning to her hands.

But slowly, something began to grow.

She started exploring crochet in new ways. She experimented with patterns. She learned techniques. She created things that were not simply objects, but pieces of her imagination.

Then something beautiful happened.

The hobby became a passion.

The passion became a skill.

The skill became something she could share with others.

And eventually, it became a business of her own.

Today, my mother is a crocheter. She explores. She creates. She teaches. She shares what she knows.

She has built her own little world around something she once loved doing simply because it made her happy.

And whenever I look at her now, I don't see the girl who couldn't finish her higher secondary studies.

I see the woman who never stopped learning.

For years, society has taught us to measure success through certificates, degrees, titles, and qualifications. Education is important, of course. I know that.

But my mother taught me something different.

She taught me that learning does not always happen inside classrooms.

Sometimes it happens at a sewing machine.

Sometimes it happens beside an oven.

Sometimes it happens with a needle and thread.

Sometimes it happens through countless failed attempts at a crochet pattern.

Sometimes it happens when you are a mother trying to find a small part of yourself again after years of putting everyone else first.

My mother never received the opportunity to complete the education she had started.

But she never stopped educating herself.

Every new skill became another page in the education of her life.

And perhaps that is why I admire her so much.

She could have looked at her unfinished studies and said, "This is where my story ends."

Instead, she seemed to say,

"Then I will begin another chapter."

I have watched her learn things that she didn't know before.

I have watched her make mistakes, try again, unravel stitches, start over, experiment, improve, and create something beautiful from a simple strand of yarn.

And perhaps without realizing it, she was teaching me something much bigger than crochet.

She was teaching me resilience.

She was teaching me that starting over is not failure.

She was teaching me that being delayed is not the same as being defeated.

She was teaching me that life can take away one path without taking away every path.

Most importantly, she taught me that an unfinished chapter does not mean an unfinished life.

Today, when I see my mother teaching crochet to someone else, there is something deeply moving about it.

The same woman who once had her education interrupted is now teaching others.

The same woman whose own dreams had to wait is now helping other people discover their creativity.

The same hands that once learned tailoring, embroidery, zardosi, cooking, baking, and countless other skills are now holding crochet hooks and creating something entirely her own.

And she is still learning. That is my favourite part.

She hasn't reached some final destination and decided she knows enough.

She is still exploring. Still experimenting. Still curious. Still discovering what her hands are capable of creating.

Her journey reminds me that sometimes life does not give us the path we imagined.

But that doesn't mean we have to stop walking.

My mother did not get to complete the education she once wanted.

She could have carried that disappointment forever.

Instead, she carried something else.

She carried curiosity. She carried creativity. She carried determination.

And she turned them into a life that makes me incredibly proud.

I am proud of the business she has built.

I am proud of the things she creates.

I am proud that she teaches others.

But more than all of that, I am proud of the woman behind it.

The woman who experienced displacement.

The woman whose education was interrupted.

The woman who became a wife and mother.

The woman who put her passions aside when her children needed her.

And the woman who, years later, picked those passions back up and said,

"I'm not finished yet."

Perhaps that is why I call her my role model.

She never taught me through grand speeches.

She taught me through the way she lived.

She taught me that circumstances can change your plans, but they don't have to decide your worth.

She taught me that it is never too late to return to something you love.

She taught me that there is no shame in beginning again.

And she taught me that success is not always about finishing what you started.

Sometimes, success is having the courage to start something new.

My mother's story began with an unfinished education.

But it did not end there.

It continued through fabric and thread, through recipes and embroidery, through motherhood and sacrifice, through years of waiting, and eventually through colourful balls of yarn and the gentle movement of a crochet hook.

And today, when I watch her create, teach, and build something that belongs entirely to her, I don't think about what she didn't get to finish.

I think about everything she chose to begin.

Because my mother taught me something I will carry for the rest of my life:

A life interrupted is not a life ruined.

Sometimes, the road simply changes.

Sometimes, the dream takes a different shape.

And sometimes, the person who thought she had fallen behind discovers that she was never behind at all.

She was simply taking a different route.

My mother didn't let an unfinished chapter become the ending of her story.

She picked up the thread again and began to write the rest of her life with her own hands.

REAL LIFE INSPIRATION/ MY ROLE MODEL FOREVER

BY - SAMARAH

About the Competition

The Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026, hosted by Hashtag Kalakar, celebrates the art of written expression. This prestigious platform provides writers worldwide with the opportunity to share their unique voices and stories. Participants are encouraged to explore diverse themes and genres, contributing to a vibrant tapestry of global creativity and literary achievement.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Samarah Aftab for her moving submission, "The Woman Who Never Stopped Learning," to the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026. Her work offers an inspiring look at resilience and lifelong learning, leaving a lasting impression on readers. We look forward to seeing more of Samarah's insightful storytelling in the future.

About Hashtag Kalakar

Hashtag Kalakar is a creative platform dedicated to providing artists, writers, singers and other creative talents with opportunities to showcase their work and reach wider audiences through competitions, features and creative initiatives.