“Education is such a privilege that I took it for granted until I was in graduate school and realised how much of a privilege it really was,” says Saba Gul, the brain behind Popinjay, a handbag company which aims to not only provide high quality merchandise, but also a livelihood for women.

Discoloration of the skin, dark spots and uneven skin tone are issues that would frighten almost anyone. However, we, in Pakistan, have this gora complex or in simpler terms a large chunk of our total population lives with the complex of having fairer skin. Many have forgotten to embrace their original skin colour and are readily taking measures to permanently change their natural look. From fairness creams to mixtures of different bleaching creams, myriad of bizarre pastes are available in the market and are passed on by one skin whitening fanatic to the other.

If there is one person that does not need an introduction, it would have to be Om Puri. One of the most recognised South Asian personalities across the world, Puri is currently in Lahore for the first time with his new play Teri Amrita. From East is East to Charlie Wilson’s War, Puri has played a vast array of Pakistani personalities and characters and he is now setting out to portray General Kiyani in a biopic on arguably the most famous Pakistani of our time, Malala Yousafzai.

Whether you are a diehard fashionista or take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on, the colours and styles you eventually choose to wear are decided by a handful of people sitting in Paris, London, Milan and New York. Twice each year, style giants congregate at these fashion capitals to determine the cuts, hues, patterns and trends that will dominate the upcoming spring/summer or autumn/winter collections, which then trickle down to high street stores and eventually to consignment outlets.

Hot off his horse at the end of the polo match at Cirencester in 1985, Prince Charles planted on her lips what was probably the sweatiest kiss of Princess Diana’s public life. Her giggle was captured in an iconic photo that said it all about the sport: British cultural power, colonial elitism, high-society glamour, adrenaline-pumping competition.

Escaping after almost five years in captivity, enduring unparalleled forms of pain and still coming out with the will to live is an achievement very few can claim. With a book in the pipeline and a baby on the way, Shahbaz Taseer is not just our Personality of the Year but also a living testament that miracles can happen