Mynah Books is a start-up publishing firm focused on Pakistani writers.
The word “Mynah” is pronounced mai-nah in the Subcontinent, where this lovely bird originates from. It’s a charming, chatty bird, friendly and fearless. You see Mynahs everywhere in Pakistan.
We chose the name Mynah Books to reinforce the fact that we are a local publishing firm for local voices.
We’re in an age when Urdu has become unfashionable and the quality of our entertainment is in decline, so our children—whose parents are determined that their children learn English—consume ideas and values from other countries, especially from empire. The world is full of writers and creators broadcasting their stories across the globe, and Pakistanis consume these stories in greater and greater numbers.
If we are, at this important crossroads, ready to decolonise, as we should, then it becomes increasingly necessary to foster our own stories, our own voices, to our children.
We hope to promote and nurture content creators from Pakistan and to provide a platform for great writing for our own people.
Meet our Team
We are writers, artists, businesswomen, and dreamers.
Sabahat Quadri
Founder, Writer, Editor, Designer
Sabahat Quadri is a writer and artist. She is a graduate of the Indus Valley School of Art & Architecture and has worked in digital and print publishing for over 28 years. She was previously Associate Director of Digital Publishing at Oxford University Press, and has been instrumental in creating English Language content for Pakistan’s pioneering EdTech company, Knowledge Platform. She is a watercolour artist, a published author, and writes occasionally for Dawn and Express Tribune.
Rahila Ashraf
Co-Founder, Educator, Marketeer
Rahila Ashraf was previously Director of Professional Development, General Manager, and Director Publishing at Oxford University Press Pakistan. Her core expertise is Learning and Development and she is a master trainer for the Oxford Teachers Academy (OTA) of the Oxford University Press UK, with a special emphasis on phonics. She is a gold medalist from Hamdard University with a Bachelors of Education.