Azaz Ahmad

founder of Keero Ki Dunya

Compiled from 1 recorded interview. Every statement below is drawn from the passage cited beside it.

Azaz Ahmad is the founder of the Keero Ki Dunya group and works on insect identification in taxonomy. He comes from a village in Swabi district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He says he has about 22 new-to-science insect discoveries in Pakistan.

Early life and background

Ahmad comes from a village in Swabi district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and attended a private school there. He says he is proud to call himself a villager. [1]

He began using the internet in 2011. He says he first learned Facebook, then installing programs and using Google, around 2011 to 2012. [1]

Education

Ahmad completed matric and then attended a government college in Swabi, where he says he spent more time on sports than on study. In 2011 he enrolled in a BS programme in agriculture. He enrolled in entomology, remarking that if the subject was hard, someone had to take it on. He says that as a university student he spent whole days in the lab rather than in class. [1]

He says he has never touched a book on insects. He also says he learned more outside books and classrooms than inside them. [1]

Insect identification and fieldwork

Ahmad describes taxonomy as classifying insects by species, genus, family and order. He officially entered insect identification in taxonomy in 2016. He says he went into the field to observe insects in their natural habitat, collected them and raised them at home. [1]

He went to Muzaffarabad in Kashmir to collect insects. He says police once detained him in the Chichawatni jungle on suspicion of being an Indian agent. He also says the first question people asked about his collecting was how much it sells for. He says he has sometimes sold his laptop and sometimes his bike in order to go on tours. [1]

Keero Ki Dunya

Ahmad says he was once part of an international entomology group with over 135,000 members. After friends urged him to, he started his own group, Keero Ki Dunya. He created the group on 18 September 2018 and puts it at roughly 87,000 members. [1]

He says he is making everything accessible to all, in a language everyone can understand, and that he has given his notes to everyone for free. He says that after an apiary was started, he began providing organic honey to people. He describes his online teaching as reaching hundreds of thousands of people, and says he is proud to be a teacher. He says he might close the group if the work stopped earning him money. [1]

Research and publication

Ahmad says he submitted a paper, intended for the European Journal of Taxonomy, which would have been the first by a Pakistani author. He says the journal sent the paper back and said it could not be published. He says the paper was said to have weak English, which he told them was not possible. He chose one person each from Australia, England and the USA and sent the paper to all three. [1]

He says he asked the government for a microscope. He says some rare insects could not be studied with the available microscope, so he had to send them to China. He says the papers will be published under a Pakistani name. He plans to name some of the new insect species after people who supported him. He says he has about 22 new-to-science insect discoveries in Pakistan. [1]

He says he is invited to several conferences in India and receives special invitations from abroad. He also says many scientists in India and America are asking him for things relating to insects. He says he has never asked the government for money. [1]

Views

On education, Ahmad says many Pakistani university teachers teach subjects they have never seen themselves. He says the textbook he was taught from dates to the 1960s and 1970s, while the lab work is current. He says that in Pakistan the priority is the degree, not what is learned. He says marks should be brushed aside, but acknowledges that marks matter within the system. He also says children are taught from the start that they should study in order to earn money. [1]

On insects, Ahmad says his vision began with wanting to end the habit of catching and killing insects. He says about a third of everyone's food depends on insects, and that lac, used in colours and cosmetics, comes from an insect. He says many people do not know how much benefit they get from insects, and that those who kill something without reason will be formally questioned for it. He says people now bring injured insects to him to ask what to feed them. [1]

Ahmad estimates that awareness has reached about 60 percent. He aims to see major insect scientists come out of Pakistan, and says his vision is for people to read and to teach. He says that if the government supports the field, he sees himself having a very large lab by 2050. He expects a great deal of improvement in science, and says that if the government carried out awareness work, it should lift up those who are doing good work. He also says curiosity is what makes people human. [1]

Personal life

Ahmad says he is not motivated by greed and has no interest in cars or expensive things. He says his sister also pins insects. He calls a man who travelled from Belgium to meet him in Pakistan his elder brother. [1]

Timeline

2011
Enrolled in a BS programme in agriculture and began using the internet.[1]
2016
Officially entered insect identification in taxonomy.[1]
2018
Created the Keero Ki Dunya group on 18 September.[1]

Appearances

DateTitleWhere
2021-07-23 The man who built Pakistan's insect community from scratch Thought Behind Things

Frequently asked questions

Who is Azaz Ahmad?

Azaz Ahmad is the founder of the Keero Ki Dunya group and works on insect identification in taxonomy. He comes from a village in Swabi district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He says he has about 22 new-to-science insect discoveries in Pakistan.[1]

What does Azaz Ahmad do?

Azaz Ahmad works on insect identification in taxonomy, and he officially entered that field in 2016. He says he regularly posts documented insects online and is building his own database of insects. He also says he is proud to be a teacher.[1]

Where did Azaz Ahmad study?

Azaz Ahmad attended a government college in Swabi after completing matric. In 2011 he enrolled in a BS programme in agriculture, and he also enrolled in entomology.[1]

Where is Azaz Ahmad from?

Azaz Ahmad comes from a village in Swabi district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He attended a private school in his village, and he says he is proud to call himself a villager.[1]

What group did Azaz Ahmad found?

Azaz Ahmad started the Keero Ki Dunya group after friends urged him to start his own group. He created it on 18 September 2018 and puts it at roughly 87,000 members.[1]

When did Azaz Ahmad start working on insect taxonomy?

Azaz Ahmad says he officially entered insect identification in taxonomy in 2016. He describes taxonomy as classifying insects by species, genus, family and order.[1]

How many new insect discoveries does Azaz Ahmad claim?

Azaz Ahmad says he has about 22 new-to-science insect discoveries in Pakistan. He plans to name some of the new insect species after people who supported him.[1]

What is Azaz Ahmad's vision for insect science?

Azaz Ahmad says his vision began with wanting to end the habit of catching and killing insects. He aims to see major insect scientists come out of Pakistan, and says that if the government supports the field he sees himself having a very large lab by 2050.[1]

References

  1. The man who built Pakistan's insect community from scratch . Thought Behind Things , 2021-07-23.
Show the source passages (69 statements)
  1. He comes from a village in Swabi district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Mera taluq hai Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ke zila Swabi ke gaon Dagai se.
  2. He attended a private school in his village. Main private school mein parha hoon apne gaon ke Dagai ke.
  3. He completed matric and then attended a government college in Swabi. udhar se maine matric kiya phir college jo hai meri woh hai Government Post Graduate College Swabi
  4. He says he spent more time on sports than on study at a government college in Swabi. Government Post Graduate College Swabi jo wahan maine parhne se zyada time khel kood mein guzara tha
  5. He enrolled in a BS programme in agriculture in 2011. 2011 mein maine BS mein dakhla liya Agriculture.
  6. He enrolled in entomology, remarking that if the subject was hard, someone had to take it on. maine kaha kaun kare ga agar mushkil hai maine dakhla liya Entomology mein
  7. He describes taxonomy as classifying insects by species, genus, family and order. Taxonomy ki jo jis mein hum yeh darja bandi karte hain kis zaat ka hai kis nau ka hai is ke genus kya hai family kya hai order kya hai
  8. He officially entered insect identification in taxonomy in 2016. maine officially kahein ke in ki identification Taxonomy mein maine qadam rakha 2016 mein
  9. He says he went into the field to observe insects in their natural habitat, collected them and raised them at home. main khud gaya un ko un ke qudrati mahol mein dekha un ko collect kar ke ghar laya pala dekha
  10. He says he has never touched a book on insects. maine keeron ki kisi kitab ko haath bhi nahi lagaya
  11. He says many Pakistani university teachers teach subjects they have never seen themselves. Pakistani universities woh zyada tar kitabein parhate hain matlab jo zyada teachers hain woh khud woh cheez parhate hain jo unhon ne kabhi dekha na ho
  12. He says the textbook he was taught from dates to the 1960s and 1970s, while the lab work is current. Bhai mujhe kitaab jo parhaya ja raha hai woh 1970 ka, 1960 ka likha hua hai. Jo lab mein hai woh aaj ka hai
  13. He says that as a university student he spent whole days in the lab rather than in class. Main khud university mein pure pure din lab mein hota. Ground mein chala jata, aksar main classroom mein kam, lab mein zyada hota.
  14. He says he learned more outside books and classrooms than inside them. toh maine kitabon se zyada, apne classroom se zyada maine khud bahar jaake seekha hai
  15. He says marks should be brushed aside, but acknowledges that marks matter within the system. Bhai marks ko goli maaro. Haan. Lekin idhar hai ke yeh bhi system hai ke marks zaroori hain
  16. He says he is proud to be a teacher. Toh main fakhr karta hoon ke main teacher hoon
  17. He says police once detained him in the Chichawatni jungle on suspicion of being an Indian agent. Chichawatni ke jungle se toh ek baar police bhi utha ke le gayi thi ke Indian agent ho
  18. He went to Muzaffarabad in Kashmir to collect insects. Kashmir mein main woh gaya tha Muzaffarabad Kashmir udhar main pohanchte hi maine collection shuru ki
  19. He says the first question people asked about his collecting was how much it sells for. Main kidhar bhi jata woh collect karta toh sab se pehle yehi sawal hota kitne ka bikta hai
  20. He says he has sometimes sold his laptop and sometimes his bike in order to go on tours. main khud kabhi laptop bech ke main chala jata kabhi apni bike bech ke main tour pe nikal jata
  21. He says he is not motivated by greed. main kisi woh lalach mein nahi hoon
  22. He says he might close the group if the work stopped earning him money. Kyunke agar mujhe woh kamayi na ho gi shayad main group bhi band kar doon
  23. He began using the internet in 2011. Internet maine shuru kiya 2011 mein.
  24. He says he first learned Facebook, then installing programs and using Google, around 2011 to 2012. us se maine seekha pehle Facebook seekha phir woh cheezein install karna phir Google waghera kyunke main is cheezon se thora hat ke tha toh taqreeban yeh 2011 12 mein
  25. He created the Keero Ki Dunya group on 18 September 2018. Yeh group maine banaya hai 18 September 2018 ko.
  26. He puts the group at roughly 87,000 members. ab taqreeban main bolun ke 87,000 plus bande
  27. After friends urged him to, he started his own group, Keero Ki Dunya. phir maine apna group banaya Keeron ki Duniya kuch doston ke kehne pe
  28. He says he used to make up funny stories to explain things. main ek cheez ko bayan karne ke liye funny stories banata tha
  29. He says he was once part of an international entomology group with over 135,000 members. pehle main international group mein tha Entomology ke naam se 1,35,000 se zyada members hain us mein
  30. He calls a man who travelled from Belgium to meet him in Pakistan his elder brother. woh Stephen DeGreef hai jo kahein toh ab mera bara bhai hai woh Belgium se mujh se milne aaya tha Pakistan
  31. He says he is invited to several conferences in India and receives special invitations from abroad. India mein bhi mujhe kai kanfaron se bulaya bahar se mujhe special invitations aate hain
  32. He says many scientists in India and America are asking him for things relating to insects. abhi bhi India ke woh America ke bohat scientist mujh se kuch cheezein maang rahe hain insects ke
  33. He says he regularly posts documented insects online. jo pehle se document huwe hain main baqaida woh net pe daal deta hoon
  34. He is building his own database of insects. ab ek database bhi main apna alag sa bana raha hoon
  35. He says he submitted a paper. Maine paper ek jagah submit kiya.
  36. He says the paper was intended for the European Journal of Taxonomy, which would have been the first by a Pakistani author. yeh pehla journal hai European Journal of Taxonomy jisme Pakistani pehla paper shaya hone wala tha
  37. He says the journal sent the paper back and said it could not be published. Woh waapis kiya keh rahe nahi publish ho sakta
  38. He says the paper was said to have weak English, which he told them was not possible. inhone kaha ke isme English kamzor hai maine kaha yeh mumkin hi nahi
  39. He chose one person each from Australia, England and the USA and sent the paper to all three. Maine ek banda Australia ka chuna ek England ka ek USA ka. Teeno jo English chalti hai sab ko woh paper bhej diya
  40. He says he asked the government for a microscope. Maine baare microscope mangi thi hukumat se.
  41. He says some rare insects could not be studied with the available microscope, so he had to send them to China. Mere paas kuch keere nayab hain jo in microscope se nahi honge. Majbooran mujhe woh China bhejne pare.
  42. He says the papers will be published under a Pakistani name. Toh theek hai woh publish honge, honge Pakistani naam se.
  43. He says he has about 22 new-to-science insect discoveries in Pakistan. taqreeban Pakistan mein mere 22 discoveries hain, new to science, insects ko leke
  44. He plans to name some of the new insect species after people who supported him. Kuch jo bande the jinhone mujhe support, mujhe support kiya tha, kuch insects ko unka naam doonga
  45. He says that after an apiary was started, he began providing organic honey to people. apiary start ki toh main maine organic shehed bhi provide karna shuru kiya logon ko
  46. He says he has never asked the government for money. maine kabhi hukumat se nahi kaha ke aap mujhe paise dein
  47. He says his vision began with wanting to end the habit of catching and killing insects. Khwaab yehi tha ke is wajah se shuru kiya ke kab tak hum in cheezon ko pakad ke maarte rahenge
  48. He estimates that awareness has reached about 60 percent. abhi mujhe lagta hai ke 60 percent awareness aa gayi hai
  49. He aims to see major insect scientists come out of Pakistan. main inshallah is level tak le ke jaunga ke Pakistan mein bade bade scientist niklenge insects ke
  50. He says the group has given people a platform and an idea. At least maine inko ek platform diya ek idea diya
  51. He says that in Pakistan the priority is the degree, not what is learned. hamara jo priority hai hamari woh hai degree. Bas degree mile.
  52. He says about a third of everyone's food depends on insects. matlab har aapki khorak ka teesra hissa inhi insects ki wajah se aata hai
  53. He says lac, used in colours and cosmetics, comes from an insect. Aapka jo lac hai lac insect hai unse lac milta hai mukhtalif colors cosmetics usme use hota hai
  54. He says Facebook is the easiest way he has found to reach people. Toh main Facebook na jo sabse aasaan zariya hai matlab main logon ke liye cheezein aasaan bana raha hoon
  55. He says he is making everything accessible to all, in a language everyone can understand. main wohi kar raha hoon ke har cheez sab ke liye accessible ho aisi zaban ho jis ko sab samajh sakein
  56. He says he has given his notes to everyone for free. Mere paas jo note, woh bhi sab ko maine free diye hain
  57. He says his vision is for people to read and to teach. Parhein, parhayein, bas yahi bas mera vision hai.
  58. He says that if the government supports the field, he sees himself having a very large lab by 2050. Aur main kahunga ke agar government bhi is cheez ko support kare, matlab main wahi agar 2050 mein inset ko leke dekh raha hoon, toh main yeh dekh raha hoon ke mera bahut bara lab hai
  59. He expects a great deal of improvement in science. Science ko leke mujhe kafi acha woh ho raha hai ke inshallah bahut zyada improvement hui hogi
  60. He says that if the government carried out awareness work, it should lift up those who are doing good work. toh agar hukumat bhi us cheez ko leke kuch awareness karein, logon ko agahiyan dein, toh Jo acha kaam kar raha hai usko upar lekar aaye na
  61. He says he is proud to call himself a villager. Main toh khud ko dehati bolte huwe fakhr mehsoos karta hoon
  62. He says children are taught from the start that they should study in order to earn money. Taqreeban ek jaise hote hain myths hote hain balke shuru se na bachchon ke zehen mein yeh dala jaata hai aapne padh ke paisa kamaana hai
  63. He says many people do not know how much benefit they get from insects. Inko pata nahi ke keedon se humein kitne fawaid mil rahe hain
  64. He says that those who kill something without reason will be formally questioned for it. aap bila wajah kisi cheez ko maarenge aap se baqaida sawal hoga
  65. He says people now bring injured insects to him to ask what to feed them. log zakhmi pakad ke insect mujhse poochein isko kya khilaun pilaun
  66. He says his sister also pins insects. Ab meri behen hai aisi pinning kar leti hai insects ki
  67. He says curiosity is what makes people human. tajassus insaan ko insaan bana raha hai
  68. He says his online teaching reaches what he describes as hundreds of thousands of people. baqi toh hain online mere kahein toh lakhon hain
  69. He says he has no interest in cars or expensive things. Na mujhe gaariyon ka shauq hai, na mehengi cheezon.