Photographer, writer, and podcaster, Mahwash Rehman has dedicated her life to exploring gender, culture, and everyday life, creating work that is at once deeply personal and socially resonant. Whether capturing the courage of Pakistan’s women cricketers or narrating Urdu stories for children across the globe, Mahwash’s mission is pretty straightforward: to ensure heritage, language, and culture continue to thrive in every corner of the world.
A mother of two teenagers, Mahwash currently lives in London with her family. But the rhythms of Lahore, the city that shaped her, live through her creative work.
“I grew up in one city, one lane, one house for the first two decades of my life. The next two decades have been nothing short of a nomadic life. In that sense, Lahore has always been my anchor. My rock. The only certainty I have ever known.”
A Life Guided by Observation and Reflection
Mahwash describes herself as a lifelong learner, a trait that has shaped both her academic and creative paths. She holds an MBA from LUMS, a postgraduate diploma in photography from IVSAA, and recently completed an MSc in Global Development (Gender Pathway) from SOAS, University of London at age 45. But degrees aside, Mahwash’s work is grounded in a keen observation of the everyday.
“What may appear mundane often holds the deepest truths about lived experience, power relations, and how they are continuously produced and reproduced. The everyday is both a site of agency and contestation, and this perspective shapes much of my creative and academic work.”
Her lens, both literal and metaphorical, has always been drawn to moments where identity, culture, and social dynamics intersect. From watching Mushairas with her father to sitting through family weddings and learning to play the dholki, Mahwash’s early years were steeped in rhythm, poetry, and the storytelling traditions of Lahore.
“Keeping the child in me alive is essential. That sense of curiosity, wondering what life has in store, continues to motivate me to move forward.”
Photography as Social Commentary
Mahwash’s first major project, Women in Green and Beyond, chronicles the Pakistani women’s cricket team over six years, capturing resilience, ambition, and strength of character often overlooked in mainstream narratives. The project was inspired by Allama Iqbal’s metaphor of the shaheen, or eagle – a symbol of courage, strength, and self-realization.
“I always thought Iqbal was talking to me directly when he referred to his Shaheens. When I saw the passion with which our women cricketers played, under conditions that were far from ideal, I saw that same shaheen in them. Through my lens, I tried to translate their presence, guiding them to reflect that strength in posture, gaze, and movement.”
For Mahwash, photography is never just about aesthetics; it is a vehicle for storytelling and social reflection. She carefully considered each frame, angle, and composition to convey not only the physicality of the athletes but the ethos of resilience they embodied.
“During the course of this project, I was living my own dreams and aspirations through these women,” she says. “They were my eagles.”
The book, which features a foreword by Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy and a blurb by Fatima Bhutto, became both a tribute to these trailblazing women and a meditation on ambition, struggle, and cultural identity in Pakistan.
Bachpan Ki Kahaniyan: Reviving the Oral Tradition
If Women in Green celebrates women, Mahwash’s podcast, Bachpan Ki Kahaniyan (BKK), preserves childhood, language, and cultural memory. Launched in 2020, BKK is an Urdu storytelling podcast for children, created to help families in the diaspora maintain a connection to their roots. Its origins are deeply personal.
“I think it was born long before my own experience of motherhood or living abroad. The seed was planted when I was little. My siblings and I are the youngest on both our maternal and paternal sides, and some of our extended family were settled abroad. When they used to visit Pakistan, I noticed, even as a child, that there was a certain kind of disconnect between my grandparents and my cousins who did not speak Urdu. The love was apparent, but the barrier of language had placed a distance between them. It was very subtle, but I felt it deeply, as I was very close to my Nani,” she reveals.
“I therefore made a very conscious effort with my children to ensure that they retain their mother tongue. I used to read them Urdu stories and make them listen to Urdu poetry and songs. I would arrange Urdu tuitions for them when we visited Pakistan. There was a rule in the house to speak only in Urdu. Today, my children are 18 and 19, and I am proud that they can converse fluently in Urdu, though I still have regrets that they never really learned to write Urdu properly. When you have children, you do not even realize how quickly time passes. Starting BKK was an effort for families who were in similar shoes, something that could help them keep their native language alive, so that when they look back, they too can feel proud that they empowered their children with their own language. I gave one and a half years of my life to BKK, and it is my way of giving back to my community.”
The project officially began in 2019.
“The podcast was first published in 2020 with three episodes. There was no AI obsession at the time. In fact, it coincided with Covid, and there was a huge shift toward going online. You might recall how there was a boost in Instagram Lives. This helped BKK gain traction, as families were actively looking for activities to keep children engaged during lockdown. In deciding which medium to adopt for BKK, I consciously chose the podcast format, not only because podcasts are, by definition, voice-only, but because I genuinely wanted it to remain voice-only. I wanted to create space for children to slow down and use their imagination, to visualise characters from the stories we grew up listening to, engage with new words, and reflect on the lessons within them. My aim with each story is for a child to take away a key lesson,” Mahwash states.
“In today’s AI-obsessed world, that choice has taken on new meaning. When so much of childhood is mediated through screens, speed, and automation, oral storytelling offers something radically human: presence, listening, and imagination. It resists overstimulation and creates space for inner worlds to be nurtured rather than be constantly filled with information thrown at light speed.”
Language, Memory, and Diaspora Identity
The format of BKK is simple but wonderfully crafted: a story narrated in Urdu, with light English support for understanding, followed by reflection on the key lesson, and ending with a playful quiz. Each episode encourages children to imagine, reflect, and internalize values, creating a space where culture is not only taught but experienced.
With over 50 episodes and more than 100,000 downloads across 140 countries, BKK has organically become part of daily routines for Pakistani families abroad, played during commutes, bedtime, or quiet afternoons. Episodes like #42 Hamdardi (Empathy) and #32 Aik Pahaar Aur Gulehri teach children to embrace compassion, curiosity, and resilience, drawing from poetry, folklore, and lived experience.
“Each story I choose allows children to reflect on values, resilience, and their own agency. I want them to feel empowered through culture, language, and imagination.”
For Mahwash, BKK is not just entertainment; it is an act of preservation. It is a way to pass down identity to the next generation, especially for children growing up far from Pakistan.
“The roots we carry become whispers of identity. Language is not just communication…it’s memory, it’s belonging. Preserving Urdu through storytelling ensures children carry our culture forward in a meaningful way.”
Living abroad in the US, UAE, Trinidad and Tobago, and now the UK, Mahwash has experienced the tension of diaspora life firsthand. BKK became her tool to build bridges across generations and geographies. Parents regularly share videos of their children engaging with the podcast, a testament to the immense power of storytelling in nurturing identity.
“It warms my heart that BKK has quietly traveled into so many homes. What began as a small project has now crossed 100,000 downloads, growing largely through word of mouth.”
The Thread That Binds It All
From photography to podcasting, Mahwash’s work may seem diverse at first glance, but it is united by a single thread: the pursuit of self-actualization and cultural continuity.
“I see my role as a bridge, helping people understand each other and their own stories better. I hope people take away a moment of reflection, a pause to ponder, and even if they do not agree, an openness to understanding a different point of view. That is the most powerful moment of liminality.”
Currently, Mahwash is working on her second photography publication, a series of black-and-white portraits documenting Pakistan’s living legends, including Saeed Akhtar, Salima Hashmi, Nayyer Ali Dada, and Anwar Maqsood. Through this ongoing work, she continues to highlight stories of resilience, creativity, and legacy.
“Keeping the child in me alive is essential. That sense of curiosity, wondering what life has in store, continues to motivate me. Storytelling is my way of carrying Lahore, culture, and Urdu into the world, so that the next generation knows they belong.”