Islamabad:An auspicious ceremony was held on Sunday at Islamabad Club to mark the launch of a book based on fiction ‘Sunset Boulevard’ by Salma Iftikhar.

In the book she journeys through the ‘golden period’ of the present traumatised state and nostalgically recollects the times when life was simple and secure, packed with hope, love and passion.

The book provides an opportunity to peep into the socio-cultural set up of Pakistan besides giving a detail about the lifestyle of people living here.

Talking to ‘The News’ Salma Iftikhar said that she tried to depict the era, the social structures and compromises the girl had to made during 1969. “It is about the girls who have to make sacrifices throughout their lives in the society,” she said.

It is the second book written by Salma, which according to her was a way to express so much in her mind. “It’s an inspiration from nowhere, but from our very own lives,” she said.

Salma said that in the book one would have the glimpses of Karachi, Murree, Lahore, Hawaii and then to Paris so one would come across the culture and lifestyles of all these places while reading the book.

While talking about the start of her journey she said, “I was deeply pained by my mother’s demise earlier this year and to pay tribute to her, I wrote a booklet to memorialise her”. According to Salma her first book was deeply appreciated by all, friends, siblings, her husband and children, which further encouraged her to write the book.

The Salma is a teacher by profession and she has been associated with this noble profession for the last thirty years. She has also written and directed stage plays, which have been applauded and appreciated.

A poem written on the start of book grasp the attention of the reader at once which says:

The love that merged with fate,

Appeared on the horizon late,

Like the opulent morning breeze,

Like dew drops from withered rose,

Like the splendour of sunrise,

Sinking in the obscurity of sunset.

The wind that blows around me,

Wraps my spirit to overwhelm me,

With love, and stillness of silence,

Sometimes on a misty morning,

Often in the painful slumber of the night; THE NEWS