Islamabad: Neelofar Sherazi can turn bricks into rubble that too with just one strike of her right hand.
Neelofar, who hails from Battagram district in Mansehra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, currently lives in Islamabad. She attained Masters degrees in Chemistry and English, and teaches online.
Brick-breaking is her passion and she has been doing this since 2018. However, her formal practice started in November 2019.
Neelofar devotes around two hours every day to practice this art, which is not common in Pakistan, particularly among women.
Neelofar, 24, told Gulf News that as a child she used to be a shy girl and cried whenever someone bullied her.
“Whenever in class or playground someone intimidated me, I became so upset that I spent hours crying and rubbing my eyes and I did this so often that it damaged my retina and affected my eyesight.”
In order to overcome her fear of bullies, Neelofar resorted to learning how to break bricks, “something my family even my friends and colleagues had never heard of before.
“I want to make a world record of breaking seven blocks with a single strike,” she said. She can currently do five.
Neelofar received training from a Martial Arts veteran Master Chen in a local club of Islamabad. Describing Neelofar as an unusually strong-nerved, persistent athlete, Chen said she was doing great by practising daily without fail.
“Her record is that of breaking 150 bricks in three minutes, something, we are proud of,” Chen said, adding “she has performed at various events and won wide applause.
“When she came to my training centre she was in a critical condition having had a recent eye surgery. Brick-breaking in a way gave her a new lease of life," he said.
“Pakistani bricks are different from the brick blocks that international martial arts athletes use for the purpose of making records, and I have asked Neelofar to practice breaking them as well,” Chen said.
Like Neelofar, her two sisters and two brothers are also highly educated and settled in their professions. Her father is a senior government officer and supports her in her endeavours.
About Pakistani women, Neelofar said they have great talent to make their mark in the world, “we only need to support and recognise their talent”.
Neelofar spends Sundays in kitchen, helping her mother in cooking. She is also a volunteer and works for social service and community development.