Hi, I'm Muhammad Ali.

I grew up in Ghulkin, a small village in the Hunza Gojal Valley of northern Pakistan, where Wakhi wasn't just a language. It was how we shared stories, sang songs, laughed, and stayed connected as a community.  

When I moved to Karachi for university, I started a small Facebook group to share Wakhi stories, and moments from our culture. At the time, I wasn't thinking about preserving a language. I simply wanted to share something I loved with others who missed home, just like I did.

A few years later, while studying in Germany, I experienced something I'll never forget. I visited a university where students were learning Wakhi. Hearing my mother tongue spoken by people from another part of the world was something I never expected. It reminded me that a language doesn't have to be spoken by millions to matter. As long as people are willing to learn it, speak it, and pass it on, it has a future.

That experience helped me see that what had started as a simple Facebook group could become something much bigger.

Over the years, people have trusted Shupun with their stories, memories, and encouragement. Parents have listened our bedtime stories, sung our nursery rhymes and songs and read our books with their children. Friends have shared our work with others. Elders have entrusted us with stories and traditions that deserve to be remembered. Little by little, what started as a personal project has become something shared by a growing community of people who care deeply about language and culture.

The name Shupun comes from the Wakhi word for shepherds. To me, a shepherd is someone who guides with care, looks after others, and helps the next generation find its way. That's the spirit behind Shupun. We believe everyone can be a leader by sharing their language, celebrating their culture, and inspiring others to do the same.

Today, Shupun brings together stories, books, songs, games, and learning resources that celebrate Wakhi and other beautiful endangered languages. If something here helps a child learn a new word, reminds someone of home, or inspires another family to keep speaking their language, then every story we've shared has been worthwhile.

Every language has a story worth sharing.