Delhi-the threshold of Sufis
by Sadia Dehlvi I Love Delhi, for it is the city of my birth and it is my prayer that I may die here,…
No place like home: inventive [homesick] Pakistanis
The popularity of Internet as a medium and the personal space it provides to the diaspora is evident from the growing number of Urdu…
Turned by the waves of Love – Rumi
Know that the wheeling heavens are turned by waves of Love: were it not for Love, the world would be frozen, stiff. How would…
Shah Ast Hussain – II
After reading my earlier post, my dear friend Sheraz Haider has corrected the translation of the Persian quatrain Shah Ast Hussain as follows: Ruler is…
Travelling again
Once again I am travelling .. I love to travel but when the internet connections in certain parts of the world are not great,…
Turned by the Waves of Love
Know that the wheeling heavens are turned by waves of Love: were it not for Love, the world would be frozen, stiff. How would…
Hanoi – Within the River
Today I found out that Ha Noi means “within the river” About the capital, the Vietnamese poet Nguyen Cong Tru (1778-1858) writes.. Whether it…
Yellow and Green
The yellow and the green defines old buildings in Hanoi. The image above is an old school building. Reminds me of our government buildings…
Images – More on Iqbal Hussain
The celebrated artist Iqbal Hussain also runs the famous Cooco’s cafe in the old Lahore. My friend of the Olive Ream fame was there…
Choosing to burn
my dear heart you’re a fire worshiper an explosive in flame call on the cupbearer to sprinkle the wine on you to soothe your…
Choosing to burn
my dear heart you’re a fire worshiper an explosive in flame call on the cupbearer to sprinkle the wine on you to soothe your…
… in the Crevices of My Dreams
I had written about Ayesha Salman and her poetry earlier. I just read this poem by her that she had written for her beloved sister.…
if you are a man of this life
if you are a man of this life then march on this path like a man or retire and take refuge in your house…
Miniature painting – the global traumas narrated by Saira Wasim
Saira Wasim is a prominent Pakistani miniaturist. I found a link to her website hidden in my unread emails. Some of her recent paintings…
A journey begins….
Adil Najam’s post on Lahore and its only statue made extremely nostalgic. I am however, excited as I will be there soon to spend the…
Wazir Khan Mosque – Lahore
It took us a an hour of navigating through the unruly traffic of Lahore to get to the old city. This was ostensibly a…
Indian Muslims – “A Story of Betrayalâ€
Sachar Committee Findings: A Story of Betrayal by Sadia Dehlvi The findings of the Sachar committee report on the status of Indian Muslims are…
Nizamuddin Auliya – for Marta Franceschini
My post on the pictures of Nizamuddin Auliya's dergah (shrine) attracted a visitor whose devotion to the great Nizamuddin is quite touching…
On Mukhtaran Mai (Book Review)
Sadia Dehlvi has sent me this book review that was published by the Hindustan Times. Mukhtar Mai In the Name of Honour: A memoir With…
If you don’t know the way – Rumi
If you have a touchstone, go ahead, choose; otherwise, go and devote yourself to one who knows the differences. Either you must have a…