Glimpses of nineteenth century Iran
The nineteenth century photos from Iran, commissioned by the ruling monarch are delightful. A special photographer was assigned the task to capture shots of…
New paintings inspired by the golden Bengal
Having spent some weeks in Bangladesh, I ventured to closely observe the folk motifs in Bengali art. I had always admired the simplicity and…
Master strokes
“Perhaps Maqbool Fida Husain could take some solace in the knowledge that in his being lambasted for painting Hindu goddesses, he has joined the…
A tribute to Nizamuddin Auliya – Marta’s story
So I go there again and again. I feel the magic of its atmosphere and I believe it is due to the tomb. The…
Body Loom – by Pakistan’s notable poet
Body Loom by M. Athar Tahir Published in the Daily Dawn (reviewer- Muneeza Shamsie) There have been so few notable English language poetry collections…
Unending thirst – Rumi
I don’t get tired of You. Don’t grow weary of being compassionate toward me! All this thirst-equipment must surely be tired of me, the…
Shah Ast Hussain
10th Moharram is a day of mourning for all Muslims. The tragic incident at Kerbala where the righteous Hussain refused to submit to the…
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…