Doing as others told me/I was blind
Rumi’s Quatrain (no 77) can have so many interpretations ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Doing as others told me, I was blind. Coming when others called me, I…
The myriad voices of Pakistani blogosphere
My first post at Global Voices “Pakistan’s growing blogosphere presents a kaleidoscope of the complex, contradictory developments within the country. The country is in…
Rumi and Sufism
An Interview with Seyyed Hossein Nasr on Islam’s Spiritual Science in the Modern Age By WAJAHAT ALI Rumi, the best selling poet in America…
Confessions from ‘A Case of Exploding Mangoes’
Found a great excerpt from Mohammed Hanif’s novel, A Case of Exploding Mangoes where he recounts on his time at the Pakistani military academy…
We can smile in adversity too – the Biharis in Bangladesh
I took this photo at a Bihari camp in Dhaka. Thousands of ‘Pakistanis’ are stranded in Bangaldesh since 1971 and both the states refuse…
No Shangri-La – Tibet revisited
Found this brilliant piece by Slavoj Žižek writing for the London Review of Books Also Published in NY Times The media imposes certain stories…
Fascist Wilders should be ignored
“..calling it a film is to abuse both the English language and the legacy of cinema” Yesterday, a friend sent an internet link to…
Doors in Metal
“Doors in Metal” by Rumi Tell me, O Love, Who is more elegant, You or this vast garden of yours? Shine, O moon, You…
My poems have been published – finally
This is the first time… Two poems of mine have been published by the international poetry digest, “A Hudson View” in its Spring 2008…
Shoaib Akhtar – a fallen hero
There have been some avoidable outbursts by both Akhtar and his disciplinarians. Akhtar has a chequered past in the conventional sense; and perhaps his…
Watering the the Indus Valley
Published in telegraph.co.uk – Last Updated: 12:01am – BST – 17/05/2008 Peter Parker reviews Empires of the Indus: the Story of a River by…
Open the window of your heart
Do not worry if our harp breaks thousands more will appear. We have fallen in the arms of love where all is music. If…
In praise of mothers..
A reader from Karachi, Ahsan Jan Allawala – a student at the SZABIST, has contributed this little piece on the Mother’s Day. He wanted…
Sufi rock by an immensely talented band
This video is from the band Da Saaz. Dhruv Bilal Sangari is singing and Raoul Amaar Abbas has directed, produced and shot all the…
South Asia has lost a great crusader of peace
Nirmila Deshpande is dead. She will be remembered for her invaluable services for peace in the region. This statement from the Asian Human Rights…
Throw Away the Books – Bulleh Shah
Bulleh Shah (1680-1758) of Kasur in Central Punjab is an extraordinary voice that provided a mystical message beyond caste, institutionalized religion and ideologies of…
Sufi Qawwali – Mehr Ali and Sher Ali
Sadiq has written a wonderful post here – I am cross posting it here. Couple of nights back (24, April, 08) came an unanticipated…
How the Pentagon manipulated the media to promote the Iraq war
David Walsh writes at WSWS On April 20, the New York Times published a lengthy article by investigative reporter David Barstow detailing the US Defense Department’s…
Faiz, a Peaceful Revolutionary
This is in continuation of the splendid translation series undertaken by Mr. Anis Zuberi and contributed by JZ for this blog. Earlier posts can…
Islamic poster art in India – and South Asia
This piece entitled, My Name is Green, published in the weekly Outlook India traces how “forged in the cultural ferment of a century ago,…