THE DANCE OF SHIVA
Truly, LOVE is the sole universal experience. In modern times, we all know Human Love, but can we cross over to Divine Love, as…
The electric, worrisome and meandering Long March in Pakistan
NYT report on Long March highlights the electrifying atmosphere in Islamabad yesterday: The crowd, including an unusual number of women for this Muslim country,…
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…
Rannikot II
Salman Rashid muses on the ancient site of Rannikot in Sindh and prefers that it is”enigmatic, inscrutable, inviting” One thing is certain about Rannikot:…
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…
The myriad voices of Pakistani blogosphere
My first post at Global Voices was published last night “Pakistan’s growing blogosphere presents a kaleidoscope of the complex, contradictory developments within the country.…
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…
Christian Fundamentalism, the Global Crusade and Muslims
Yoginder Sikand, the Indian analyst sent me this well written expose on problem that we all confront – of coping with fundamentalism. Now let…
No bar to love
Christian Spurrier on the tragedy of Gramsci’s prison years as revealed in letters to his wife and sons (Guardian) When I see the actions…
Confessions from ‘A Case of Exploding Mangoes’
Found a great excerpt from Mohammed Hani’s novel, A Case of Exploding Mangoes where he recounts on his time at the Pakistani military academy…
The story of an ivory chair – Murshidabad’s gift to Hastings
Dr Amin Jaffer, the expert on Indian arts and furniture, currently working at Christie’s holds forth in a conversation below. The chair above is…
Intisaab- Faiz’s poem with translation
Intisaab by Faiz Ahmed Faiz Aaj ke naam Aur Aaj ke gham ke naam Aaj ka gham ke hai zindagi ke bhare gulistan se…
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…
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…
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 Alice Albinia The River…
In praise of mothers..
A reader from Karachi, Ahsan Jan Allawala – Â a student at the SZABIST, has contributed this little piece on the Mother’s Day. He wanted…
No Shangri-La – Tibet revisited
Found this brilliant piece by Slavoj  ek writing for the London Review of Books The media imposes certain stories on us, and the one…
Symbolism And Allegory In Qur’aan
The Message of the Quran Translated and Explained by Muhammad Asad (Formerly Leopold Weiss) When studying the Quran, one frequently encounters what may be…
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…
The sea was calm behind your house
A POEM By Basil Fernando ( dedicated to M. I. Kuruvilla) In a day in July 1983 When our nation had gone mad I…