Who am I,my friend
How does a part of the world leave the world? How can wetness leave water? Don’t try to put out a fire by throwing…
Any Chance Meeting
In every gathering, in any chance meeting on the street, there is a shine, an elegance rising up. Today, I recognized that that jewel-like…
Photo of the Day: Sufis and Soothsayers in Pakistan
By Shreeya Sinha Religious devotees dance in a state of trance at the shrine of Saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in the ancient city of Sehwan Sharif,…
When the heart becomes whole
When the heart becomes whole, it will know the flavors of falsehood and truth. When Adam’s greed for the forbidden fruit increased, it robbed…
Pakistani cricket hero Imran Khan’s rally in Lahore
Washington Post quoted my tweet “Today’s rally shows that the old political configuration is changing. You have to factor in the young, urbanized Pakistan…
Book review: A psycho-social perspective on terror
The launch of Dr Unaiza Niaz’s excellent book in September was most symbolic, as the world commemorated the ghastly incident of 9/11 and the…
The History of Hate
Today, Thursday, October 6, Luis Bernabé-Pons, Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Alicante in Spain, will be speaking about Islam…
Social media: Good, bad and the ugly
Despite the threats and risks, the Internet has provided a useful platform for people-to-people contacts. It has also facilitated issue-based engagement among South Asians…
That easy intimacy
A Pakistani re-discovers Bangladesh. As a Pakistani, there is a part of you that reacts instantly to the word Bangladesh: guilt, remorse or, in…
Death Sentence in Slaying of Pakistani Governor
From the New York Times: “Today’s judgment is a positive development whereby norms of justice have prevailed. Pakistan cannot be allowed to become a…
Heart to Heart: Remembering Naina Devi
My dear friend Vidya Rao’s labour of love is finally out. She has been working on this project for quite a while. Her book…
Greater role for women in decision-making
Last week, I was invited to speak at a seminar on ‘Exploring the Gender Friendliness in Democratic Institutions’ orgnaised by The South Asia Partnership…
No more escape routes
Pakistan’s military should review the Taliban rule in Afghanistan and how they were not always the kind of partners and proxies we had envisioned…
Video| On Kabir, Bulleh Shah and Lalon Shah
Not a great recording of my talk at Kuch Khaas, Islamabad. I read some of my papers – written by me on three of…
When are we going to open our eyes?
By Raza Rumi Recent reports quote General Kayani saying that Pakistan-US relations are ‘good’ and were ‘improving’. These remarks follow hectic parleys between various…
Pakistan’s foreign policy: Escaping India?
As Pakistan negotiates with a critical moment of its 64-year-old existence, there is nothing more urgent than to review its foreign policy goals and…
Disasters, dengue and local government
By Raza Rumi: In the past few weeks, the intractable crisis of governance has once again exposed the dysfunctional nature of the Pakistani state,…
I wasn’t like this before….
believe me i wasn’t always like this lacking common sense or looking insane like you i used to be clever in my days never…
Some sobering lessons
By Raza Rumi: Adecade after the ghastly attacks on the Twin Towers, the world has not changed. It is business as usual: imperial projects,…
“This Useless Heart”
Heart, since you embraced the mysteries, you have become useless for anything else. Go mad, don’t stay sane. People meditate to get something. All…