Beirut – taste of smoke and fire (Best Photos 2006)
Many months ago I wrote about a popular song by the Lebanese singer Fairouz. To Beirut – peace to Beirut with all my heart…
Leela – a poem by HUR
HUR occasioanlly sends his poetry. This is a compact poem on a very complex subject. I am posting it here for the readers to…
Remembering the evening glow in Murree
Yasir’s beautiful image of the typical evening glow in Murree brought back all the memories of my life there. I lived in this hill station…
“Other wakefulness”
The more awake one is to the material world, the more one is asleep to spirit. When our soul is asleep to God, other…
The Intellectual
The Intellectual The intellectual is always showing off; the lover is always getting lost. The intellectual runs away, afraid of drowning; the whole business…
Halaku, when you will come to Baghdad this time..
I feel privileged these days. There are such interesting and thoughtful friends in the blogosphere who are adding more poetry to my life. Mystic…
Indus Valley Civilisation – another discovery
There is more to the Indus valley civilization than we think. “The discovery of rare objects during an excavation expedition in Cholistan desert by…
M F Husain’s woes
M.F. Husain, India’s best known painter is under threat from the guardians of public and national morality. This eccentric, 91 year old painter should…
I will meet you yet again – Amrita Pritam
Yet again, I was mesmerized by the passion and force of Amrita’s poetry. Even though this is a translation, it renders the mood rather…
Another poem by Zehra Nigah
Another well known poem from Zehra Nigah (again) with a translation by Rakshanda Jalil: Complete poem here >>…
Three poems by a leading Pakistani poet
Zehra Nigah is a prominent poet from Pakistan with a distinct style and voice. A modernist who is also inspired by the classical traditions…
Choosing sweetness or vinegar
Poem by Rumi translated by Nader Khalili. don’t need a companion who is nasty sad and sour the one who is like a grave…
Ever drunk with love
Poetic version by Jonathan Star and Shahram Shiva “A Garden Beyond Paradise – The Mystical Poetry of Rumi” Bantam Books, 1992 Poem here >>…
What happened to reading?
Ilona Yusuf, a poet muses about the demise of the reading culture. This narrative echoes my anguish over the loss of heritage and value…
On infinite love – from Kashul Mahjub
Found these moving lines from Kashful Mahjub courtesy the seeker. Kashful Mahjub is one of the early treatises on Sufism and has shown light to many Sufis world-wide.…
Ozymandius – Shelley
The name Ozymandias (or Osymandias) is generally believed to refer to Ramesses the Great (i.e., Ramesses II), Pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty of ancient…
Remembering Bedil
For Indians unfamiliar with Urdu or Persian literature Bedil presents a bit of a paradox: he was born in Patna (died in Delhi) but…
The new slave dynasty in South Asia?
“Writer Arundhati Roy said in an interview last week that at least India’s growing middle class was reared on a diet of radical consumerism…
Women Sufis of Delhi
One of my favourite verses of the Quran is Surah Al Azhab which makes it clear that spiritual blessings are intended for both righteous…
Karachi – “Bright Lights”
Each time one visits Karachi the sprawling metropolis seems more run down. Crumbling infrastructure, notwithstanding the recent improvements, and a sense of neglect are…