By: Osama Siddique
Dear Raza It is delightful to experience the old city through your evocative writings as well as Fawad’s, alongwith Mahboob Ali’s wonderful woodcuts. Since…
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,…
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…
“I am free, my mind is free..”- Bulleh Shah
Bulleh Shah’s original thought and courage has always inspired me. A few days ago, I was struck by these verses of Bulleh Shah. I…
Reality Check – a disturbing picture of Lahore
Further to my post on Lahore and its various colours, the picture above offered a little reality check.. This ugly commercialism is unbecoming... From…
Chiragh Delhi
My young friend and spiritual guide of sorts, Salman Chisty, has written about Hazrat Nasiruddin, Chiragh Delhi. While reading the details on his life,…
Rites of Sense – a poem
Meena Alexander’s poem Rites of Sense’ concerns the fundamental question of freedom . The poem was published in Meena Alexander’s book, Illiterate Heart (TriQuarterly…
More on Data Ganj Bakhsh of Lahore
Further to yesterday’s post on Data Saheb, Shirazi Saheb from Lahore has sent this story related to Data Ganj Baksh. The incident seems to…
Shaikh Ali Hujwiri – Data Saheb of Lahore
Originally uploaded by Jahane Rumi The shrine of Shaikh Ali Hajweri, Data Ganj Bakhsh, or Data Sahib is a landmark of sorts in the subcontinent.…
Seek the Fountain Within Yourself
There are two kinds of intelligence. One is that acquired by a child at school from books and teachers, new ideas and memorization. Your…
The China Threat
BOOK REVIEW: Investigating the China threat by Khaled Ahmed The fact that Globalisation has been allowed to sink to the level of a darwinist…
…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…
All Colors Become One
The baptism of God is the dyeing vat of Hu, God’s absoluteness, in which all colors become one. When the contemplative falls into that…
A journey begins…
Adil Najam’s post on Lahore and its only statue made extremely nostalgic. I am however, excited as I will be there soon to spend…
Orhan Pamuk’s recognition and the complex world we live in..
The characters in my novel are groaning under the burden of universal ideas. Overtaxing yourself with powerful ideas is practically a Turkish passion Orhan…
He set the world aflame – Rumi
He set the world aflame, And laid me on the same; A hundred tongues of fire Lapped round my pyre. And when the blazing…
On Mukhtaran Mai (Book Review)
Sadia Dehlvi has sent me this book review that was published by the Hindustan Times. Mukhtar Mai In the Name of Honour: A memoir…
You I choose, of all the world, alone…
This 16th century miniature (BNF Paris) depicts Shams Tabriz – from an illustrated copy of the Divan-i-Shams Tabriz, collection of Rumi’s verse named after…
Thou art the sky and the deep sea (Rumi)
When you fall asleep, you go from the presence of yourself into your own true presence. You hear something and surmise that someone else…
By: Syed Ather Ahmed