It is the death of history…
Fisk on the long term impact of Iraq tragedy: 2,000-year-old Sumerian cities torn apart and plundered by robbers. The very walls of the mighty…
A damning UN report
The revelation contained in a recent UN report on Afghanistan that “more than 80 per cent” of suicide bombers in Afghanistan are recruited and…
Isfahan’s Blue Mosque inspires a painting
On a long tiring flight, I was not too amused by another predictable rant on “Intimidation in Tehran” in the Time magazine. However, while…
Glimpses of nineteenth century Iran
The nineteenth century photos from Iran, commissioned by the ruling monarch are delightful. A special photographer was assigned the task to capture shots of…
A picture tells a thousand stories
An old man in Iraq looks at the rubble left after another round of bombing. There is a bit of confidence in his posture.…
Longing for Istanbul
Discovered some fabulous photos of Istanbul here taken by Nuri Bilge Ceylan. Looking at these images, my longing for Istanbul has come back. I…
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…
The Story of Gul Badshah – Z. Nigah
Zehra Nigah’s beautiful poem for an Afghan boy, a victim of the war that was waged in the name of world peace but that…
Mission Accomplished – Louise Rill on Iraq
Stumbling upon Louise Rill’s poetry website was rewarding. I found this unyielding poem on Iraq operation signifying the emotions of many citizens in the…
Hanoi – Within the River
Today I found out that Ha Noi means “within the river” About the capital, the Vietnamese poet Nguyen Cong Tru (1778-1858) writes.. Whether it…
Yellow and Green
The yellow and the green defines old buildings in Hanoi. The image above is an old school building. Reminds me of our government…
Indian Muslims – “A Story of Betrayal”
Sachar Committee Findings: A Story of Betrayal by Sadia Dehlvi The findings of the Sachar committee report on the status of Indian Muslims are…
Hijab and the truth behind it
Hindustan Times published this piece by Sadia Dehlvi yesterday. Two weeks ago, an Afghan woman carrying a baby in her arms and wearing a…
Muhammad’s Sword
Good old Uri is back with a great piece. Thank God it wasn’t written by another fundamentalist islamofascist….. Since the days when Roman Emperors…
Few Images of Contemporary Bengali Art
What therefore is desired from Indian artists worthy of that name is something distinctly Indian. The most inept feature of the present exhibition is…
I found Roses in Konya…
I have been wanting to write about my recent trip to Konya. Words have failed me. This was my second trip to Konya –…
Iran – Navigating the labyrinth
In the West, experts on Iran can be divided into two broad categories: academics/scholars and journalists. Nikki Keddie (academic) and Robin Wright (journalist) in…