The Public Sculptures of Lahore – the Raj revisited
Sheraz from Islamabad has contributed this amazing account of Lahore’s eclectic past. The influence of the British rulers resulted in erection of sculptures at…
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…
Architectural Neglect – Lahore again..
Random musings in continuation of the discussions on the construction of the 7 (or is it 5?) -star hotel in Islamabad on Adil Najam’s…
Revisiting Kabir – the Weaver, the Myth, the Master
When Sufi thought, an off-shore spiritual undercurrent to the rise of Islam, met its local hosts, the results were terrific.…
Indian mutiny was war of religion
India celebrates the 150th anniversary next year of the Indian mutiny or “first war of independence”, when Indian soldiers of the British army rebelled…
The Lost Jewel – Rediscovering Hazrat Ali’s Letter
This is a fascinating story. Pakistan’s premier female poet Fahmida Riaz, read a letter by the fourth Caliph, Hazrat Ali while browsing through a…
Dalrymple’s The Last Mughal
I was introduced to William Dalrymple when I read the City of Djinns a decade ago. What struck me was the fluid style of…
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…
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…
Opium City:The Making of Early Victorian Bombay
Courtesy Three Essays Collective, I found this book review on an important yet less known facet of South Asian History: Opium City The Making…
What The Ancients Did For Us – the Islamic World
Islamic inventions and contributions are narrated in a documentary entitled” What The Ancients Did For Us”. This production investigates the social and scientific advances…
End of the Enlightenment
This is a 2005 piece published by NewScientist.com and authored by Debora Mackenzie is an interesting read. I have often wondered where the world…
Ode to Mirza Ghalib’s Haveli
This excellent post brought found here back so many memories – of my two memorable visits to the famed but neglected Haveli From My…