On Rumi, Iqbal and ‘Dynamic Sufism’
Pakistan celeberates Allama Iqbal’s death anniversary on April 21 with the usual lip-service. The key messages of Iqbal seem to have been lost in…
Our endangered heritage
Delhi’s Red Fort was once a symbol of Mughal power and the myriad India was ruled for centuries from this fort. It has continued…
Mohsin Hamid on Indo-Pak perceptions
Hamid thinks that India is more jingoistic than Pakistan. There were some interesting moments in the interview as the quote below indicates. Full…
The second floor – a promising space
This sounds like an exciting initiative. A newly established space – The Second Floor – holds much promise. This is what the website has…
Meeting Iqbal Hussain in Lahore
During my recent visit to Lahore, I met the Lahore artist, Iqbal Hussain. We had a nice, engaging chat, saw his recent works some…
Saving Heritage
Not a day passes when we are not reminded of the gradual erosion of our heritage. It is time that we thought of different…
Striking Prints from a young Pakistani artist
I finally got hold of the digital images of some lovely prints by Samar Ataullah – a graduate of the National College of Arts,…
Surveys show that Pakistanis (and Muslims) reject ‘terrorism’
The Daily Times Pakistan has published a story on surveys carried out by various organizations. The results are quite revealing not least for Pakistan.…
“Seeds of peace on cricket field”
Saw this insightful piece by a Pakistani researcher in the Baltimore Sun. Read more >>…
The Faustus In Us (translation by Temporal)
Temporal read a translation of Parveen Shakir’s poem on this blog and created another translation. In many ways, this is a more modern version,…
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…
Images – More on Iqbal Hussain
The celebrated artist Iqbal Hussain also runs the famous Cooco’s cafe in the old Lahore. My friend of the Olive Ream fame was there…
Iqbal Hussain – Lahore’s controversial artist
Iqbal Hussain from Lahore is one of the finest painters we have. Most of his paintings depict women from the Heera Mandi (literally the…
Katas Temple
I found this beautiful image on Pak Pics blog. The picture was uploaded by Naeem Rashid. And read this in my inbox: Jhooti Mooti…
No place like home: inventive [homesick] Pakistanis
The popularity of Internet as a medium and the personal space it provides to the diaspora is evident from the growing number of Urdu…
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…
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…
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…
Qasmi, literary feuds and national neglect
While responding to the comments on my ATP post on Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi , I rambled a little on the literary feuds among the…
Woodcuts in Colour: Mahboob Ali in Lahore
Today, I was delighted to receive and email from a Pakistani artist Mahboob Ali with a few images of his work. Mahboob Ali, is…