Lahore death toll is increasing
I am still devastated -the death toll is increasing. There seems to be no end to this reign of terror – Pakistanis are now…
Beyond censorship
Facebook blocked the page with the caricatures from being accessed in Pakistan and the ban was lifted on May 31; but not until after…
Kaifi & I
Shabana Azmi reads from her mother Shaukat Kaifi’s memoirs at the Jaipur literary festival. The segment was introduced by Urvashi Butalia Presented by DNA…
Prince Charles on “East and West: Parables of the Soul”
Prince Charles was recently in Konya, Turkey on a state visit that coincides with Rumi’s 800th birth anniversary. Commenting on the appeal of Rumi…
A Beautiful Veil
I am grateful to Ahmer for sending me the link to “The Art of Integration Exhibition: Islam in Britain’s Green and Pleasant Lands“. The…
In Agra – attending the SAARC writers’ moot
Finally managed to reach Agra to attend the SAARC Literature festival organised by the inimitable Ajeet Caur. It is a lovely event with people…
Delhi and Islamabad blasts: Deadly tale of two cities
A reader directed me to this lovely post. 13/09/08: A series of bomb blasts ripped through the crowded market places of Delhi claiming a…
Sir Salman Rushdie’s fatwa against freedom of expression
Khaleej Times – 11/08/2008 BY SHAJAHAN MADAMPAT SIR Salman Rushdie, that beloved symbol of freedom of expression, has now turned Khomeini, so to speak,…
Visit to Sindh, Udero Lal (the story of the Dalits in Pakistan)
Yoginder Sikand writing at DNA South-central Sindh isn’t quite a favourite holiday destination, but I spent a fortnight there while on a vacation in…
Unimagined by Imran Ahmad
BOOK REVIEW Vinod Joseph Unimagined is the growing-up story of Imran Ahmad, whose parents migrated from Pakistan to England in the early 1960s when…
Watermelon = Natural Viagra?
Watermelon = Natural Viagra? By Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, PREVENTION Confession: I’m hooked on Al Roker’s new Celebrity Family Feud. Last night one of…
Sufi rock by an immensely talented band
This video is from the band Da Saaz. Dhruv Bilal Sangari is singing and Raoul Amaar Abbas has directed, produced and shot all the…
The Kite Runner: The Afghan Tragedy Goes Unexplained
Khalid Hoseni’s book, now turned into a film has been a best seller. It is touching as a personal narrative and indeed quite well-written.…
….na junoon raha na pari rahi – when neither you exist nor I exist
Junaid has sent this classic ghazal by one of the earlier, eclectic poets of Urdu language, Siraj Aurangabadi. The best part of his email…
Watch this Video: Tamanna & her friends tell it like it is
Please watch this evocative video that Going to School – a media organization based in New Delhi – has put together for the girls…
Meeting Sidhu Saheb in Delhi
Before I could write about meeting a fellow blogger in Delhi, Sidhu posted this account of our meeting. It was amazing to meet a…
Finding a long lost friend
KM and I have known each other for ages. There were days when we were at school and the height of excitement of pre-globalized…
Ghazali and The Arabian Nights
Khaled Ahmed in a recent review writes: The scholar fears that his own religious validity may be destroyed through political contact. The king is…
Abida Sings Shah Latif Bhitai
Naveed Siraj has sent the captioned audio link. The track is originally by Ustaad Manzoor Ali Khan who belongs to the Gwaliar Gharana. The…
Effective Expression of Solidarity
TPS published this interesting post by Dan Tow “As I have viewed recent events in Pakistan from the safety of my home in the…