Sadia Dehlvi’s book – Sufism: the Heart of Islam
Finally Sadia Dehlvi’s book, Sufism: The Heart of Islam (HarperCollins), is published and was launched last week in Delhi. India’s eminent writer Khushwant Singh…
Postcard from Agra
Published in The Friday Times As Indian TV channels broadcast stories on Pakistan’s domestic infighting, and rumours of a new coup d’ etat, my…
29th SAARC Festival of Literature to debate terrorism
The SAARC Festival of Literature is slated to begin from 12th March in the city of Taj Mahal, Agra and will come to close…
Noor Jehan & Khurshid Anwar
I loved Fawad’s post A Divine Musical Collaboration – Noor Jehan & Khurshid Anwar and here it is: In the wake of Khalid Hasan’s…
Carlos Latuff’s artwork on Gaza
Brazilian cartoonist Carlos Latuff creates artworks that call on the world to condemn Israeli brutalities in Gaza. Carlos Latuff’s statement: I’d like to beg…
Adieu Mahmoud Darwaish
Courtesy AHRC I come from there I come from there and I have memories Born as mortals are, I have a mother And a…
Faiz, a Peaceful Revolutionary
This is in continuation of the splendid translation series undertaken by Mr. Anis Zuberi and contributed by JZ for this blog. Earlier posts can…
Raza Rumi was in Delhi
A budding writer from Lahore visits the city of his beloved author. I was [pleasantly -why lie] surprised this morning to discover a story…
M.F. Husain, Tyeb Mehta are stars at Christies
Saw this story here a while ago Christie’s South Asian modern and contemporary art sale here March 20 will feature works of leading 20th…
Hassan Massoudy’s calligraphy: Raza et Rumi
“The gestures of the calligrapher become an open space, welcoming the words of the poet and the imagination of the onlooker”. Discovered this image…
Buzkashi – the ancient game continues…
Further to yesterday’s post, I am reproducing this image from Saira Wasim’s website – this is a powerful painting and says it all. Titled…
Miniature painting – the global traumas narrated by Saira Wasim
Saira Wasim is a prominent Pakistani miniaturist. I found a link to her website hidden in my unread emails. Some of her recent paintings…
Qurratulain Hyder talking to BBC on the first South Asian novel
SG has sent me this old audio recording of Qurratulain Hyder when she visited London in the 1990s and was interviewed by the BBC.…
Master strokes
“Perhaps Maqbool Fida Husain could take some solace in the knowledge that in his being lambasted for painting Hindu goddesses, he has joined the…
Edited – Parallel Lines: Photographs by Isa Daudpota
“Isa Daudpota is an engineer and physicist by profession. He is keenly interested in art, mathematics and computers. He writes frequently on science, information…
The Reluctant Fundamentalist – Book Review
Mohsin Hamid’s second novel is out. It has made to several bestsellers’ lists and invokes a theme central to our times. I am posting…
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…
More on M F Husain – the great artist
I wrote about M F Husain’s persecution at the hands of extremists here. Parvaiz Alvi sent me images of his works that were most…
M F Husain’s woes
M.F. Husain, India’s best known painter is under threat from the guardians of public and national morality. This eccentric, 91 year old painter should…
Amrita Shergil – the immortal artist
I only wish that I could visit the Tate Modern in London to experience the sheer beauty of Amrita Shergil‘s work. She lived a…