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Raza Rumi

Jahane Rumi

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razarumi

Faculty @cunyedu @cornellbpp
Affln:@tft_ @nayadaurpk @newwaveglobal_ @newwavehistory_
Prev: @parkindymedia @adb_hq @jinnahinstitute
Book:@delhibyheart

#Iftar in #NYC —#ramazan #food #Iftar in #NYC —#ramazan #food
Here’s the moment Iranian state TV, its anchor str Here’s the moment Iranian state TV, its anchor struggling to hold back tears, confirmed that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in U.S.–Israeli air strikes — a development with profound regional consequences.
“The world is full of people suffering from the ef “The world is full of people suffering from the effects of their own unlived life. They become bitter, critical, or rigid, not because the world is cruel to them, but because they have betrayed their own inner possibilities. The artist who never makes art becomes cynical about those who do. The lover who never risks loving mocks romance. The thinker who never commits to a philosophy sneers at belief itself. And yet, all of them suffer, because deep down they know: the life they mock is the life they were meant to live.”
—#Jung #quote #quotesoftheday #quotestoliveby #carljung
#Blizzard of the decade. #newyorkcity #nyc #snow # #Blizzard of the decade. #newyorkcity #nyc #snow #snowstorm
#HappyValentinesDay Evergreen #Mughal #miniature #HappyValentinesDay 
Evergreen #Mughal #miniature  #Prince Dara Shikoh w/ wife Nadira Banu Begum 
#repost
My favorite video of #basant2026 — pure joy! My favorite video of #basant2026 — pure joy!
#Basant in Lahore — after nearly two decades — fee #Basant in Lahore — after nearly two decades — feels like the return of a city’s heartbeat.
For many of us, it’s not just a kite festival but a marker of Lahore’s syncretic, joyous cultural life that had faded under bans and anxieties.
Its revival reminds us how deeply people crave shared public celebration — colour, rooftops, music, and the simple freedom to welcome spring together.
Last week I stumbled upon an old hard drive filled Last week I stumbled upon an old hard drive filled with long-forgotten #photographs — small time capsules from another era. And, as #literature #festivals unfold simultaneously in Karachi and Islamabad this week, I found myself revisiting images from the very first (or perhaps second) @khi_isb_lit_fests where I had the pleasure of participating and moderating several panels.

What makes these #memories especially poignant is the absence now felt: Fahmida Riaz, Intizar Hussain, and Arfa Syeda — luminous minds who enriched those conversations — have all passed on over the past decade. The photographs capture not just events, but a moment in our #literary life that already feels historically distant, reminding me how cultural spaces endure even as the people who animate them inevitably change.
If you are in Lahore, don’t miss this session at L If you are in Lahore, don’t miss this session at LLF where Prof. Dr. Bashir Ahmad’s biography 
“From Partition to Pioneer” will be launched. 

📍 Hall 4 , Alhamra 
🗓 Sunday, 8th February 
⏰ 12 - 12:30 PM
Great job by the progeny Amna Nabeel Khan Faiza Bashir Asif Bashir
Looking closely at this canvas by @sumairtarar , I Looking closely at this canvas by @sumairtarar , I am struck by how it feels less like a painting and more like a fragment of memory — architectural, historical, and social. The faint dome, the eclipsed celestial form, and the solitary, leafless tree inhabit a landscape where Pakistan’s layered past endures, but in a subdued, almost spectral register.

There is an architect’s gaze at work — attentive to structure, proportion, and absence — alongside an acute awareness of how heritage in Pakistan often survives more in recollection than in care. The muted greys and weathered textures evoke dust, erosion, and time; this is not nostalgia, but a reflective melancholy about how our built histories fade even as they continue to shape who we are.

I feel deeply privileged that this work is now in my possession. It is a reminder that memory, architecture, and belonging are always negotiated — never fixed, never complete — and that art, at its best, becomes a custodian of what institutions so often fail to protect.

Thanks my dear Sumair! #art #artist #artphoto #artcollection
Thanks @iftikharsaira for the lovely #dinner celeb Thanks @iftikharsaira for the lovely #dinner celebrating the arrival of #2026. #homemade #saag and dishes cooked in haandis.  Also you got all our common friends together. ❤️❤️ #Lahorediaries
My January visit to @saeedbookbankofficial in Isla My January visit to @saeedbookbankofficial in Islamabad. Glad that they had copies of my books. In Lahore they have been sold out. What I really hope is that @delhibyheart gets published and is available for those who haven’t read it.
The revival of Lahore’s #Basant is a milestone. An The revival of Lahore’s #Basant is a milestone. An entire generation was robbed of this cultural marker. Hope LEAs agencies are vigilant & human lives are protected. 
But I am sad I won’t be there to witness and participate in Basant festivities. 

This video made my day. ❤️❤️👇🏽
At #ThinkFest2026, I met old friends and new faces At #ThinkFest2026, I met old friends and new faces alike—only a few were photographed, but each encounter is warmly cherished.
Last month, I spoke on my book “Being Pakistani” a Last month, I spoke on my book “Being Pakistani” at IDEAS. The discussion, led by @maryam.paro, engaged the text with analytical rigor and posed questions that prompted me to reconsider several arguments developed across the book’s discursive essays.

The audience contributed substantively, raising probing questions on identity, language, India–Pakistan binaries, and the complexities—indeed, the conceptual limits—of defining Pakistan’s “culture.”

I am grateful to @ideasalternatives and @being_bajwa for convening this conversation. The book has since sold out, and I hope it will be republished soon by a Pakistani publisher. #books #booktalk #Lahore #bookgram
I was asked by an editor to comment on hopes and f I was asked by an editor to comment on hopes and fears for Lahore in 2026. This is what I wrote: 
“Lahore has always lived in many tenses at once — a city anchored in memory, animated by culture, and restless about its future. As we approach 2026, I see Lahore at a crossroads shaped by contradiction: extraordinary resilience alongside deep structural stress...”
Naseebo Lal is an extraordinary talent—and equally Naseebo Lal is an extraordinary talent—and equally remarkable for her grounded, unpretentious presence. Free of the usual trappings and affectations that often accompany stardom in South Asia (and elsewhere), she carries her art with humility and quiet grace. That combination of brilliance and authenticity is rare, and deeply refreshing.
Thoroughly enjoyed attending @thinkfestpakistan 20 Thoroughly enjoyed attending @thinkfestpakistan 2026 in Lahore this year. I moderated (and spoke at) three panels spanning geopolitics, art history, and books concerning notions of citizenship over the decade. It was a pleasure to reconnect with friends, former colleagues, and many people I admire.

A personal highlight was managing—despite severe time constraints—to read three important books: Aakar Patel’s translations of Manto’s essays ; Dr Ilyas Chatha’s moving account of Bengalis sent to detention camps in 1971; and Dr Bashir Ahmad’s biography, which I had previously reviewed but felt compelled to revisit.

I’m glad such spaces continue to exist and recur with regularity. As for the predictable sniping and cynicism from some quarters, it adds nothing to the conversation—only noise, negativity, and a deeply unproductive worldview. Great job @bangash_yaqoob and the team! 
#thinkfest2026 #afkaretazathinkfest #thinkfestlahore
Evening illumination at #Shalimar Gardens—where li Evening illumination at #Shalimar Gardens—where light reveals water as architecture and memory.
Three terraced levels, flowing channels, and cooling fountains reflect the #Mughal genius of landscape #design.
The chabootras, once seats of power and repose, frame views that turn #geometry into quiet poetry after dark. #mughalarchitecture #mughalgarden🌹☘️
#Urban #geometry, everyday lives, quiet balconies #Urban #geometry, everyday lives, quiet balconies — and a #flag catching the #light.
Architecture as backdrop, #citizenship as presence.

(Picture: Almost a year ago.)
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Raza Rumi

Raza Rumi

Writer, editor, multimedia journalist, International development practitioner and an educator. More on razarumi.com

Raza Rumi

2 days ago

Raza Rumi
Pakistanis in Iran without valid documents who wish to return to 🇵🇰 should reach Zahedan Deportation Centre with proof of citizenship (CNIC/passport – original, copy, or digital). NADRA will verify nationality at the border. ... See MoreSee Less

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Raza Rumi

3 days ago

Raza Rumi
روز دیر سویر کے بعد یہ دہراتا ہوں 🤦🏽‍♂️ ... See MoreSee Less

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Raza Rumi

5 days ago

Raza Rumi
Explore the Roman Forum, the political and cultural heart of Ancient Rome where emperors ruled and history was made.Walk through the ruins and discover how this legendary place shaped the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire.𝑽𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 ... See MoreSee Less

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Articles

01 18764 views
Video
Posted on September 14, 2020February 19, 2023

Pakistan Food Culture, Recipes, Cuisines: Discussion with Niloferr Qazi and Haya Emaan

Connoisseurs of food Niloferr Afridi Qazi and Haya Emaan talk with Raza Rumi about the richness of Pakistani cuisine, its …

02 5093 views
The Friday Times
Posted on October 16, 2015November 19, 2022

Animating Times Square

This October, the electronic billboards at the maddening Times Square in New York City will display the creative prowess of …

03 4504 views
The Friday Times
Posted on October 2, 2009December 29, 2022

Remembering Parveen Shakir (1952-1994)

Parveen Shakir (1952-1994) has defined the sensibilities of several generations and beyond. At the relatively young age of 42 years, …

04 4422 views
The Friday Times
Posted on December 6, 2013February 18, 2023

Enduring Threads

Raza Rumi was fascinated by artist Aasim Akhtar’s unique curation of Pakistani textile heritage at the Rawalpindi NCA – Click …

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