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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

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.)
Thank you @tamkinet_karim for a beautiful evening. Thank you @tamkinet_karim for a beautiful evening. Highlight of my Lahore #sojourn. So many friends, great food and the unforgettable anecdotes and stories. ❤️❤️#memorable
“I’m a pessimist because of intelligence, but an o “I’m a pessimist because of intelligence, but an optimist because of will.” — Antonio #Gramsci
#quotes #quotestoliveby #quotestagram
Sad to hear that artist Iqbal Hussain passed away Sad to hear that artist Iqbal Hussain passed away today.

Iqbal saheb was an outstanding artist and a deeply humane soul. His work confronted hypocrisy, desire, and exclusion with rare honesty—giving dignity and visibility to lives our #society prefers not to see. He painted #Lahore not as an idea, but as a lived, breathing city, with all its contradictions.

I knew him personally, and beyond his formidable talent, I remember his warmth, courage, and uncompromising integrity. He lived as he painted—truthfully, without pretence.

Pakistan’s #art world has lost a singular and unflinching presence.
May he rest in peace, and may his work continue to unsettle, provoke, and endure.
انجمن ترقی پسند مصنفین پاکستان اور نیا دور میڈیا ک انجمن ترقی پسند مصنفین پاکستان اور نیا دور میڈیا کے اشتراک سے

پاکستان کی ممتاز سینئر ادیبہ، افسانہ نگار اور ناول نگار جمیلہ ہاشمی کی علمی و ادبی خدمات کو خراجِ تحسین
(یادیں اور باتیں)

آج منگل، 20 جنوری 2026
⏰ شام 5:30 بجے
📍 کاسموپولیٹن کلب، باغِ جناح، لاہور

صدارت: سلمیٰ اعوان
خصوصی پیغام: عائشہ صدیقہ (لندن)

تمام دوستوں کو شرکت کی دعوت ہے۔
Ayesha Siddiqa Raza Naeem Salma Awan Nasir Abbas Nayyar Saima Iram Neelum Ahmad Basheer
Risham Syed — artist, educator and a beautiful sin Risham Syed — artist, educator and a beautiful singer. Here she presents Baba Farid’s poetry. The #Sufi poet who inspired generations, countless mystics, the #Sikh faith and gave us the modern Punjabi idiom. #music #sufipoetry #sufimusic #sufiquotes
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Raza Rumi

Raza Rumi

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

Raza Rumi

1 day ago

Raza Rumi
Just read this thoughtful piece by Justice Irshad Khan on Prof. Dr. Bashir Ahmed’s autobiography "Partition to Pioneer". A powerful reminder that nations are often built quietly — through scholarship, institution-building, and lifelong service rather than slogans. Worth reading for its reflections on medicine, history, and the ethos of public service in Pakistan. ... See MoreSee Less

’’خاموش خدمت روشن تاریخ‘‘

www.nawaiwaqt.com.pk

گزشتہ ہفتے نامور نیور سرجن پروفیسر ڈاکٹر بشیر احمد کی سوانح عمری  Partition  to  Pioneer  From   تقریب  رونمائی کا انعقاد...
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Raza Rumi

3 days ago

Raza Rumi
نیت شوق بھر نہ جائے کہیںتو بھی دل سے اتر نہ جائے کہیں A test for an upcoming singer is how well they can render complex ghazals sung by the maestros such as Madame Noor Jehan. Shabana Abbas did a great job at my place in January. ... See MoreSee Less

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Raza Rumi

3 days ago

Raza Rumi
نہ حرم میں نہ کلیسا میں نہ بت خانے میںچین ملتا ہے تو ساقی ترے مے خانے میںMahboob Mian Miri and party ❤️❤️ ... See MoreSee Less

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Articles

01 18755 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 5088 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 4487 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 4417 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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