Karachi to Hyderabad for a Sufi music festival
The Punjabi contribution to cinema – VII
Subterranean grandeur
Most people are familiar with Huzoori Bagh, bounded by the majestic Badshahi Mosque and grandiose Lahore Fort. Have you ever heard, though, of the basements of Huzoori Bagh pavilion or bara dari? I, for one, had not until my recent visit to Huzoori Bagh with a friend. It was then that I discovered a . ...For the love of old books
In a small and dimly-lit Urdu Bazaar Lahore shop, stacked with old and new books of all types, sits Muhammad Qasim with a ballpoint placed on his right ear and a writing pad in his hand. He represents Kitab Wadi Publishers in Lahore and supplies books on demand to individual buyers, educational institutions, .. ....Unflinching pursuit
The making of Pakistan placed the Punjabis in a triple bind. The province was divided on communal lines and the cultural assets, both tangible and intangible, were bifurcated on the same basis. Much that was of Punjab and belonged to the Punjabis — like language, music, shared history — was thus lost to this partitioning of the subcontinent....Poetry of rural Punjab
There is an unseen Punjab beyond Lahore that proudly maintains its own character and colour. Lahore has its own charm and beauty but the desire to retain the top slot on the beneficiary registers of the ruling elite sometimes becomes a limitation for commercial centres. Cities and people who stay closer to rulers and seats of power gradually ....From Bulleh Ki Jana Mein Kon to Tarrin Paunda
The Indus is one of the oldest and longest rivers in Asia. Though it originated in the Tibetan Plateau in China, much of it flows across Pakistan.Over the centuries, a wide variety of cultures, languages and religions have sprung up on both sides of the Indus. ...250 yrs of ‘Heer’ fine, where’s original?
Even as the Punjabi literati settled across the globe are keen to celebrate 250 years of compilation of Waris Shah’s Heer, findings by a US-based researcher have sparked a debate on the authenticity of the manuscript and its period of compilation. .....
Malangi and Nizam Lohar, the Robin Hoods
The single lane disappeared deep into the darkness of the road. Shadows of the trees ran past as the headlight of the car illuminated them. There was a deep forest on both sides of the road. The Multan Road, a four-lane highway that after connecting Lahore with Multan runs off to Karachi, was behind us. ...
The heart of splendour and generosity
The fame of smaller cities almost always rests on one or two places of historical importance. Think of Agra and your mind at once races to the Taj Mahal. Likewise if someone mentions Amritsar, you invariably recall the Golden Temple. ...