There was something about Zille Huma’s smile that would always lift my spirits. It made me feel good, happy and hopeful. Life, I would think, could never be
The heritage, culture, traditions and hidden masterpieces of the Walled City will soon be displayed on the website of Google Cultural Institute, making Lahore the first Pakistani city
The fascinating tale of Maharaja Daleep Singh who relinquished the Koh-i-Noor to became the most prominent fixture in Queen Victoria’s court. But his Indian past came back to
Salim Iqbal has come out with a beautiful song sung by Madam as far as the instrumental treatment is concerned. The second song that mesmerizes me is "Dil
The novel was also the basis of a Pakistani television serial, ‘Umrao Jan Ada’, which was aired in 2003. The Pakistani version was a super hit. The climax
About the former song Bazmi Sahab had once observed that this song got its inspiration from its situation in the film. The lover, a Muslim boy, had lost
Master Inayat Hussain and Noor Jehan: We shall only talk about the films in, which Noor Jehan gave playback for Master Inayat Hussain. Year 1962 was good for
This song belongs to the movie ‘Ziddi’ released on January 16, 1973. It was directed by Iqbal Kashmiri and its cast was Firdaus, Ejaz, Munawar Zarif and Rangeela.
Actors Nazar, Rajni and Azad were the support cast. This movie was produced by AZ Baig. Khalil Ahmad composed lots of tunes for Pakistan Television Corporation. Ibn-e-Insha’s ‘Insha
All the songs such as “Baat hi baat mein ji”, “Main ban patang urh jaon re”, “Chandni raaten, sab jag soye”, “Tum zindgi ko gham ka fasana bana
The other notable song of this film was “Mere mehboob tujhe yaad karun ya na karun” crooned by Noor Jehan. In 1968, A Hameed’s two films ‘Behan Bhai’
Noor Jehan’s preference used to be singing for heroines only and not for side heroines or for vamps. She was used in the film ‘Sham Dhale’ by Rasheed
All seven songs are hit and it seems that all are composed in harmony with each other though Rasheed Attre’s son Javed Attre claims that their father got
She kept custody of the three children from their marriage. News of several affairs followed, including one with cricketer Nazar Muhammad. In 1959, she married another actor, Ejaz
It took him long to get the burnt Shori Studio allotted. He put all his finances for its renovation; building walls, partitions, floors, imported machinery etc. Once ready,
Noor Jehan used to start all her live concerts by singing the letter song. Tanvir Naqvi also shot to fame after being the lyricist of this movie. Due
Sajjad could not digest such remarks and vowed not to compose a song for Noor Jehan for her future films. As a result, for her next film ‘Jugnu’,
Noor Jehan was an exception. Ninety percent of her songs were classical based but the treatment given by Master Ghulam Haider to Noor Jehan’s voice was that of
It was Minu Kartak production. The cast was Violet Cooper, Munni Bai, Baba Ibrahim and Shirazi. In this movie, Noor Jehan played Cooper’s child role. Among the Cooper
Cool breeze had started blowing in the gas lamps on roads of Kasur city but streets and habitats were dark. It was a night of September 21, 1926.
Ajoka Theatre has for the last three decades, tirelessly and earnestly struggled to promote the message of social justice, highlighting pressing issues hounding our society. What began as
M S Gill, former Chief Election Commissioner of India and a member of the Rajiah Sabah experienced much that was different and a lot that was the same
The old Lahore was a much more civilised place. The population was smaller, the difference between the rich and poor was not so obscenely obvious. There was more
As retailer Sukhdeep Singh visits the Golden Temple in northern India, Sikhism's holiest shrine, he laments the bloodbath 30 years ago that catapulted his religion into controversy.. ….
The story began in Mian Chambers, 3 – Temple Road, Lahore in February 1998, when I was searching for by Najm Hosain Syed. From Vanguard to the old
On July 12, 1972, Polish Poet and Nobel Laureate Czeslaw Milosz sent a letter — the only letter he ever produced in Russian to his recently exiled, to
I don’t ever leave Delhi, without saying goodbye to Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. This time, after the dargah visit we went to the Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station, a few
Where should Maharaja Duleep Singh RIP? In Paris, where he died; in Britain, where he grew up and was cremated; in Amritsar, that he loved; or in Lahore,
On August 1, 1857, 282 sepoys of the Indian Army were massacred in Ajnala, Amritsar. Chaman Lal traces their story to the present day, when their remains were
About two weeks ago, on July 16, the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Law, Justice and Human Rights rejected a private member’s bill for an amendment in the
Punjabi language, culture and heritage has been neglected for long in (Pakistani) Punjab. The reasons for this are many. The one most often cited is that Punjab is
Engagement at the national level between India and Pakistan has been subdued ever since the rising tensions across the LoC in August last year and the terrorist attack
Border provinces are potentially the most solid bridge between both countries, due to economic incentives, geographical proximity and shared cultures. With dialogue between India and Pakistan moving ahead
As India and Pakistan celebrate another independence anniversary, there’s plenty of introspection going on within both countries. In India, a plethora of corruption scandals have considerably dented its
This manic monologue mumbled by Bishan Singh in the short story Toba Tek Singh stays with you years after you’ve read Saadat Hasan Manto. Is it the same
Zohra Sehgal, who has died aged 102, was one of the first female Indian actors to achieve a truly international profile, with roles in the films Bend It
Shiv Kumar Batalvi reciting his poetry at a Kavi Darbar (1960) Shiv Kumar Batalvi with Balraj Sahni and other poets and dignitaries in Bombay (Jan.20, 1960)The place where
Omar ji koye gup shup sunaoo,’ are the words I heard and, as I looked up, there he was in his off-white boski ka kurta and old traditional
Hazy Memory Of Disturbances (1947) The dreadful events that took place at the birth of Pakistan in 1947 are called disturbances by the people of my village. The
Where did all the music go? “If you happen to be an Isloo-ite and want to pursue music professionally, you should shift to either Karachi or Lahore.” That’s
Every time I go to Wachowali Bazaar inside Lohari Gate, one tends to avoid the crushing rush. It is best to try making it through Kucha Seth Har
People who visit the Wagah border to witness the Retreat ceremony can now look forward to an added attraction as Sarhad restaurant, located near the border, has come
One decade earlier I would have said that the only from of the Punjabi Written word in the west was either the song lyric written by the occasional
Modern Punjabi culture remains remarkably little known outside the noisy clichés of Bollywood and music videos. Now, more than 60 years after Partition, this cultural heritage is beginning
In the partition riots for India as a whole, figures of 600,000, 800,000 and one million have been suggested by Britons who were present in India at the
Khalid Iqbal as an artist was a person of enormous national significance. He was a painter of painters; a teacher of teachers; an icon of truth for those
Manjit Sachdeva’s debut novel about Sohna and his descendants covers a span of almost 200 years: 1790 to 1984 CE. Born into a Hindu Arora household of a
Those were the days in Russia when St. Petersburg cuddled Osip Mandelstam, Anna Akhmatova, Marina Tsvetaeva, Nikolay Gumilev and Boris Pasternak in the glowing warmth of creativity and
In an old Irish folk tale, a questioner asks Finn McCool: “Tell us Finn, what is the best music in the world?” After a long pause, Finn replies:
One had often wondered why a certain building in Lahore is known as Australia Building, why a mosque on the Railway Station is called Australia Mosque and why
Dr. Manmohan Singh is an honest man, who never believed in laying extravagant foundation stones with a lot of fanfare and taking publicity for personal aggrandizement. He believes
One language, two scripts, many religions and divided land; this is how the Punjabis had been decisively atomised by history. When the red clouds of partition cleared and
Partition suffering…and healing: The amazing real-life story of an Indian mother reuniting with her Pakistani children after over 50 years, thanks to her Indian step-son and a Pakistani
You can see it in the distance long before you actually arrive; its distinctive shape nestled majestically among fields of green.One of the most sacred sites in Sikhism,
LIKE life, history, too, can play favourites and be kind to some and not so generous to others. In the last century lived a Punjabi, a Sikh who
Weather-beaten citadels and moat-girded forts in Punjab, unkempt and neglected, are visible reminders of the state’s heritage The Nawabs of Malerkotla built the Malerkotla fort. It has an
Punjabi poets such as Bulleh Shah have also challenged orthodoxy and I wonder what would have happened had Bulleh Shah been alive today? Would mobs attack him also?
I don’t ever leave Delhi, without saying goodbye to Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. This time, after the dargah visit we went to the Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station, a few
On July 12, 1972, Polish Poet and Nobel Laureate Czeslaw Milosz sent a letter — the only letter he ever produced in Russian to his recently exiled, to
The story began in Mian Chambers, 3 – Temple Road, Lahore in February 1998, when I was searching for by Najm Hosain Syed. From Vanguard to the old