Abhaya SRIVASTAVA 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
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
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
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
Come December and Madam Nur Jehan would have been gone exactly five years and yet it feels like only yesterday when the world learnt that the silver voice
Ahmad Salim, one of our most assiduous research scholars, whose linguistic and poetic work is spread over more than four decades, put together an anthology four years ago
One of Madam Nur Jehan’s great regrets, and one she took to her grave in the sandy earth of Karachi, a city she had no feeling for, was
Amrita Sher Gil was once asked by Iqbal Singh, who was to write her biography 43 years after her death in Lahore in 1941, at the age of
Anwar Shabnam Dil, who spent many years working on Prof Ahmed Shah Bokhari’s life and work and who produced a book of abiding value on him, told me
Writing is difficult work and writing about music is the most difficult of all, which is why we are in Saeed Malik’s debt for having produced a book
When Kuldip Nayar came to Pakistan in 1972 to interview Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, he was one of the first Indian journalists to be invited. He told me that
Naushad the maestro is dead, but his music lives. If ever a cliché was true, then this one is. In 1992, Naushad, an accomplished poet who wrote in
Those who only associate the city of Gujrat with Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Chaudhry Pervez Elahi and other bandy-legged stars of Punjab’s ruling dynasty do great injustice to the
One of the least known tributes to Saadat Hasan Manto is a memoir written by that matchless writer, Muhammad Khalid Akhtar, author of that most delightful of ,
So finally and for reasons that do not appear to have anything to do with the prime minister, who is not exactly known for his interest in Urdu
It seems like that famous jewel in her nose, Musarrat Nazir too is lost somewhere in the Canadian wilderness. She has not sung, recorded or released a song
For most people, Khurshid Anwar was the great music director who scored some of the most hauntingly beautiful melodies for the movies, before 1947 in Lahore and Bombay,
The year 2004 was the hundredth anniversary of KL Saigal’s birth, but it went unmarked in Pakistan. Some time earlier I had asked music aficionado Saeed Malik in
In 1960, the legendary literary magazine Naqoosh produced a special issue on Lahore. It is a pity that no longer do we see such effort go into publications
After reading A Hamid’s first story, Saadat Hasan Manto said in his sharpshooter style, “What rubbish! One look at an electricity pylon, and A Hamid goes all romantic.”
In my reform house,” Saadat Hasan Manto wrote in his later years, “I keep no combs, curlers or shampoos because I do not know how to apply make-up
The other day I asked an old friend how life was treating him. “I am doing fine, thanks to my three Ms,” he replied. “Three Ms?” I asked.
Pran Nevile says though he left Lahore fifty-five years ago, that’s where his heart has always remained. “In a way, you can say, I never left Lahore because
Whenever there is a change of government in Pakistan, I ask myself if this time around the State of Pakistan will finally confer the recognition that it has
One can’t say about others, but the Referendum has been great news for lovers of the Punjabi cinema. The gap created by the sad and sudden departure of
Perhaps it is the fate of great men to become the subject of unsubstantiated stories which, more often than not, emanate from those who, in the words of
I first came upon Pran Nevile when Saeed Ahmed Khan, a gentleman from Lahore, whom I unfortunately never met but with whom I used to correspond, told me
The lawns of the British High Commission in Islamabad are not a place where one would expect to find a war memorial. But on Tuesday morning, a new
The temple was decorated with colourful flowers, flags, banners and posters and thousands of devotees could be seen praying in the gurdwara’s vast courtyard. Celebrations began early in
Irfan Malik’s diction and thematic experimentation may be western but his poetic sensibility is rooted in Punjab and he still belongs to his native land Lahore. After an
Punjab, the land of Harrappans, was called Sapat Sindhu in Rigveda (c. 1700-1100 BC; the first extensive composition to survive in any Indo-European language). Many historians believe that
An account of the Punjabi soldiers who became the cannon fodder of the colonising power in World War I, and the mournful songs and literature this episode in
In the 20th century there were very few Punjabis who didn’t have to leave their homes, from ancestral villages to opted cities and from cities to overseas. They
After a marked absence of accessible translations of Punjabi poetry in England for more than eighty years, Amarjit Chandan’s Sonata for Four Hands (Arc Publications), prefaced by the
Poetry is what is lost in translation, claimed Robert Frost while Joseph Brodsky simply reversed the argument: “Poetry is what is gained in translation”; but Latin, the ancient
Kiran Ahuja’s historical novel, set in the Amritsar of 1900-1940, traces the contrasting destinies deriving from two separate but identical acts of two classfellows, Mohan Rai and Prashant
DESPITE its growth as an urban metropolis of nearly 10 million, Lahore continues to exhibit some of the same characteristics found in the more provincial towns of Punjab
When Jews found refuge in an unlikely place: Instead of fleeing 1930s Europe to British-controlled Palestine like many other Jews, the Kahan family moved to Lahore on a
In his debut novel Natiq draws on his poetic prose and deep intimacy with the land and people of Punjab to craft a compelling tale of enmity, revenge,
‘Message of Sufism should be circulated KARACHI: Special Assistant to CM Sindh for Culture and Tourism Sharmila Faruqi said that Sindh is an institution of Sufism.Sufism pleaded for
Hitherto the females were supposed to perform mostly glamorous and delicate roles sitting in the studios of Punjabi television companies in America. They were doing light intellectual desk
Mujahid Kamran’s biography of Dr. Abdus Salam is a welcome supplement to literature on the most internationally admired Pakistani of the 20th century. Review by Kabir Babar There
Farooq Soomro, the man behind 'The Karachi Walla' and 'Overheard in Karachi' explores the mysteries and wonders of places in Pakistan which fall off the beaten path. Sehwan
God knows what part of night it was, when her eyes opened involuntarily. However, the brain was under deep slumber, but it did not take long to make
When you cross the Wagha Border, you are struck by so many similarities in the two countries that you may need Google map to confirm your current location.
Author Reema Abbasi spoke to Raza Rumi about her travels across the country while researching for ‘Historic Temples in Pakistan’. Some excerpts from the conversation.For the last 10
This conflict finally led to his destruction and the most talented of them all had to sit at home doing nothing with the mediocrity prevailing years thereafter. Lata
A Lata-Mukesh duet “Teri shokh nazar ka ishara” became very popular from this film. The main film of Chitergupt in 1962 was ‘Main Chup Rahungi’ directed by A
Another catchy song from this film was “Zara mur ke to daikho saajna” by Talat and Lata Mangeshkar. Madhubala’s picturing Mangeshkar’s song “Mehfil mein jal uthi shama” from
Hemant Kumar & Lata Mangeshkar: Watching soft melodies “Kuch dil ne kaha” and “Dheere dheere machal ae dil-e-beqarar” (picturised on Sharmila Tegore with Dharmendra following her) from a
In all these victorious moments, Lata Mangeshkar’s songs had their contribution for sure! Before winding up this submission I must not forget Mangeshkar’s song “Tere mere beech main
The film ‘Aaye Din Bahar Ke’ (1966) needs a special mention for its music. It was a Dharmendra, Asha Parekh, Balraj Sahni and Nazima film. Anand Bakshi was
I can never forget Lata Mangeshkar singing Mir Taqi Mir’s “Dikhai diye yun key bekhud kiya” picturised on Supriya Pathak from the movie ‘Bazaar’. It was the simplest
The lyrics of the songs were penned by none other than Kaifi Azmi. Regarding the movie ‘Kabhi Kabhi’, I have mentioned in my book Melody Makers, “In 1976
Before winding up my submission on Lata-RD nexus I must mention three songs, written by Gulzar from the film ‘Aandhi’ starring Sanjeev Kumar and Suchitra Sen. These were
It was directed by Bimal Roy based on the Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay novel of the same name. Songs “Jise tu qubool karle”, “Ab aage teri marzi” and “O
To top it all, this song is amazingly well rendered by Lata Mangeshkar. Never have I heard such a lovely melody composed on a tabla with apt instrumentation
Salil used Lata Mangeshkar in ‘Rajnigandha’ – 1974 with popular track “Rajnigandha phool tumhaare”. The movie ‘Us Nei Kaha Tha’ in 1960 had a wonderful duet by Mangeshkar
Eventually, Rawail signed Vyjantimala for the role. Dilip Kumar and Vyjantimala who had worked together for Naya Daur (1957) were then said to be having a romantic affair,
One of the main reasons of the success of ‘Mughal-e-Azam’ was its music, particularly Lata Mangeshkar’s gems, ‘Mohabbat Ki Jhooti Kahani Pe Roye, ‘Pyaar Kiya to Darna Kya’,