Patronising bullying, while Bhutto can’t dance on October 29, 2018Two of the videos that went viral on social media over the past few weeks, provoked a healthy debate on future direction of our socialization process. One of them showed a truly gifted artist, carrying a Sindhi attire, performing mystic traditional dance on Bulleh Shah’s sufi verses on a street in some western city. There […]
Fundamentalising cities, memories and identities on October 21, 2018Amitabh Bachchan is a legendary actor of Indian film industry also known as the Bollywood. He is an iconic figure in Indian cinema and society, having a followership of millions of Hindi cinema fans around the world. He is a style icon whose dresses, accessories and mannerism are admired nationwide and he remains a source […]
The Frankenstein’s monster of ‘success’ on October 11, 2018When a Pakistani woman enters a labour room for delivering a baby, she is under the stress of producing a healthy, good looking and preferably a male child. The moment the baby is held by one of the family members, judgments are passed regarding the skin color, weight and other physical features and the newborn […]
World Daughter’s Day and Punjabi folk depiction of daughters on September 30, 2018The World Daughter’s Day is celebrated in different parts of the world mostly in the last week of September and in some countries on October 1st. International Day of the Girl Child is also celebrated on 11th October as marked by the United Nations Organisation. Every year, in fact every now and then, I am […]
In memory of ‘nemat-khana’ and ‘cheenka’ on September 23, 2018Almost each aspect of civic life has been affected by advancement of technology over the past decades of rapid industrial development and trade globalisation. This has led to an access to most modern gadgets in each and every part of the world including Subcontinent. Perhaps one of the most technologised part of a household has […]
From Gawalmandi to the Governor House on September 19, 2018The excited TV reporter was interviewing visitors to the Lahore Governor House which was for the first time in history opened for the public. One of the visitors, who was there with his family, excitedly answered that they just had their breakfast at Gawalmandi, a favourite routine of Lahoris, and were now here for a […]
Religion for relief on September 12, 2018“She is not well, I don’t think we can save her”, the young Pakistani research scientist, a pleasant person to talk to otherwise, said in a gloomy tone. He was working with a group of medical experts and scientists on a cancer research project in the United States (US). They were trying to find a […]
The romance of the roots on September 2, 2018At the Lahore airport, the administration has organised separate immigration counters for men, senior citizens, foreign passport holders, families and ladies. It means that if a gentleman intends to go through immigration process with the ladies of his family, he can join them in the queue for families. It was a sheer disappointment to see […]
Of dogs, donkeys and democracy on July 30, 2018Discussion in private and public circles in Pakistan these days is revolving around the results of general elections and the after effects. A national level activity which decides the future course of policy preferences is bound to draw such attention. There are some positive signs regarding the development of political culture. General elections 2018 have […]
Democratic structure is ineffective without a democratic culture on July 28, 2018The founder of the Mughal empire, Zaheer ud Din Babar was a tough warrior from Central Asia who spent most of his life on horseback. He had to fight many competitors for rule and his approach towards life was rather clear headed and free of formalities. His memoirs “Tuzk e Babri” is considered one of […]