Music profile: Robin Ghosh music with a cultured touch Part II on March 16, 2016 Even he passed on his successful style to Mehdi Hassan whose own singing style was different. Robin Ghosh avoided the hard beat of the tabla and the dholak in most of his songs unless necessary, for example like the one in Hassan’s melodious song “Pyar Bhare Do Sharmeele Nain” from the movie ‘Chahat’. Success […]
Nasreen Anjum Bhatti : A poet par excellence and a humble lady on January 27, 2016It was with a heavy heart that I received a message from Amjad Tufail that Nasreen Anjum Bhatti was no more. I know that she lived before Queen Mary College in Daultana House and each time I passed on that road, I wanted to meet her. I had dropped her a few times outside the […]
Its the 80th issue: Magazine Review: Adab-e-Lateef on December 22, 2015The November 2015 issue of monthly literary magazine Adab-e-Lateef is its 80th issue. It was started by Barkat Ali Chaudhry in 1935. This reviewer appreciates the fact that two ghazals of Dagh and Momin have been printed on the inside cover and back inside cover of the magazine. Who does not remember Dagh’s “Ghazab Kiya […]
A deviation from contemporary Urdu poetry on March 16, 2011Mein Saans Torrta Hua By Iqtidar Javed Alasr Publications; Pp 144; Rs 500 As I read all the poems of Iqtidar Javed’s new book Mein Saans Torrta Hua, I discovered that his poems encompass many worlds, some reformed, some disturbed. As per Sajjad Naqvi, while reading Iqtidar’s poems, one falls into a trance. Iqtidar […]
A protest against injustice on March 2, 2011Ghazal is one of the oldest formats in the domain of Urdu literature. Historically, its impact on poetry lovers has been stronger than other genres. That is why in every era ghazal writers have passed on to the masses their school of thought, romantic or otherwise. For example Mir Taqi Mir, one of the ustaad […]
The future of poetry on February 23, 2011Fauzia Mughal is a budding writer. She writes poetry, short stories, columns, essays and travelogues. She is also the chairperson of World Peace and Literary Forum and has received several medals including the URI Peace Award, Shri Rajeev Gandhi Award 2006, Sultan Bahu Award 2006 and Bulleh Shah Award 2007. She has recently written a […]
Detached observations on February 2, 2011We come across umpteen columns on a daily basis but what makes the collection of columns written by Iftikhar Naseem different is that these have been written by a person who has an American nationality but is a Pakistani at heart. These columns were published after the 9/11 incident and have been published in a […]
An intellectuals travel account on January 26, 2011Professor Zameer Hussain Naqvi was in universities of Lancaster, Leeds and Newcastle, UK, for higher studies and in the process visited the northern areas of UK during weekends and vacations, as he liked to explore new places. On his return from the UK, he came out with a book titled Nighe Deeda-e-Tasveer based on his […]
A maestro revisited on January 19, 2011It is the fourth poetic piece, a ghazal in the book titled Sad-Barg by Parveen Shakir that reveals her story in its matla’a (first couplet). She writes: “Mar bhi jaaoon toh kahan log bhula hi deingay/ Lafz meray, meray honay ki gawahi deingay” (Even if I die, people will not forget me/I will be remembered […]
The philosophy of life on January 12, 2011Dedicated to the Urdu Writers’ Society, California, and the driving force behind it, Irfan Murteza, the book titled Sooraj Muthi Mein is the third poetry book by poet Syed Younis Ijaz, recently published by Idara Roodad, Islamabad. He presently resides in the US and recently visited Pakistan where Dr Sughra Sadaf launched his book at […]