A cadaver who wrote an obituary on March 2, 2020“Music, when soft voices die, vibrates in the memory; Odors, when sweet violets sicken, live within the sense they quicken.” In Shelley’s famous poem, sorrow embracing romance sets the gloomy symphony of an obituary. Not many people have the knack to turn an obituary into a romance. While writing obituaries, people keep their cards close […]
A letter to the premier scorched by promises on February 10, 2020“When gods want to punish us,” Oscar Wilde said, “they answer our prayers.” They did when a mass of lumpenproletariat crudely assisted by not-so-invisible power manoeuvred your way to the throne with a wafer-thin majority. The countries run by a remote control do not have the luxury to be ruled by a majority but by […]
Justice acquits but him that judges on November 26, 2019The much-awaited but somewhat expected verdict was finally delivered. The Indian Supreme Court has sealed the fate of a demolished mosque named after a human being who was not a phantom but had a physical existence fully endorsed by history. The verdict reeks of political domination since it justifies forceful appropriation and orders to rebuild […]
The Language of intimidation and glorification on November 12, 2019The director-general of ISPR, Major General Asif Ghafoor, said, “Pakistan army is an impartial institution, and its support lies with a democratically elected government” (Sama Digital, November 1, 2019). It is a benign statement but history reminds us not to trust the words. They are not neutral, especially when delivered by the dominant quarters. They […]
The missing humanity on October 31, 2019“Is religion,” Herbert Marcuse inquired, “still possible after Auschwitz?” “Poetry after Auschwitz is barbaric,” added Adorno. Incidentally, both religion and poetry not only survived the catastrophe but shared their place with Auschwitz. In the infernal society in which humanity has to live every day, poetry alone became the voice of subversion. The dark, frozen shadows […]
The unkoshered manna on October 21, 2019The neo-liberal modern states are overtly one-dimensional. They do not pretend to be pro-people even when they lure the people to vote for them; promising to solve their problems. Their ruling classes barely leave the opportunity of insulting the intellect and hurting the ego of the masses. A recent example of this phenomenon occurred in […]
Karbala: a phenomenon or epiphenomenon on September 22, 2019Islamic mythology began to evolve with the faith but the incident of Karbala gave it a shot in the arm. “Unhappy the land,” Brecht said, “that is in need of heroes.” However, no land has escaped the fate of suffering from heroes, as per Nietzsche’s Ubermenschen, because none could avoid the scourge of unhappiness. The […]
Singing in the dark times on August 14, 2019The power is speaking for its powerlessness since no sadism is without masochism. “Love the day,” Camus said, “that escapes injustice, and return to combat having won that light.” Yet, traversing the long dark tunnel of the history of Pakistan, one can question both Camus’s hope of winning light and Leonard Cohen’s authenticity about “everything […]
The night of the generals on July 20, 2019Based on the novel of Hans Hellmut Kirst, the movie comes alive with a fascinating display of acting by the artists of the yesteryear with rare talents. It takes the viewers to the fateful era of the Second World War where, in the Nazi-controlled Poland, a German general (Peter O’Toole) slays a prostitute, incidentally herself […]
Egypt and pharaoh’s curse on June 26, 2019“You shall read,” says Cosmus, the Duke of Florence,”we are commanded to forgive our enemies, but you never read that we are commanded to forgive our friends”. “We”, Nietzsche adds,”should also respect the enemy in our friend”. From Julius Caesar to Mohamed Morsi, this important lesson of history has always eluded those in the position […]