The mindless morning shows on May 18, 2016Oh boy, I’m running late, my chai is still brewing on the stove; my stomach is grumbling these morning weddings I tell you, they can create a sense of panic in the attendees. My favourite celebrity who got married without inviting me is recreating all the events from her wedding, this time on a new […]
Kali Pakistani on May 11, 2016I’m the girl who’s instantly offered whitening facials in a salon even if I go to get my upper-lip hair waxed. I’m the woman in a small town who has been rejected and is ‘still on the shelf’. I’m that cousin of yours who you will never find pretty regardless of how scintillating I try […]
M for Mustafa Kamal on May 4, 2016The mohajirs (immigrants) in Karachi now have a new messiah in the form of former mayor to Karachi, Syed Mustafa Kamal, and he is their ray of hope in a very gloomy situation. However, the opinion on his intentions is divided amongst the Urdu-speaking crowd. Some see his endeavours as a gimmick by the establishment, […]
Of finger food, English, ironing on April 21, 2016Oh no, there it goes again; tomato peeking out of my burger is misbehaving and making me look ‘jaahil’ (illiterate). I look around consciously, hoping nobody in the food court has noticed me, and cover my mouth, now splattered with sauce, with a napkin, as I pretend to check notifications on my phone. That the […]
The Pakistani son on April 13, 2016“Ma’am, when my mother got paralysed after the stroke, he did not even allow me to meet her; he used to monitor all my calls,” the pedicurist lamented as she scrubbed the dead skin cells off the sole of my foot. “My husband is my own uncle’s son. Once he beat me up so badly […]
The changing face of desi humour on March 31, 2016“I always like walking in the rain, so no one can see me crying.” This famous quote is attributed to the greatest comedian of all times, Charlie Chaplin. Comedy is tragedy in a long shot. Who could have imagined that Chaplin responsible for making millions laugh and forget their pain was battling with his own […]
Exit spirituality on March 17, 2016“If only Sharukh had not married Gauri, his life would have been perfect. His lineage has been destroyed,” lamented a young girl on social media. This female was obviously struggling with her affection for the superstar and her own sense of religiosity. She is not alone; countless folks continue degrading people of other faiths in […]
What it means to be a mahajir? on March 10, 2016“Acha toh aap log kahan ke rehne wale hain?” (So where are you fromaramal’s explosive press conference has once again thrown the spotlight on the connotation of being a mahajir, a term that is sullied now due to its exploitation on various levels. His claims that mahajirs have now become a tainted lot is not […]
Sensational Swat: an itinerary on February 25, 2016Oh no, what have I signed up for? A trip to ‘dreaded’ Swat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa? Words like Taliban, breaking news, Malala and army operation kept flashing in my mind as I, along with some Pathan friends, made our way from Karachi to Islamabad via the comfortable green line train. We crossed through the heart […]
I love India on February 18, 2016“Jab se paida hua hoon Kashmir main yeh hua, Kashmir main woh hua; yehi sunta aaya hoon” (I have been hearing about Kashmir and the things that happen there since the time I was born) said the 65-year-old man before changing the channel to something more brain stimulating for him. Kashmir was no longer an […]