Discovering Five Dials
by Raza Rumi ‘We’d love to have more people from Pakistan writing for and reading the magazine’ It was quite soothing to come across a delightful publication entitled Five Dials — a free, beautifully produced magazine. The current issue available at www.fivedials.com includes a piece by the young novelist Ali Sethi who has written a novel at an extraordinary age of 24. The piece delves into the reaction of author once he encounters the desolation at Shah Jamal’s shrine in Lahore.Shah Jamal’s shrine has also been associated with the great Pappu Sain dhol wala. I am publishing the small post on Five Dials in its own voice to make the description of the magazine a little more familiar and immediate than a boring review. I am grateful to Craig Taylor for helping me … Read entire article »
Filed under: Literature, magazines, New Writers
Linguistics and Islam
Kim Stanley Robinson’s alternate history novel,”The Years of Rice and Salt” posits a world in which an overwhelming majority of Europeans are decimated by the Black Death in the 14th century thereby Christinaity and the white race never get the chance to shape the world as we know it. History of the world, thus, is informed by dominant cultures of the day; the Islamic world, India and the Far East. One of the qualities that sets this novel apart from other novels of the what-if genre is the intelligent observations, commentary and inquiries the writer makes into the nature of Islam. The following extract is taken from a book within this book entitled “Mohammed [pbuh] Meets Confucius”. Zia Ahmad … Read entire article »
Filed under: Books, Fiction, History, Islam, Literature, Religion
Pakistani Literature – Evolution and Trends
By Gilani Kamran The novel in Pakistan The novel in Pakistan emerged with Qurratulain Heider’s Aag ka Darya (The River of Fire, 1957). It has been generally held that the novel is about the problem of self-identity, yet it moves in a wider orbit and traverses the curvature between self identity and the collective identity of the people who were placed in a criticasl situation on the eve of Independence in 1947. Leslie Flemming has regarded this novel as A Tale of Three Cities, where the whole phenomenon of Independence has been witnessed as a feature film’s scenario. Thematically, the novel intends to discover some equation between geography and history, though in a much wider sense the human existence is not more than mutability and transmigration of human forms. The novel had … Read entire article »
Filed under: Arts and Crafts, Books, culture, Identity, Literature, Pakistan, Partition, Urdu, Writers
Pakistaniat : The Crisis of Identity
Bradistan Calling What can I give to Pakistan as a present on its 62nd Birthday, What else than an article on its chequered history and identity. Bertrand Russell famously said,” There are three great civilisations in East i.e. India, China and Islam”. Pakistan is blessed to be located at the crossroads of all these great civilisations. In my humble opinion this is the biggest strength of Pakistani identity. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Activism, Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, ancient civilisations, Architecture, baluchistan, Citizens, Cricket, culture, dynasties, Environment, Europe, FATA, Heritage, History, human rights, Identity, India, Iran, Islam, Jinnah, Karachi, Kashmir, Languages, Left, Literature, Media, minorities, Music, North-West Frontier Province, Northern Areas, Pakistan, Partition, Peshawar, Politics, Punjabi, quetta, Religion, Rights, Sindh, south asia, Sufism, Taliban, Terrorism, Travel, Urdu, USA, youth
VIVA LA BRADISTAN MELA
THIS IS BRADISTAN (courtesy Daily Times - this article was first published.Sir Cam was the Guest columnist for Bradistan from Mela 2003.Dil Nawaz’s comments and updates for2008 will appear within brackets 2009 Mela will be held on weekend of 13th and 14th of June 2009) Here in was a mighty fusion of cultures: Eastern, Western, English, Pakistani, Indian, African, Arab and others — a potpourri of sounds, smells, and sights … Read entire article »
Filed under: Arts and Crafts, Cinema, Citizens, culture, Dance, drama, Europe, Heritage, History, Humor, Identity, Images, Imperialism, India, Islam, Languages, Literature, Media, minorities, Pakistan, Photos, poetry, Politics, Punjabi, Reviews, Society, south asia, Sufism, Theatre, Travel, video, youth
WHILE THERE IS LIGHT by Tariq Mehmood
While There is Light Tariq Mehmood’s novel , While There is Light, impresses Mike Phillips Courtesy: The Guardian-UK While There is Light by Tariq Mehmood 220pp, Comma, £7.95 The novel opens with a sentence from a letter written by Saleem, a young Muslim on remand in Leeds. “Mother, I am now in jail, in this bitch of a country called England. I may never see you again.” … Read entire article »
Filed under: Activism, Citizens, culture, Education, Europe, Heritage, History, human rights, Identity, Images, India, Islam, Kashmir, Labour, Languages, Left, Literature, Love, minorities, New Writers, Pakistan, Partition, Philosophy, Politics, poverty, Religion, Reviews, Rights, Society, south asia, Sufism, translations, Writers, youth
The White Tiger of Pakistan
The White Tiger of Pakistan If Billo Halwai Lived in Pakistan You Chinese are far ahead of us in every respect, except that you don’t have entrepreneurs and our nation- though it has no drinking water, electricity, sewage system, public transportation, sense of hygiene, discipline, courtesy or punctuality- does have entrepreneurs. Thousands and hundreds of thousands of them, especially in the field of technology and these have setup all these outsourcing companies that virtually run America now. Only three nations have never let themselves be ruled by foreigners: china, Afghanistan and Abyssinia .these are the only three nations I admire. My country is the kind where it pays to play it both ways. The entrepreneur has to be straight and crooked, mocking and believing, sly and sincere at the same time so I am … Read entire article »
Filed under: Activism, Afghanistan, ancient civilisations, Books, Colonialism, culture, Democracy, Economy, Europe, FATA, Fiction, human rights, Identity, Iran, Islam, Justice, Literature, Philosophy, Politics, Punjabi, Religion, Sufism, Taliban, Writers
Poem: Waris Shah Vs Aitzaz Ahsan
by Bradistan Waris Shah Vs. Aitzaz Ahsan (In the Court of Supreme Judge ALLAH The Almighty) A Tribute to Late Amrita Pritam aaj aakhaaN Aitzaz nuuN aaj aakhaN AITZAZ AHSAN nuuN, kitoN Chamber vichchoN bol, te aaj kitab-e -Knoon daa koii aglaa varkaa phol ik Uthyaa sii Wada Kanoon Daan, tuuN likh likh maare Byaan, aaj SWAT DE Dhiyaan rondiaa, tainuN Aitzaz Ahsan nuN kahen Jaag dardmandaaN diaa dardiaa, Jaag Pakistani Jaag … Read entire article »
Filed under: Activism, ancient civilisations, Arts and Crafts, Citizens, culture, Democracy, Europe, Fiction, Heritage, History, human rights, Identity, India, Islam, Islamism, journalism, Justice, Languages, lawyers movement, Left, Literature, Love, Media, minorities, movements, Music, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, Philosophy, poetry, Politics, Punjabi, Religion, Rights, Rural, Society, south asia, Sufism, Taliban, Terrorism, youth
Interview:British-Pakistani Novelist Tariq Mehmood
UK Political Debate: Q & A with Tariq Mehmood Tariq Mehmood is a broadcaster, writer and filmmaker. His first two novels are both set in Bradford UK. He has published two illustrated books for children. Tariq co-directed the award winning documentary Injustice. He is the editor of Sangi, the only magazine in his mother tongue, Pothowari in UK. Tariq and Rock musician Aki Nawaz host the Political Show “The Point” in UK on sky satellite 836. Tariq is visiting Pakistan to cover current political situation. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Activism, Arts and Crafts, Books, Cinema, Citizens, culture, Democracy, Education, Europe, Fiction, Heritage, human rights, Identity, Images, India, Islam, Islamabad, journalism, Kashmir, Languages, Left, Literature, magazines, Media, minorities, movements, Music, New Writers, Pakistan, Politics, Religion, Society, south asia, Sufism, Travel, video, Writers, youth
V.S.Naipaul: Misogyny, Mistresses and Sadism*
By Geoffrey Levy Bigoted, arrogant, vicious, racist, a woman-beating misogynist and sado-masochist — the Nobel laureate Sir VS Naipaul has not turned a hair since this uniquely ugly list of traits was laid bare about him some months ago. But then, again, it was he who allowed the descriptions of himself to be detailed by his authorised biographer Patrick French. Almost mockingly, and perhaps even enjoying the notoriety, Naipaul set off for Africa and is now back at … Read entire article »
Filed under: India, Literature, men
Poetry of revolt
Amarjit Chandan recollects his conversations with noted Urdu poet Habib Jalib here Habib Jalib’s poetry, along with that of Faiz, was invoked in the recent pro-democracy agitation in Pakistan. He visited London twice — first in the summer of 1988 when his collected works were launched. He was in his element … Read entire article »
Filed under: Literature, poetry, Urdu
The Half-Burnt Cigarette : A Short Story
by Awais Aftab He took a puff of his cigarette, blew the smoke and observed with purposeless acuteness the amorphous wisps of smoke diffusing into the air, thinning out of existence. His lifted his gaze to a yellow taxi, a few cars ahead of his at the traffic signal, to make sure it was still there. ‘Yellow, yellow like guilt,’ he thought, taking another draw. His eyes fell on the rear-view mirror, and he saw a partial reflection of his own face: black, warm eyes; a handsome charming face in the early thirties. His wife, his former college fellow, had often told him how he used to be the crush of a dozen girls during the college days. He had felt a strange, meaningless pride in that revelation by his wife … Read entire article »
Filed under: Fiction, Literature, Pakistan, Writers
A neglected genius
Raza Rumi Whilst my earlier piece on the IMF programme and the tremendous discussion it has invoked deserves a rejoinder, I want to write on a completely different subject this week. I am perturbed by the fact that thousands of jobs have been recreated for those who were rightly or wrongly dismissed in the earlier dispensations; there is silence about one luminary, a towering one at that, who lost state employment twice. Fahmida Riaz’s name is … Read entire article »
Filed under: culture, Literature, poetry, Society, south asia, Urdu, Women, Writers
Meditations: On Love
Shaheryar Ali Iss Shert pe khelon gi piya pyar ki baazi Jeeto’n tu tujhe pao’n, haar’on tu piya teri The question of Love is one of the most profound questions which has preoccupied human thought and the wisest of thinkers for thousands of years. What is Love, it’s still impossible to define Love, its one of those concepts which defies every attempt of a rational conquest. With the age of advanced logic and analytical philosophy, every attempt was … Read entire article »
Filed under: Literature, Love, Philosophy
Appropriation of the progressive ideas
Faiz Ahmed Faiz with friends: Faiz’s poetry is now being used to advertise phones Habib Jalib: anti-establishment Opposition to the military regime was marked by a liberal ethos, a value-system that stressed constitutionalism, rule of law, and the independence of judiciary, rather than identifying with the politics of redistribution or attacking Pakistan’s problem uno supremo: poverty by Raza Rumi In a confusing sign of the times, corporations and the establishment are arrogating the words of revolutionary poets.. For decades, Pakistan’s … Read entire article »
Filed under: Activism, lawyers movement, Left, Literature, poetry, Politics, Urdu
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