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Shahjahan Mosque: Thatta's timeless splendour
It was a beautiful evening when I arrived; silent, with the sun about to set, birds wandering in the sky, and the presence of just a few visitors. The carpeted road and the greenery around reminded me...
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Battling anxiety: The Pakistani Ironman's story
I was born in Saudi Arabia but raised in Karachi, Pakistan most of my life. Growing up, my education comprised of multiple facets involving extracurricular activities. Being consistently active, and...
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Ustaad jee: Karachi's selfless roadside teacher
Some people are born selfless; having little or no concern for their own self is an intrinsic part of their existence. I have often wondered about this, committing to a life that only serves others,...
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Food Stories: Samosa
How is one to capture the essence of a samosa through the written word? Growing up my favourite samosa had to be the one sold at my school tuck shop owned by Mr. Wellows. Anyone who went to the...
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Kolachi: A stop motion imagining of Karachi's history
Kolachi's Story is a stop motion animation film, produced at Matteela Studio in Karachi, Pakistan.The idea behind the short film, Kolachi's Story is to develop an understanding of Karachi's history...
View ArticleKomal Rizvi's selfie: Holy war, violent intent
I prefer my holy wars to be honest and straightforward, delivered as a press release, informing us why it is being waged and against whom. In the middle of our workday, an unannounced jihad crept up:...
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Ramazan treats: A mela in the heart of the city
There was a flurry of sound and activity: the insistent banter of children forcing parents to have another round on the horse carriage; running to catch the next amusement ride; the crescendo of...
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Debt, default and relief: Greek lessons for Pakistan
When it comes to growth slaying austerity measures, the Greek offered an unequivocal response: No means no.The Sunday referendum in Greece overwhelmingly rejected the austerity measures proposed by the...
View ArticleReform, not punish
Anacharsis, the philosopher from 6th century BC, while discussing the possibility of a written legal system with Solon, had famously observed: “Laws are like spiders’ webs; they will catch, it is true,...
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Colours and conversation at Meena Bazaar
As the sweltering heat wave in Karachi subsided, and Mother Nature decided to bless us with days of sea breeze, Eid preparations are back on track. Eid-ul-Fitr is the busiest time of the year for the...
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Kalhoro mausoleum: Where no one comes to offer fateha
Outside the fort-like mausoleum of Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro, street dogs roam around piles of rubbish, relentlessly barking. I had heard that this mausoleum of the founder of Hyderabad – also known as...
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Pakistan hockey: Rise and demise
Can one imagine a modern-day Football World Cup in which there is no Brazil, Argentina or Germany? It’s almost unthinkable, in fact absurd. The same way it once was to imagine a Hockey World Cup...
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Why I chose to live on the streets
Perhaps, it was laziness stopping me from searching for proper housing, or perhaps it was the idea of freedom which played with my mind. In fact, it was probably both. I don't recollect putting much...
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A photographer’s Karachi
She had a name befitting of a Mughal princess. A young photographer, she had arrived in the city on a yearlong assignment. She wrote to me saying that she wanted to see colonial Karachi and was...
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The quirky, sometimes sad tales from Radio Pakistan
“Darling, just today, I have recorded three songs at the Karachi radio station. Tune in at eight o’clock to listen to them.” It was the Queen of Melody, Noor Jehan, on the phone with then President of...
View ArticleEarthly matters: KP’s creeping green revolution
The KP provincial government’s ambitious Green Growth Initiative plans to harness the environment for development and uplift.A few years ago, as we drove up to Besham on the Karakoram Highway, I was...
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The lost art of Eid greeting cards
Eidul Fitr celebrations come in a multitude of unique forms in our society. As the month of Ramazan approaches its last leg, markets all across the country are glittered with Eid paraphernalia:...
View ArticleMale, single and unable to shop at Karachi's malls
The whole Centaurus mall entry fee saga and the ensuing debate on the internet was a pleasant surprise for me. If memory serves me right, the mall in question made a similar move over a year ago,...
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Delhi residents get paid for power outages - will K-Electric do the same?
“The next time you face unscheduled power cuts, the Delhi government will ensure you are adequately compensated,” an excerpt from the Times of India’s June 18, 2015 story reads.But wait, that's not...
View ArticleTape-balls and their love affair with Pakistan's streets
Every year, the month of Ramazan brings out hordes of young boys for night cricket tournaments on streets across the country. As the lights turn on, the makeshift wickets are arranged and the frenzy...
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