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Cycling through Neelum valley, where elves and fairies live
“What are you doing on a bicycle? No one brings a bicycle here.” That was the first response Aurangzeb (a local shop owner) gave to us as we cycled through Neelum valley all the way to Muzaffarabad....
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Outside the grid: Can the Powerwall end Pakistan's energy crisis?
Tesla Motors believes it has a solution for our energy needs that requires thinking outside the grid. The California-based company recently announced a new line of commercial and residential batteries...
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Multiculturalism: An idea gone sour
Us and themWhen the word ‘multiculturalism’ began echoing in the West after the collapse of communism in the late 1980s, many on the left sides of the ideological divide suspected it to be yet another...
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Bombs and backhands: The life of a Pakistani tennis player
Sitting in the shade at the change of ends, I towelled down my dripping forehead and took a prolonged sip of cold water. “Just two more games,” I told myself as I made eye contact with my father, who...
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Shaikh Abdul Majeed Sindhi: Sindh's first people's politician
I was very recently admonished by an old friend, Wali Mohammad for ignoring the prominent figures of the right-wing in my writings, which, he says, otherwise are reasonably good.This reminded me of how...
View ArticleSpot-fixing scandal: Why Butt and Asif don't evoke sympathy like Amir
Five years have passed since that fateful Lord's Test, yet the events from the fourth game of Pakistan's 2010 tour of England stand out like a vivid nightmare. Pakistan were 2-1 down in the series and...
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Vroom! Into the graveyard of Vespas we rode...
I was at my apartment in Clifton, waiting for a friend. He did not show up on time, so I rang him up. My friend told me that he was here but the apartment chowkidar was not letting his Vespa enter the...
View ArticleExam results do not determine a student's worth
Every year, I go through this: celebrations and bereavement in parallel. This year too, the CIE result day saw my Facebook timeline flushed with posts by my students — the ones who had scored well in...
View ArticleEU refugee crisis: The tragedy of nationalism
Somewhere, in between all the politics of the state, we have forgotten the one thing that binds us all together – humanity.Raed, a 30-year-old refugee from Syria, points to a bullet wound on his upper...
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Scaling Pakistan's mountains: A tale of expedition resilience
Climbing mountains is an annual ritual for me; sometimes it’s even bi-annual. My siblings inherited the travel bug from our father, but for me, the decisive year was 1996, when I took my first ski...
View ArticleHow to thrive in the workplace: A guide for millennials
If you have recently joined the legions of working men and women in this country, congratulations! It is not an easy feat given the unemployment rates and level of competition. And if you are now...
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Hitch a night ride for free... with Hyderabad's dynamic duo
Late into the night, as traffic begins to disappear on the roads of Hyderabad, the streets are all but abandoned. Only a few stone-loaded trucks are seen chugging along; and the occasional car, land...
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Food Stories: Khatti Daal
My introduction to khatti daal was made at my best friend’s house. Her aayaa, who we lovingly called Amma, was from Hyderabad Deccan. My own household hardly ever served khatti daal, and I cannot help...
View ArticleDear India, sing this!
Some five years ago an obscure band called the Bayghairat Brigade (the Dishonorable Brigade) rose to sudden prominence when their song 'Aaloo Anday' appeared on the then still-not-banned YouTube.The...
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A rendezvous with Saif-ul-Malook
The morning I left home to wander in snow and meet the great Saif-ul-Malook Lake in its frozen glory, the mountains of Hindu Kush had seen the last snow shower of the season; mild rays from the sun had...
View Article'The US is making Pakistani wives divorce their husbands'
“The United States is behind the increase in divorce rates in Pakistan.” If you live in Pakistan, you must be used to hearing – and perhaps making – such and even more outrageous statements. But not...
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Etched on walls: The unknown glory of an old Punjab town
Eminabad, a small town in central Punjab near Gujranwala, has some wonderful Muslim, Hindu and Sikh architecture of historic significance, besides the 'havelis' built by the Diwan family, who once...
View ArticlePay up, Pakistanis: Tax-exempt patriotism won’t cut it anymore
Surveys show repeatedly that Pakistanis carry and exhibit high levels of patriotism. Yet, despite this, these citizens do not fulfill an important component of their social contract with the state that...
View ArticleDear India, your policy on Pakistan is utterly obsolete
The national security advisors’ meet fiasco has led to some graver questions.Are both sides losing control to the hardliners? Are they even aware of the consequences of their actions? Is there any...
View Article7 lessons I learned from buying nothing new for 200 days
A few months ago, I went through the worst experience of my life: my father passed away.It was a cancer which took him, and a small part of myself as well. As I reflect on the time preceding his death,...
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