Please pray for us too, Mr President !

Just a few weeks ago I was moved to hear an ex Indian Chief Election Commissioner say to Najam Sethi: “Hamara Makkah Medina to aap ke paas hai.” (Our Mecca and Madina are with you). After retirement he had come to visit the holy places of Sikh in Pakistan, the Nankana Sahib and other holy [...]

When hate or peace become a business

In my last trip to India, I was strolling for window shopping, in one of my favourite spots in New Delhi, when I heard some loud speaker announcements nearby. I saw a Yogi on a big screen, speaking with utmost tranquility. Some of the words I could recall are: “Want is always hanging on to [...]

O’ the wandering mind ~Kabir

Kabir has hardly spared any animate and inanimate examples to ridicule the bigots who have great illusions about their self image and through their beliefs repeatedly,  make a fool of themselves. In the same spirit, I came across yet another simple yet interest verses. Poem 1:  Apanpo aap hi bisaro. Says Kabir, they  fall prey [...]

Abida Parveen, the therapeutic

If music is a mountain range, its Mt Everest is Abida Parveen. A summit of Sufi music, which no soul can surmount. The Queen not only drowns herself in the music she sings, but she sweeps along her listeners too, in the tides of the overpowering words that flow out her throat. After the plunge, [...]

Amir Khusrau, the disciple

Listening to the stories and anectodes of Mehboob-e-Ilahi( Beloved of God) was a norm as kids. A Mamoo, an ardent follower of Sufism, who lived in Jaipur was the source. If he ever happened to pass by Delhi, visit to the ‘Dargah’ was a mandatory.  And when in Delhi, he had to visit his sister too [...]

Continuation of a joint heritage

Published in Aman Ki Asha , in TheNews on December 14, 2011. http://amankiasha.com/detail_news.asp?id=584 Ilmana Fasih recounts some examples of the ‘Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb’ and centuries’ old, peaceful coexistence beyond religious divides An otherwise sane looking person I met at a party recently started to spew venom laced with conspiracy theories about “Hindu Muslim animosity”. To top [...]

Are we lollipops?

It is a matter of pride that I was born a girl, despite knowing very well how tough life continues to be for women from birth till their death, and from east end of the globe to the west. From parental upbringing  to interaction outside, from  house chores to professional job, from  status at home [...]

A just Mullah

A Mullah ji  is fed up of his wife who either forgets or puts more namak(salt) in the khaana( food). One day in a rage he spells: “Talaaq talaaq talaaq.” So that he doesn’t change his mind, he immediately goes to the Qazi to announce and make it final. Qazi: “Okay, are you sure?” Mullah: [...]

When hatred reigns.

It was with helplessness that I read an article in one of the newspapers about how school kids in certain areas of Karachi were not able to attend their school safely because of the ethnic differences. A kid claimed he was friends with the school mates form the other ethnic community and they even played [...]

Bulleh Shah, the daring secularist!

In the times when  the whole world is going through an era of hatred, intolerance and extremism and Pakistan seems to be synonymous to all these words, what could be a better tribute to Bulleh Shah but to show to the world that there existed a daring secularist on this land almost 250 years ago. [...]