Poetry in the dark
THE UK last week celebrated national poetry day — an annual celebration of poetry with the aim of attracting new audiences to the genre. Newspapers were filled with famous verse…
Iqbal: poor philosophy, rich poetry
The state and its propaganda apparatus have been a great hindrance in the development of an objective approach or objective approaches to Iqbal. Yet, one can ask whether Iqbal didn’t…
The religious right in Sindh
Despite intellectual property rights, the internet has broken the monopoly over books, libraries, distances, university degrees etc which are not confined to a few individuals now – including in Sindh.…
Poetry and patronage
The year 1856 was a significant one in the history of the subcontinent, not for what had occurred during its days, weeks and months but for what had not yet…
An icon of the left: Part – II
Saeeda Gazdar’s short stories are not all about politics and repression; some are full of nostalgia and recall the pre-partition days. Her story ‘Hindustani, Pakistani’ is one such story that…
Lost heritage
In Mithi recently, as Hindus in India and across the world celebrated Diwali, the town also joined in the festivities. Muslims participated alongside their Hindu fellow villagers and other residents…
Rule of violence
WITH 245 terror attacks on security forces, police check-posts and public places — mostly in KP and Balochistan — in the first quarter of 2024 alone, it is obvious that…
Gaza war impact
EVEN before the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct 7, the Palestinian territories were subject to horrible violations of international law and occupation by Israel. As a result, there were two…
Silencing Afghanistan’s women
THERE is no doubt that many have had a role in Afghanistan’s destruction, but the question of who exactly is to blame for the country’s current condition is a thorny…
The urge to be at the high table
AS theatre buffs will know, centre stage isn’t the centre of the stage per se, but any part of the proscenium where the action is unfolding. This is true of…
