How Buddhism connects Saarc
At a South Asian summit in the Maldives during the Zardari era, Pakistan decided to acknowledge its past assertively, not as it imagined its history through the familiar neo-religious prism…
What the mountains can teach us
THE heated debate in the National Assembly over the cutting of a few thousand paper mulberry trees in Islamabad was a pleasant surprise. The concern expressed by members across the political divide,…
A tall tale about renaissance
DEC 6 marks the day the Babri masjid was destroyed 33 years ago. Before the 1992 outrage, the day was observed by India’s Dalits and their supporters solemnly as the…
False notes in a vexed song
TWO essential components of any song are its tune and its words. Most Indians can’t sing the lines of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s 19th-century nationalist song Vande Mataram in tune; and an equal…
A heritage in ruins
During my brief visit to Peshawar early this week, what should have engaged my mind the most? One option, of course, was to delve into the state of national politics…
Ahimsa today
Every year on October 2, the world observes the International Day of Non-Violence – a day declared by the United Nations to celebrate the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, born…
Reconnecting with Bangladesh
During Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar's visit to Bangladesh, several agreements and memorandums of understanding were signed between the two countries. The ceremony, attended by top government officials, including Bangladesh’s Advisor…
Shankar kebab
YOU are absolutely right! The name ‘Shankar’ and chapli kebab is an anomaly of the highest order. Bear with me. In this unfortunate atmosphere of war, where even the usually…
The 15th Tulku
AN optimist is one who believes in reincarnation. In that sense, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama is the supreme optimist. The title ‘Dalai Lama’ — Holiness Knowing Everything Vajradhara…
Ravan in saffron
In every piece that I wrote about our Eastern neighbour, the persons under the knife of dissection is Narendra Modi and his cohorts, its establishment and its agencies, but never…
