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Dawn (Magazines) |
“This tale is steeped in the colours of the East and its connection to the conventions of Urdu literature is so deep,” writes Ghulam Abbas in...
I first ran into Paul Auster completely by chance at Liberty Books in Karachi’s Clifton area in 2003. This was entirely apt, as I was to discover...
Paul Auster, who has died at the age of 77, grew up in New Jersey in the post-war years of the 1950s, where a bookless household laid the...
Dear Auntie Agni, I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to seek your guidance and support during a difficult period in my marriage. My...
In May 2023, a recorded phone call — allegedly between the mother-in-law of the former Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Atta Bandial, and the...
Last week, we discussed the different activities a gardener may perform, and the changes that dying plants may come across, in between the two...
Human societies historically evolved into distinct communities, held together by a shared sense of belonging. The sharing may be geographical, such...
Turkish delight or lokum is the most popular sweet in Turkiye and one of the country’s most famous exports. But it must also be the only candy that...
Over the last year, our oceans have been hotter than any time ever recorded. Our instrumental record covers the last 150 years. But based on proxy...
The ground faces the barren mountains of Quetta in Hazara Town — it feels like an otherworldly place, one where seeing girls in public is a...
A pathy, manipulation and intrigue seem to define Pakistan football. While players and fans of football continue to rue the state of the sport in...
Fazil Hussain Mousavi’s paintings — on display at the exhibition titled ‘Zamistan’, curated by Aasim Akhtar at Chawkandi Art Gallery, Karachi...
Gender, Sexuality and Feminism in Pakistani Urdu Writing By Amina Yaqin Folio Books ISBN: 978-969-7834-45-7 320pp. Gender, Sexuality and Feminism...
The past is mostly an invention that the present uses to secure an illusion that keeps lies in power. To the British novelist George Orwell,...
In the exhibition ‘Hungry Shores’ that opened on April 16 at Canvas Gallery in Karachi, artist Zulfikar Ali Bhutto embarks on a profound...
Ghazal Cosmopolitan: Ghazals and Essays on the Culture and Craft of the Ghazal By Shadab Zeest Hashmi Folio Books ISBN: 978-969-7834-44-0 96pp....
In war, one of the most affected segments of society is women. They endure the worst fears before the war, try to withstand the humiliation and...
Bhai, some good news at last! I’ve heard, urrhti urrhti, kay mareez economy is getting better. It’s being wheeled out of the ICU and going to a...
Eid celebrations looked pleasantly different for some Pakistani children this year. There were no new clothes, no meeting friends and family, no...
The future of Pakistan — good or bad — will be determined by its young; most especially by those who are between 15 and 29 years of age today....
My strong association with gardening, including through writing weekly articles and making tutorial videos, has created a confusion among my...
Japan Mein Urdu Maktoob Nigari Compiled by Amir Ali Khan ZAK Books ISBN: 9-789697-679157 316pp. Japan Mein Urdu Maktoob Nigari may seem like the...
Being Henry: The Fonz… and Beyond By Henry Winkler, with James Kaplan MacMillan ISBN: 978-1250-8880-99 256pp. Happy Days, MacGyver and Barry —...
Are all single people insecure? When we think about people who have been single for a long time, we may assume it’s because single people have...
Aisha Ramchand first came to Himmatabad, a small village on the outskirts of Hyderabad, as a teenage bride. It was in 2012, after she had agreed to...
It was in 2009 that American author and traveller Robert D. Kaplan visited Gwadar and described its significance in these words, in his article...
Hajj: A Journey Back in Time Safdar Nensey The author of the book is a petroleum engineer by profession, who has worked in Pakistan and the Middle...
A Lifetime of Dissent: A Memoir By I.A. Rehman Folio Books ISBN: 978-9697834-61-7 182pp. There are many books on Baloch history, which contain...
In 1989, the essay ‘The End of History’ by the American political scientist Francis Fukuyama created quite a stir. He wrote that liberal...
"In our village, ancestral wisdom guided us to manage extreme weather across generations,” says Muhammad Kareem, a 55-year-old resident of...
Q. I hope this email finds you well. I am a retired banker and a fellow gardening enthusiast. I found your article on growing canna lily plants...
Zoya Alina Currimbhoy’s artistic exposition, ‘Spirit of Play’, on display at the IVS Gallery, serves as a mesmerising odyssey into the realms...
It has come from out of the blue. In the midst of the glitzy and lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) — where Pakistan players are not allowed...
Nihari is derived from the word ‘nihaar’ which means early morning, making it something to be had first thing early in the morning. It is a...
Disguise is a universal response across the natural world. It is adopted as a camouflage for protection against predators, such as in the case of...
Earth & Glimmer: Poetry & Prose By Haya Fatima Sehgal Liberty Publishing ISBN: 978-627-7626-24-2 137pp. In one of the poems of her talented debut...
Growing up in a middle-class neighbourhood meant that seeing cricket being played on the streets surrounding my house was the norm for me. As the...
The London Bookshop Affair By Louise Fein HarperCollins ISBN: 978-0-0633-0484-0 416pp. London, women and bookshops... The combination of these...
The names Passchendaele, the Somme and Mametz Wood stand as grim sentinels, forever bound to the unimaginable carnage of the First World War....
Currently, one of the most frequently used words in political discourses is the term ‘polarisation’. Recent studies demonstrate that a majority...
The concept of ‘home’, on a philosophical level, is a complex and multifaceted idea that has been pondered by various thinkers throughout...
Pakistan is on the verge of celebrating 76 years since its first-ever National Games. Held in April 1948, 140 participants from across the newly...
Cliftonia: The Later Years A History Book For Sixth Graders By Shagufta de la Mare Single Curriculum Publishers Chapter 354 Cliftonia Ali was a...
In the Land of the Pure By Kenize Mourad Lightstone Publishers ISBN: 978-9-69-716280-2 313pp. Kenize Mourad’s debut novel, Memoirs of an Ottoman...
Festive occasions such as birthdays, Eids and Christmases tend to build-up in people the urge to decorate their homes, using a variety of things...
In 2015, it was my honour to be invited by the education advocacy campaign Alif Ailaan to teach storytelling to Pakistan’s parliamentarians. Titled...
Maritime Security: Challenges & Responses in a Changing World By Admiral (Retd) Iftikhar Ahmed Rao IPS Press ISBN: 978-969-448-834-9 478pp. This...
Rang Barang Tailasaan (Urdu Translation of Husayn b. Mansur al-Hallaj’s Kitab al-Tawasin) By Syed Nomanul Haq Maktaba-i-Daniyal ISBN:...
“Where did you come from?” “From Poland.” “When?” “1948.” “When exactly?” “March 1, 1948.” A heavy silence prevailed. All of...
April is recognised as the Sexual Assault Awareness Month globally. In Pakistan, though, sexual awareness remains a controversial topic and it is...
“In the dark times/ Will there also be singing? Yes, there will also be singing… about the dark times.”— Bertolt Brecht Till now,...
One of Zehra Nigah’s most quoted poems begins with: “Suna hai jungalon ka bhi koi dastoor hota hai [I have heard that jungles also have...
KGB Man By Cecil Kuhne Knox Press ISBN: 978-1637585924 208pp. You may have watched Steven Spielberg’s award-winning 2015 film Bridge of Spies,...
Not many art enthusiasts visiting Paris museums are aware of the works of Theodore Rousseau and his mind-boggling paintings dedicated to the beauty...
Bhai, you tau know I’m a PP (oho baba, Proud Punjoo) and so, when my Chief Minister Sahiba gave us one month to take out our trash and to clean up...
After an unprecedented season of success by Red Bull in 2023, Ferrari is sniffing victory this year. After the annual break in Formula 1, things...
Like politicians, political commentators, too, frequently use the word ‘awaam’ [the masses]. I once asked a political analyst what he meant by...
Pakistan-China: All-Weather Strategic Partner By Dr Rashid Jamal Loheadab Publications ISBN 978-969-7504-22-0 194pp. The flyleaf of Dr Rashid...
Not too long ago, an acquaintance shared with me the link of a recent research paper, ostensibly profiling “Well-Known Pakistani Muslim Feminist...
Awaaz: Echoes of Freedom and Justice By Ansar Burney, with Shehar Bano Rizvi and Tasneen Premjee Chamdia Ansar Burney Trust ISBN: 978-9692397902...
When Juan Orlando Hernández was convicted by a federal jury in Manhattan in early March 2024, it marked a spectacular fall from grace: from...
I was working as a medical director in a pharmaceutical company a few years ago when I had the opportunity to attend the launch of a vital product...
One night, at a birthday party not too long ago, I told a few of my cousins about the dog flower. The flower opens up just like how a dog would...
Recent years have been tumultuous in Pakistan’s politics. Even by the standards of the country’s tortuous history and its record of instability,...