Pakistan
Writer and editor
AFTER crossing the Ravi bridge which offers a depressing sight of a drying river that has partly been reduced to toxic sludge, through a small winding road among several congested ones, past a humble neighbourhood and bazaar, one catches sight of the domineering gates of the Akbari Sarai, a rectangular enclosure which was during the reign of Shah Jahan a state guesthouse comprising 180 cells.
Is what we see unfold a carefully contrived interview between a journalist and a solitary writer? Or are we being sucked into a seemingly innocuous conversation that is set to reveal a tumultuous connection between the two?
Love, revenge, tragedy and salvation - K.R. Meera's novel The Poison of Love has it all. Stripping away all the pretence that lovers, in both ancient and contemporary times, have cultivated of this exhilarating emotion, Meera's latest work is a testament to her prowess as a brilliant storyteller.
Among the snow-capped mountains, and a rugged and unforgiving terrain, only the fittest survive and that is the very home and hunting ground of the snow leopard. At the PACC on Wednesday, a documentary titled The Pursuit of Phantom showcased the work of a group of dedicated conservationists who painstakingly tracked the snow leopard in the Khunjerab National Park and adjoining areas in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Dead men tell no tales. Makli, however, seems not to come within the ambit of this idiom as each king, queen, scholar or saint buried within its environs has a distinct voice, a story to tell if you just make the time to hear them.
There is a driveway in Karachi that has seen more women toiling away than any other. It is a place where sweat and tears are a constant, where the demons of fear and uncertainty are fought, friendships are forged that stand the test of time, illnesses are discussed and embraced, and the weakest are given hope of gaining strength.
Mohammed Hanif, the author, journalist and unwilling social and political commentator, was his usual engaging self at the launch of his latest book, Red Birds, at the British Council library on Sunday. Red Birds, Hanif's third novel, was described by him as a "family story living in a post-war type world, which we all are.
KARACHI: In the past few weeks, thousands of shopkeepers of the Empress Market witnessed the demise of their livelihood after the Supreme Court directed the authorities to take action against encroachments that resulted in their shops being razed. Now heritage experts have raised alarm over the government's decision to start a mission of sandblast cleaning on stone materials of the heritage monument.
KARACHI: There is growing pressure from the Supreme Court of Pakistan to remove encroachments from all parkland, market centres and roads of the city. The new directives in particular have clearly included all parkland to be clear of any kind of encroachment and construction so that urban forests can be established for the public and to help the environment.
Borders may be well-defined, but once in a while we hear of epic journeys that help blur them just a little. The drive to Pakistan by German nationals Christian Nieth and Elisabeth Hartmann, over dusty, unpaved roads and through corrupt bureaucratic frameworks, is one tale worthy of mention in this regard.