Literature
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A poem on God’s mercy for father of a learned daughter
ON JUDGEMENT DAY I wrote this poem for my daughter a decade ago. She now faces a serious medical situation. I request the reader to heed a father’s plea and offer a prayer for her recovery...August 8, 2019 763 0 -
Muslim Writing Salon brings awesome diversity to D.C.
In the rooftop bar of Eaton DC, skeptical of attending a religious event, I didn’t know what to expect. When Nafisa Isa enthusiastically started introducing the program, people cheered and hollered. Sitting in the second row,...August 8, 2019 1547 0 -
Finding voices of harmony amidst conlficting narratives
A few years ago, when American University Professor Dr. Akbar Ahmed and Smithsonian Director Manjula Kumar picked me for the role of a Sufi Sheikh in the famous play Noor, I savored the experience as a...August 3, 2019 1807 0 -
‘The Dragonfly and Other Poems’ reflects on Mashal Khan, blinded Kashmiris and much more
There is something about the old Frontier Province which lifts the heart when crossing the Attock into the land of the Pukhtun; the poet awakens. That is what Sir Evelyn Howell, the outstanding Pukhtunphile, wrote; or...June 16, 2019 1355 0 -
A poet’s reflections on twilight days and Delhi nights
Leave us here in our women’s chambers leave us here so secure chewing the lotus with lotus maiden amidst the fumes of a suspended past that waft away an uncertain future space so marble-cooled illusions so...April 7, 2019 1098 0 -
Pakistani author Mohsin Hamid wins Aspen Words Literary Prize
FEATURED IMAGE: Screenshot/PBS News Hour Pakistani writer Mohsin Hamid has won the inaugural Aspen Words Literary Prize for his novel Exit West, which portrays migrants as heroes amid ongoing anti-migrant rhetoric. The Aspen Institute’s award honors a...April 11, 2018 1431 0 -
‘Literature can strengthen human bonds across cultures’
Feelings of the time slipping by and expectations of good times ahead merged creatively as the Society of Urdu Literature hosted its last session of 2017 in the afternoon of December 31, just hours before the...January 8, 2018 2097 2 -
Pakistani Mohsin Hamid’s ‘Exit West’ among Amazon’s top 2017 books
Photo: Screenshot/PBS NewsHour In a year of intense competition, Amazon has assigned fourth place to Pakistani novelist Mohsin Hamid’s Exit West on its 2017 list of top books. The novel Exit West is a story on...November 9, 2017 1943 0 -
Indian, Pakistani writers can bring two nations together: Poet Agrawal
Pakistani and Indian poets attended an anniversary meeting of the Society of Urdu Literature, April 2017, Springfield, Virginia Credit: Umar John NEXT TV Indian and Pakistani writers can help bring the two uneasy neighbors together for the...May 13, 2017 2351 0 -
Lahore Literary Festival 2017 in New York on Thursday
Photo courtesy Lahore Literary Festival 2017 website The Lahore Literary Festival (LLF), which returns to Asia Society here on Thursday, is set to explore contemporary Pakistan, and feature artists, writers, and commentators. This is the second...May 2, 2017 1209 0
