A concise introduction to the urdu ghazal
Because it’s amazing how many people have no clue There’s no documentary evidence to suggest that the capacity to enjoy ghazals can change one’s income for the better; if anything, there’s…
No, I am not shocked any more
Are you? Being a Pakistani, and having followed events for some years, I am no more shocked by anything that happens in the social and the political spheres. Of course, I…
How to become a billionaire in five easy steps
DIY making-it-big Visit any bookstore or the internet and you will find numerous cook-books and recipes on how to build a dream house, or to be a leader of men, or to…
The Panama case and democracy
After the JIT report The JIT report on Panama is out, and it’s pretty incriminating for the first family. As far as I recall, out of hundreds of investigations over the…
Panama Leaks: a compilation of bizarre political arguments
A survey of narratives from the ruling party The Panama case is being fought tooth-and-nail simultaneously in the legal as well as the political arena. Members of the ruling party have been…
On redeeming vices
And the horrors of unalloyed virtue ‘He hadn’t a single redeeming vice,’ was how the great Oscar Wilde famously referred to a particularly virtuous individual, presumably a regular pain-in-the-neck for all and…
Public attitudes towards cricket
Which one describes you best? The Champions Trophy is in progress, and as usual the public attitudes towards the mega-event run the gamut from indifference to intense passion. When it comes to…
Advice for young writers
A primer to prose writing It’s all right if writing causes you some degree of grief. Languages are notorious for troubling two categories of people: the natives and the non-natives. Writing is…
Marital bliss for men
Recalling a memorable conversation ‘Most men make marriage difficult by refusing to come to terms with their loss of freedom,’ remarked Uncle Zaki-ul-Hiss, my friend’s father. By what first appeared to be…
Four batsmen and a fast-bowler
A tribute With all the recent media focus on Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan there have been some cricketers who, despite having shared the dressing room with the aforementioned, have been starved…
Western philosophy for dummies
A primer for easterners Western philosophy is as rewarding as it is exacting, for after studying it one can answer most of the fundamental questions that have challenged the combined intellect of…
The greatest threat to religion
A word on religious zealots Religion has been here since the very beginning, and it is safe to say that it’s not going anywhere any time soon. The greatest threat to religion…
A guide for budding cricketers
How to look the part and impress selectors and others If you are a young Pakistani the chances are that you play cricket at some level or the other. Also, presumably you…
Free-will and predestination
Revisiting the age-old debate As perennial debates go, this one has to be right there at the top of the list. And it’s not merely an academic discussion either, for the whole…
The American Wannabe Disorder [AWD]
Symptoms, prognosis, treatment I have been meaning to write on this important topic ever since I wrote on the Arab Wannabe Syndrome (AWS) all those months ago. However, as it happened one…
The pathology of stupidity: a well meaning rant
Or, a brief history of birthday celebrations It all started some millennia ago in a cave in Western Africa. Cave-woman Abebi was proud of her cave-man son Bobo. Bobo himself was of…