The Ethereal Journey
The months preceding the 26th of Feb 621 AD were especially difficult for the Prophet of Islam, Mohammad-e-Mustafa (Peace be upon him). His tribe and family, the Quraish, had ridiculed and rejected him. His beloved wife Khatija and his uncle Abu Talib had died the same year. The people of Taif, where he had gone […]
The message of Hazrat Imam Hussain (AS)
The message of the great Imam Hussain transcends sects and religions. It is a symbol of courage and an awe-inspiring lesson of defiance against submission to an unjust order. He belongs to the great pantheon of leaders who have left an indelible imprint on our moral history and collective conscience. The day of Ashura also […]
27th Night of Ramzan
“Read…..Read…..Read in the name of your Lord who created you from a single clot. Read, and your Lord is the Honorable who taught you with the pen.” It was 1414 years ago when these words awoke the Holy Prophet Muhammad as he lay asleep in a cave on a mountain called Hira’ in Mecca, where […]
Good Friday
It was Good Friday yesterday, the beginning of Easter and which also coincides with the holy month of Ramzan. In the Christian belief system, Jesus’s death at the cross was a victory that offered salvation for the sins of his followers. It was his kindness and magnanimity in the face of adversity that won the […]
Africans in India
Reflecting on the fascinating and relatively little explored history of Africans in India. Dr. Sylviane A Diouf of the Schomburg Center amongst other scholars has done some great work in this area. They conclude that many Africans in India distinguished themselves as military commanders, rulers, reformers, and prime ministers, writing an inspirational story of grit, […]
Unexpected Dinners: The Whims and Fancies of the Nizam
Evenings in Corona-ridden Karachi compel one to spend lots of time at home with all its delights and delicacies and all its imperfections. One of my favorite pastimes is to hear my mother (and friend) talk about the stories of imperial Hyderabad. Last night we spoke about the impromptu meals that would arrive from the […]
Jahangir’s Mausoleum
It is during the era of Emperor Jahangir that Mughal art, prose, and illumination reached their zenith. This 17th-century monarch was enamored especially by the flora and fauna of his kingdom and has captured its variety in a series of riveting manuscripts contained (now) in the dispersed leaves of the tuzk-e-Jahangiri and Jahangirnama. I had […]
Migration of the Shirani Tribe
I have written in the past about the movement of Afghan Pathans all across India at various stages in history…they settled everywhere from the areas surrounding Delhi, Rampur, and Bhopal to down south in the Deccan as well as in Sindh. The Shirani tribe found its way through the Takhth-E-Suleman—the mountain range across Afghanistan and […]
MEANDERINGS WITH MY MOTHER
I had a macabre and sad discussion with my mother who opened the window to some traditions that are best buried in the past. She talked about the events immediately following her father’s sudden death. Widowhood was so deeply frowned upon that women losing their husbands were relegated to “carriers of ill fortune” and no […]
THE WOODCUTTER’S BLESSING
One of my enduring childhood memories is making pooris (a filled pastry of sorts) with a rolling pin alongside my siblings and mother late into the night, often singing various traditional songs. Even today, this is an annual undertaking in my home (and my sister’s) for one of the most charming culinary and spiritual traditions […]