Literature
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Seeking hope in April renewal against coronavirus ravages
It’s April The season of cherry blossoms Suddenly appearing everywhere All around A riot of subtle pink, burgundy and purple And apple blossom white And their sweet smell Mingles with every kind of magnolia Butterfly, yellow...April 1, 2020 992 0 -
Poem – In the sunset of my day
Haiku effects – In the sunset of my day Alone on my way– friendless and foreign in the sunset of my day. Solitude of the fight stretched over years and always—fading light. A...September 14, 2019 835 0 -
A poem exploring the purpose of life
The purpose of life? What is the purpose of life? why are we here? the answers are all around us the Greeks aimed for happiness Aristotle even listed eleven virtues that would help achieve happiness he pointed to...August 26, 2019 3027 0 -
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 868 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 1696 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 1962 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 1576 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 1212 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 1567 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 2237 2
