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Looking back THE all-conquering exploits of Alexander, the cerebral excellence of Socrates, Plato, Ibn Khaldun and others of the kind, the events leading upto the French, Bolshevik and other revolutions, they are all history now....		A farewell to the setting sun LEANED against the huge wall of the Clifton pagal khana, and watched through the thick leaves of a massive Bunyan tree the tired sun depart. The Clifton pagal khana is one of the few abstruse mental asylums in Karachi. Not all sane persons are required...
Peshawaris at play PESHAWARITES now have another addition to their list of outings. Located within the confines of Fawad Plaza near Chief is Hangout, the latest fad to hit the drab entertainment scene in...		‘We dare to bare’ DURING my recent visit to the USA, I frequently travelled between Miami (Florida) and Hopewell (Virginia), with a stopover at Jacksonville....
Death by chocolate AFTER 31 years of existence on this planet, I have come face to face with the worst tragedy of my life. It is of mind-blowing proportions and has created such an emotional upheaval that it’ll probably take me another 31 years to get over...		Celebrating Karachi EWEL in the Crown was the title of a singular exhibition to celebrate Karachi’s colonial past in an unapologetic and stylish manner. The good thing was that even though the majority of exhibits came from personal collections...
It’s all in the stars FROM almost the beginning of human history, all sorts of methods of divination, from consulting oracles to gazing into crystal balls, have been used in order to predict the fortunes of...		Art and music in Vienna VIENNA, Wien, Vienne, Wennen, Beha or Becs — whatever you call it, in any language, it spells the fabled and pulsating capital of Austria. It is the colourful city of the...
Caught in a dilemma PAKISTAN is an underdeveloped country with limited resources. Its population growth is one of the highest in the world (2.1 per cent per year) which has increased five fold in the last 50 years. Family planning has failed miserably in this part of the world...		Rasul Hamzatof’s Daghistan MANY summers ago, Ahmed Daud the master story-teller during a literary chit-chat asked me, “Tarar have you read Rasul Hamzatof Mera Daghistan? “Rasul Hamzatof whose poetry was translated by Faiz sahib and included in his Sarre Wadieye...
‘The clash of civilizations’ A REFUSAL to compromise anchored in truth without the desire to strike at one’s persecutor was the message of the penultimate prophet, Jesus Christ, upon him be peace and blessings. In the land that bore Jesus’ gentle footprints, oppression neither stopped nor abated. Two millenniums after...		Power of the pen HOW the 70-year-old chief of Hoti-Mardan was unjustly arrested in 1912 for alleged “attempt at familiarity” with two young Englishwomen and honourably acquitted by the Bombay High Court “without a stain on his character” is one of the interesting episodes I came across while browsing through....
Yet another literary award ONE more literary award has been instituted in Pakistan. A generous soul from Qatar, Abdul Hameedul Miftah, arrived last week in Lahore and arranged a function where Munir Niazi was decorated...		Hot Seat THE lavishly decorated, with very rich artistic appeal, interiors of Parveen Rizvi speaks volumes of her past experience and the perfection she has achieved in the world of art. Terming as...
Change for a change WALKING into Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, the Pakistan Cricket Board headquarters, and the first glimpse I saw was Junaid Zia, son of the former cricket chief Tauqir Zia, bowling in a Pakistan “A” practise match. Nothing has changed at the cricket headquarters...		Lara’s struggle with self-doubt BRIAN Charles Lara has crossed the 100-Test milestone, and deserves a round of applause for having done that. While the feat is remarkable even in absolute terms, the circumstances in which...
The Boss is here SHAHRYAR M. Khan, a retired career diplomat appointed Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board seems to be groping in the dark as he has so far failed to come up with any set plan to gain the confidence of the crazy cricket fans. Mr Shahryar has been in the midst of things for almost a fortnight as he must have been...		The anti-age revolution EVERY ten seconds, one American hits the half-century mark! What then should he do? Drown his sorrows in a fizzy drink; throw a wild party to celebrate; or sprint to his cosmetic guru for a second facelift? (For it is assumed in America...
The Downing Street honour SARAH Francis, at the age of 15, will be the youngest of a group of 14 remarkable people who will receive special awards from the British Government’s Chancellor of the Exchequer,...		Scarf vs secularism WITH reference to the letters in the December 28 issue, I totally agree with the reply given by Dr Syed Jaffer Ahmed to Mr Abdullah Jan and Mr Murad Bay...
MOSAIC: Japan to sell whale meat THOUSANDS of tons of meat from whales hunted under a government-backed research programme will arrive in Japanese markets and canneries in an annual sale expected to raise 3.36 billion yen ($33.3...		Newsmaker THE spectacled, blues-rooted guitarist, Eric Clapton, has become the latest rocker to be honoured with a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by the Queen, for his services to music. The CBE trophy is one rung below...