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Allahabad renamed: how 'correction' of 'historical injustices' reveals problematic narratives
The rename may come across as new, but there have been traces of it from the start.
Haroon Khalid
With his ashes immersed in the Ravi, Kuldip Nayar becomes one with the river’s legends
Tales of Valmiki, Ram and Sita, Lav, Guru Nanak and countless others are intertwined with the history of the river.
The legacy of Guru Nanak lives on in four historic gurdwaras in Punjab
Kartarpur Sahib, Sacha Sauda, Sacha Khand and Beri Sahib are associated with key events in the Sikh guru’s life.
If Pakistan shuns the term ‘Ancient India’ in its history books, is it entirely to blame?
India’s exclusive use of the term has spread the perception that it is the only inheritor of subcontinent’s legacy.
In Pakistan, appreciation of the Indus Valley civilisation ties in with attempts to erase its Hindu past
The message is clear — Pakistan’s pre-Islamic history is acceptable as long as it is separated from its Hindu influence.
Post-Partition Lahore emerged as Pakistan socio-cultural hub, but it lost something along the way
As long as there is a new Lahore, its predecessor, the old Lahore will continue to survive in its shadow.
With Pakistan’s rivers dying, are its ancient cities running out of time?
The mighty rivers of Punjab are the reason why civilisation exists — and has for thousands of years — in this region.
How a valiant Sikh woman ruler helped Ranjit Singh rise from a chieftain to the Maharaja of Punjab
Sada Kaur’s military support and tactical advice proved pivotal as her young son-in-law went about creating an empire.
This village near Lahore serves as a reminder of Sikhism’s diverse past
A non-mainstream narrative asserts that Guru Nanak was not born in present-day Nankana Sahib but in Dera Chahal village.
The 1915 Ghadar plan to free India from the British was a failure — but it sparked a revolution
The movement set into motion a series of events such as the Jallianwala Bagh and the Non-Cooperation Movement.
Lahore owes Hindu philanthropist Ganga Ram more than it would care to admit
His tenure as the executive engineer of the city is referred to as the Ganga Ram architectural period.
Lost in Partition, the Sikh-Muslim connection comes alive in the tale of Guru Nanak and Bhai Mardana
A descendant of the guru’s Muslim disciple speaks of the importance of the rubabi tradition in Sikhism.
How a queen plotted the fall of Khalsa Army by starting the First Anglo-Sikh War
The plan was to put the soldiers in a war in which their defeat was assured.
What South Asian religious traditions have in common with Zoroastrianism
Fire has long been held sacred in the indigenous religious traditions of South Asia.
Did Bhagat Singh help Nehru push Congress to demand complete independence?
It is impossible to predict how things would have turned out had Singh’s rhetoric not captured people's imagination.
For Pakistan’s spiritual healers, Hindu djinns are evil and Muslim spirits are good
The concept of black magic in Pakistan is imbued in the political framework of the country shaped by Partition.
Remembering Dulla Bhatti, the landlord who stood up to the mighty Akbar
Bhatti emerged as a symbol of Punjabi culture: a Muslim who fought for Brahmin girls against the Mughal king.
The river Ravi has run dry in Lahore but this monument stands as a reminder of its Mughal past
The summer pavilion of Humayun’s half-brother, the city's oldest Mughal structure, stands in the middle of the riverbed.
How Pakhtun Sikhs fleeing the Taliban made Nankana Sahib a cultural hub
Pakhtun Sikhs have revived many festivals that had not been celebrated since Partition.
Piro Preman, the Punjabi poet who pushed the boundaries of sexuality with her verses
Sold to a brothel, she joined the Ghulab Dasi, rejected the tenets of religion and society, and lived by her own rules.