The composers who stood out were Ajay-Atul, Niladri Kumar, Shashwat Sachdev and Shantanu Moitra, and among lyricists, Shellee and Varun Grover. Devarsi Ghosh For Hindi film music, 2018 was a much better year than 2017, even though we got no albums from Pritam or Vishal-Shekhar and the only Vishal Bhardwaj-Gulzar collaboration was a sorry dud. Amit Trivedi dropped nine …
By Zameer Abbas I shared the first part of this piece on an elitist WhatsApp group of government officials, assuming that the members would read and comment on it. But, barring two out of 49 participants, the piece was met with a bureaucratic indifference. Perhaps the group members, well-educated by all standards, found the piece uninteresting even though most …
In his two-part article, Zameer Abbas touches upon the other sides of Juan Ellia’s personality as a progressive thinker, biographer, translator, and historian which have been overshadowed by his poetry. Zameer Abbas The popularity of Jaun Elia (1931-2002) as a poet has risen in recent times. Despite his intellectual versatility, he was not as well-known during his lifetime as he …
By Farman Ali Islamabad, Oct 14: Artist and poet Ahmed Habib’s latest artwork is a self-reflection on relationships, inner conflicts, and emotional attachment with personal belongings. The exhibition titled, Aayiney (mirrors) was inaugurated by Austrian Ambassador Briggitt Blaha on Ocxtober 3 at Nomad Gallery that was followed by the screening of a short documentary on the artist’s work. A large …
FARMAN ALI Islamabad A cultural gala featuring musicians and dancers was held to celebrate the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA). Troupes from the Shaanxi Wenyi Art, Xi’an City Wall Art and orchestra of Xi’an International University presented traditional dances, instrumental music, and songs depicting the ancient Silk Road history, life, culture, colours and …
Ali Ahmed Jan The much-awaited Gilgit-Baltistan Champions League (GBCL) kicked off with a greater participation of the enthusiastic and talented teams from over two dozen universities and colleges of twin cities of Islamabad-Rawalpindi and Lahore. The opening ceremony of the third season of the mega event was held at the Open Air Theatre of the Pakistan National Council of the …
HAH Report Islamabad (Feb 27): Two books on the oral tradition of Pamiri Kyrgyz people living in Turkey have been published. Authored by renowned Kyrgyz folklorist and ethnographer Dr Sulaiman Kaiypov, the books Proverbs and Sayings of the Pamiri Kyrgyz Living in Turkey, and Funeral Laments of the Pamiri Kyrgyz Living in Turkey, have been published with the support of the University of …
M. Saleem Beg Leh, the capital of Ladakh and the first major town as one descends from the Tibetan plateau and the Karakoram mountain range, has been variously described as a “true little capital, the seat of a tiny cosmopolitan world” and it has been said that “what Port Said is to the Suez Canal, Leh is to the Central …
Aasim Sajjad Akhtar AND so Nawaz, Maryam and Safdar have been indicted. All while reconciliation between Maryam and Hamza is in the works. And all while Safdar’s hateful speech in the National Assembly continues to create ripples inside and outside the N-League inner circle. For good measure, Imran’s troubles in the Supreme Court are also in the headlines. Will we …
MUMBAI, Oct 5: Two fearless Asian women who have risked their lives campaigning against religious extremism — one of whom was murdered last month — won a joint award Thursday for their common courage. Gauri Lankesh, 55, an outspoken Indian newspaper editor, was shot dead outside her home by unidentified assailants in the southern city of Bengaluru, at a time of …
