Mast Qalandar
I am looking for an address on Street No. 8 in an upscale residential area in Islamabad. The area is laid out somewhat like a rectangle. I start from one end of the longer side of the rectangle, driving slowly westward and looking out for street signs. Soon I spot the first sign that […]

Mast Qalandar
In my last post I had mentioned about my visit to Saidpur village, on the outskirts of Islamabad. I had also mentioned about my encounter with Rahim Dad, the potter of Saidpur. The village has had a pottery making tradition for generations. However, only two potters continue to carry on making clay pottery in […]

Guest Post by Mast Qalandar (MQ)
Pakistan is a country of several ethnic groups and cultures. This is apparent not only in the people’s looks but also in their language, traditions, food and dress.

One of the things that strikes a newcomer to Pakistan is the variety of caps and turbans Pakistanis wear. Even though with increased […]

Mast Qalandar
People often describe Islamabad as a city without a soul. Actually, Islamabad’s soul is not to be found in the city itself, but on the fringes of the city. In the little hamlets and hills.

Fauzia Minallah, an Islamabad based artist, has recently published a delightful coffee-table book titled ‘Glimpses into Islamabad’s Soul’. She describes […]

Mast Qalandar
It was one of those cloudless, crisp and beautiful winter days that one sees after a spell of rain in Islamabad.
The pall of dust that usually hangs over the city and the hills during the early winter months had lifted. The rain had washed the dust and everything looked bright, fresh and clean. The […]

Mast Qalandar
When I wrote the post on Ashoka’s Rock Edicts I had made a suggestion at the end of the post to the department concerned, which was to put up a proper and readable translation of the edicts at the site — both in English and Urdu.
To my pleasant surprise, I discovered the other day, […]

Mast Qalandar
If you think it was the MMA who tried to introduce the “law of morality” in the Frontier province of Pakistan (NWFP), think again!
A “law of morality” was first introduced in the region much, much before the MMA or the Taliban appeared on the scene. Even before Pakistan, before the British and before the […]