Raza Rumi As I hold the recently published “The Oxford Book of Urdu Short Stories” in my hands, I cannot help bemoan the fact that Urdu literature has been almost invisible from the arena of global literature. Admittedly, translation is difficult; the tediousness of translation daunts many a brave heart. Having said that, there have […]

Shahran Asim and Owais Mughal When we think of Urdu columnists, the image that comes to mind is of old men, always in shalwar Kameez / Pajama and resembling like poets. Sometimes (and not always) such columnists talk of their glorious past and also resort to sensationalism. We know this is a bit generalization but […]

Owais Mughal I started this afternoon by watching a Mohammad Ali Shehki song on youtube. Besides enjoying his musical mastery, the song also brought back some memories. One song led to another and before I realized I had watched his 10 songs. Should I also say that ‘gaane dekhta gaya aur post banti gayee’. Seen […]