Tehseen Baweja

It was a small living room with around 15 people crammed together, eagerly waiting for Danish to start. I had never listened to him perform but I was still overwhelmed with excitement, I just knew it would be something amazing. Even though he wasn’t in his usual attire of white kurta and topi and sat on a wooden chair instead of the stage with gao-takiya, he created a truly magical atmosphere with this words and expressions, taking everybody into the magical world of warriors and wizards. The 10-minute-and-change dastan performance was probably nothing like they used to have centuries ago, but given that he learnt it on his own, it was an outstanding execution.

Danish Hussain is part of a very small team that have taken it on their shoulders to revive the art of daastan goi. Originally a theater artist, Danish came across daastan goi and Mahmood Farooqi during a stage performance, and has been doing daastan performances since. Together, they have done tens of performances in large and small events in India and in Pakistan. In 2007, The Citizens Foundation invited them over to perform in various cities of Pakistan and the outstanding appreciation they received made it clear that they have fans on both sides of the border.

Bradistan Calling

A nation’s power and might is not in its tanks and missiles but is known by its intellectual capability, knowledge, innovation, creativity and through its respect of human rights and freedom of expression.

The talk of doom and gloom in Pakistan, after a flurry of bad news on economic front the terrorist attacks, has created doubts in the minds of even the hardest of incorrigible optimists and patriots about the future of Pakistani governance and state.

Owais Mughal

Being away from Pakistan for many years, I have missed many small things which I always used to take for granted. One such small thing is the joy of writing with a fountain pen.

A Fountain pen was first patented in US in the year 1884 and writing with it eeamined in vogue until quite recently but these days writing with it has become a lost art. I have shopped around for fountain pens in US and the cheapest ones I have found cost around $15 and they write so bad that Pakistani ‘Eagle’ brand can beat then anytime and anyplace. Eagle is an international brand but their product in Pakistan was one of the best or at least it feels like it after all these years of nostalgic memories.

Twenty years ago a Pakistani ‘Eagle’ used to cost around rupees four. I preferred to write Urdu with Eagle because its nib was not that fine. For writing English, I had a ‘Made in China, ‘HERO’ brand pen which was priced around rupees eleven. Then there were some really cheap fountain pens which gave wonderful Urdu writing. One of them was ‘RAJA’ (The Prince) fountain pen which cost around a princely sum of rupees 2 only. Another cheap fountain pen was Dollar which also cost around rupees three.