Although probably not dancing, the ‘dancing girl’ is unquestionably ‘a pleasing little thing’. Naked save for a chunky necklace and an assortment of bangles, this minuscule statuette is not of the usual Indian sex symbol, full of breast and wide of hip, but of a slender nymphet happily flaunting her puberty with delightful insouciance. Her pose is studiously casual, one spindly arm bent with the hand resting on a déhanché hip, the other dangling so as to brush a slightly raised knee. Slim and attenuated, the legs are slightly parted, and one foot - both are now missing - must have been pointed. She could be absent-mindedly surveying her wardrobe, except that her head is thrown back as if challenging a suitor, and her hair is somehow dressed into a heavy plaited chignon of perilous but intentionally dramatic construction. Decidedly, she wants to be admired; and she might be gratified to know that, four thousand years later, she still is.
Keay, John. India: A History. Atlantic Monthly Press, 2000, p. 15 (via 6656)
Ava Gardner shooting a scene at the Lahore Railway Station in 1954.
(via um-er) Absolutely love Nadeem Paracha’s photoblog “Also Pakistan” on DAWN’s website today.
Not because it shows bikini-clad women riding a camel on Karachi beach or some Hollywood actress shooting a scene at Lahore railway station but because it shows how tolerant as a society we (Pakistanis) were.
It all went wrong when we started SELLING Islam instead of practicing it.
Swat engineer claims to produce electricity with water
While the country witnesses its worst energy crisis, a 37-year-old self-taught mechanical engineer from Swat claims to have a solution.
After 20 years of research, Rehan Aziz Farooqi, has invented a unique power generator that runs solely on water, and, wait for it, the design can be used to allow any engine that runs on petrol, diesel or green gas to use water as fuel.
Afghanistan has asked Pakistan for the first time to allow import of furnace oil to meet the requirement of its power plants.
“The government charges General Sales Tax (GST) on use of furnace in local power plants and Afghanistan will have to pay the same if exports are allowed,” the official said. Pakistan’s furnace oil demand is 9 to 10 million tons per year. Local oil refineries produce 2.5 million to 3 million tons per year while the remaining amount is met through imports. (Source)
In the midst of violence and chaos in Karachi, master craftsmen are giving birth to art-in brass. Unfortunately, business has taken a down turn in the recent years due to instability in the city.
Son of a Bug is a feature-length experimental documentary that explores the history of The Bugs, the first Pakistani rock band (formed circa 1964), and the contested spaces of culture and religion, particularly what it means to be Muslim and Pakistani/Pakistani-American, as revealed through the father-son relationship between former drummer-turned-Texan, Jumshade “Jimmy” Muzaffar, and his Texas-raised son, Shams-Tabraiz “Tabby.”
Spread the word, let’s support Ali Kapadia’s Peace Film via Kickstarter.
Pakistan is a country surrounded by complex issues and I am passionate about addressing them. One of these issues is Pakistan’s relationship with India.
Ever since the independence of Pakistan and India in 1947, they have repeatedly been at war with each other and there seems to be no end to it. The two countries have fought 4 wars with hundreds of thousands of casualties and refugees. Even when both countries have half their population living on less than $2/day, they spend more on their military than education, poverty relief and social services combined. The strife is fueled by political interests that benefit from such conflict and the conflict has no place in today’s world. (Know more about it and support the cause by donating or spreading the word)
‘Thirty seven plays in 37 languages. Shakespeare’s Globe theatre is a polyglot’s paradise this summer as thirty seven theatre troupes from around the world will adapt and interpret one of Shakespeare’s plays for a performance in their national language as part of Globe to Globe, kicking off on April 21 in London. Taking part in this celebration of the Bard’s 448th birthday is a Pakistani theatre company, Theatre Wallay, staging The Taming of the Shrew. Starring Nadia Jamil and Omair Rana, directed by Haissam Hussain and featuring music by Mekaal Hasan, the play will be performed in Urdu on May 25 and 26, 2012.’ - from Sanam Maher’s write-up in HERALD [February 16, 2012]
Also a little message from Osman Khalid Butt (who’ll play Hortensio):
This is it, people. Five months of rigorous rehearsals have led to this moment. Am leaving for England tomorrow on a 4-city tour of The Taming of the Shrew - in Urdu, including a performance at the prestigious Globe in London [as part of the Cultural Olympiad!] Please pray that the team makes Pakistan proud! And a special shout-out to ALL the actors and crew members of the production. Fingers, toes, everything crossed! [For more information on just what we’re up to, click here: http://globetoglobe.shakespearesglobe.com/]
This blog aims at telling you the "truth" about Pakistan. Unfortunately, today the news emerging from Pakistan on the Western media are so much polarized that it gives a very unreal image of Pakistan.
At "What no one told you about Pakistan", we aim at telling you the real stories about Pakistan.
