Mustansar Hussain Tarar is a man of many shades and a wandering soul who has travelled far and wide. His restless nature made him a man without boundaries. From writing to journalism to acting to anchoring, he tried his hand at everything that came his way. He is also a high-altitude adventurer and explorer. But he likes to introduce himself as a vagabond and a risk-taker.
“I’m not a writer, a columnist, an actor or an anchor. I’m just a vagabond. I do not travel for the sake of writing a travelogue. Rather I travel because of my adventurous and exploring nature. It was because of my mental or physical need that I travelled to so many countries around the globe.
“It all started in 1958 when I was in England for my studies. I was selected by a British delegation for a youth festival in the Moscow University. This provided me with a unique opportunity to go to the Soviet Union, though on a fake passport thanks to the Russians. (Complete article)
Jamil Ahmad, Mohammed Hanif make the cut for DSC Prize shortlist
Debut author Jamil Ahmad and journalist and novelist Mohammed Hanif were among the six writers shortlisted for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature for 2013, when the names were revealed late Tuesday. (Complete news)
The Napa Reparatory Theatre’s (NRT) latest production “Kamla” is a play that revolves largely around hypocritical journalistic practices and the state of human rights in the subcontinent. Written by Asif Farrukhi and directed by Meesam Naqvi, the play is based on a script written originally by Indian playwright Vijay Tendulkar in 1981.
“Kamla” outlines the role of a Delhi-based journalist in exposing wrong-doers in society (people involved in the sex trade). The script also mocks the practice adopted by some journalists who are so lost in sensationalism and the breaking news cycle that they leave ethics behind. The goal then solely is to be on the front page, get a prominent byline and be the editor’s favourite. The actors depict how, in the race to expose corrupt individuals, some journalists are themselves corrupted. (Complete news)
Gurmani Foundation Gives LUMS PKR One Billion Endowment
The Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) has received a most generous gift of PKR. 1 Billion (Rs. 1,000,000,000) from the Gurmani Foundation which will be used to set up an endowment for supporting financial assistance programmes for the most deserving students and for a range of scholarly activities. This is the largest single gift ever received by LUMS and may also be the single largest gift ever given to an educational institution in Pakistan. (complete article)
People of the State of Bahawalpur continue to do charity which no one else can match up with. Respect+
Flashback: When ‘fear’ was a word in the dictionary (By Sher Alam Shinwari)
Syed Amiruddin Shah Gillani hails from a spiritual family; his ancestors migrated from Iran many centuries ago and settled in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, providing spiritual guidance to people. Now in his 80s, he recalls a time when peace prevailed everywhere; there was no violence in the land of the ancient Gandhara civilisation.
“There used to be peace, hospitality; literary and cultural activities. A typical tribal society with hujra and jumaat (mosque) entwined in social norms and traditions that kept institutions and people tied together is now in ruins. The image of a peaceful Pashtun society is smeared with blood and the smoke of bomb blasts everywhere. Tribal life in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has undergone a tremendous change; for Peshawarites, fear was a word that existed only in the dictionary during the 60s and 70s,” Gillani recalls sadly. (complete article) (via umalik)
LAHORE: In a country like Pakistan where many children are deprived of basic education, one girl from Lahore has achieved something extraordinary.
Aiman Waheed, a nine-year-old girl from Lahore, has written and published a 64-page novel titled “The Dangerous Pet” which is available in the local market.
According to her family, Aiman has always been into reading books and completed her novel in a span of four months.
“I kept jotting down my ideas in the form of points. And when I started writing, the story just went with the flow,” the young author said.
The sixth-grader has already started working on her next novel which would be a mystery story.
Classics, thrillers, murder mysteries, tales of loss and woe, love and life- fictional stories can range from the realistic to the magical. Where do writers get their ideas and how much do their surroundings affect their imagination? Dawn.com speaks to Karachi based authors on the city and how it plays a role in their work. Bina Shah elaborates on Karachi’s shifting landscape, H.M Naqvi speaks on how Karachi sustains him, Maniza Naqvi talks about discovering the city as an adult and Mohmmed Hanif talks about how the city manages to slip into his work.
TASHKENT: In the middle of Central Asia, a professor has studied and taught Urdu for over half a century.
Professor Dr Tash Mirza is as passionate about the language now as he was in 1961, when he completed his doctorate in Urdu from Moscow University. His studies have taken him as far as Delhi, though his home for almost all his life has been Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan.
Mirza frequently visits Pakistan and India to attend seminars and conferences on Urdu literature. Now 75, he teaches Urdu at the city’s State Institute of Oriental Studies. (via aminalikesthisstuff)
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.
