Manto doesn’t let you forget
My first ‘experience’ of Manto’s work was with his short story ‘Khol Do’ – a deceptively simple tale set in the turmoil of pre-partition Pakistan that artfully depicts the horrors that ensued from and during mass migration. I use the word ‘experience’, rather than encounter or stumble upon, because there is absolutely no way that you chance upon Manto’s work as one does a pebble in the path, kick it aside and calmly move on. Any human being that feels simply cannot be unmoved by Manto’s work. Akin to the brazen persona that Manto possessed, he consequently inspired either deep ...
Read Full PostMathira’s wardrobe malfunction: Nudity or modernity?
“It wasn’t part of the show. It was an accident!” pleaded designer Sanam Chaudhri after the scandalous Mathira fashion faux pas at her showcase on day one of Fashion Pakistan Week. Chauhdri spoke in Mathira’s defense saying “I felt so bad for her, and she started crying the moment she got off the ramp.” But when something of this nature happens with a personality like Mathira (whose last name is Scandal) people most likely assume that it was deliberate. Fashion writer and cultural commentator, Mohsin Sayeed, certainly thinks so. “Of course, it was deliberate,” he said. “If it wasn’t then why did the ...
Read Full PostA modest ‘proposal’
The reaction that one expects after having written an explosive story on the gay and lesbian community in Pakistan is threatening warnings and murderous calls. All I got however, apart from that usual list of fiery comments on the article, was a very interesting email suggesting a ‘match’ for me (replete with a bio-data and picture akin to a rishta service). I honestly don’t know what to make of it especially since the email that was sent to me with this ‘proposal’ of sorts several months after my story was published.The fact that it coincides with my recent change in ...
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