Search

	Match whole words only
with all of the words
with the exact phrase
with at least one of the words
without the words
Title
Author

Days

Today
Past 7 days
Past 30 days

Past 90 days
Past year
Full archive

Date range	From
Date range	to

A. Asif

1. The helper boy

It's a very cold morning. I wipe the fog off the windshield of the parked truck and look out: the sun has not come out yet, but a faint light has begun to appear on the horizon. A dog crosses the des...

2. A month of Ramadan (IV)

I chained the door as soon as I entered my house. The alleyway, shaded from the sun by the canopy of grapevine, looked as if filled with a green haze, a corridor lined with bricks of memories through a...

3. A month of Ramadan (III)

- On my third night in Daska Jamia Masjid went wild again with the Hindi tunes once the trahvees were over. At 2.00 am, finding it impossible to concentrate on my studies, I sneaked out of my house. In...

4. A month of Ramadan (II)

Jamia Masjid sprang to life with a piercing azaan for the ishaa prayer. I put the book down and waited. The azaan was close to a finish when another mosque, Wahab Masjid, flanking the other side of my mo...

5. A month of Ramadan

Dimly lit by the pale glow of the desk lamp my cubicle looked gloomy--a bed at the far end with a crumpled bed-sheet; next to it and three paces from the door, a writing desk with shelves on top, and i...

6. Aliens

It’s a cold, foggy night of January in Lahore. Since the shamianaa has been pitched in one of the public parks it feels colder than usual. The guests have arrived in quick succession in their cars. Un...

7. Fairy Meadows

The air in Jinnah Park was hazy and smelled of smoke, as if piles of leaves had been set on fire at various locations throughout the park. From time to time, wind swept the leaves off the ground, swirl...

8. Chowkidar

Our story is heartbreaking, but worth listening to, if you have time, sir. You see us in rags, fearful of rats, and disheveled living in this dungeon, the dingy basement of our own house, and you may thi...

9. Dialogue with history

"Didn't I tell you, sir, this idea of yours: a separate homeland for the Muslims, a bit fanciful? And you continued to press me to come to Bombay." Jinnah said, arranging the crease of his pants ov...

10. Let’s fly Sunni (Last Part)

The viewpoint, perched atop a tower of granite, rose straight up from the bottom of Grand Canyon of Hell, reaching a dizzying height. It looked no more than a needle in that vast space. Seemingly held ...

11. Let’s fly Sunni (XI)

The tea was delicious. It was perhaps the milk that gave it such a smooth and creamy taste. Honey had been used to sweeten it up--enough but not too much. “Wait a minute!--You said, you’re a mix,” ...

12. Let’s fly Sunni (Part X)

Now after closely looking at them, I realized both the boys had identical pair of eyes--vertical black lines over gray cornea, like those of a cat’s. It wasn’t their eyes only, there was something od...

13. Let’s fly Sunni (Part IX)

There was something odd about the darkness that surrounded us--something ethereal. It was thin around our heads, becoming gradually denser towards our feet. For example, I could make out my hips better t...

14. Lets fly Sunni (Part VIII)

The electricity appeared to have gone out again. The road was deserted, and, wrapped in darkness, the houses on each side looked as if abandoned. A cat’s howl pierced the air from time to time, getting...

15. Lets fly Sunni (Part VII)

“Tarzan, you should have stayed with Wali,” I said, holding the door for him, hoping he’d disappear forever. He entered the building behind me. “I’ve to use toilet,” he said, walking to to...

16. Lets fly Sunni (Part VI)

The traffic was light and the road, like a bad case of acne, poked with holes and cracks. Wali cut from one end to the other to avoid bumping into them. From over the bridge Lahore looked steeped in an e...

17. Let’s fly Sunni (V)

“Sir, you can’t eat two meals a day with one job.” I looked up towards Wali enviously. He stood on his seat lost in the game. The Afro, too, stood on his seat, shaking his head and rocking his b...

18. Let's fly Sunni (Part IV)

I gave Wali a twenty Dirham note. "Hope this is enough for two cups of tea." I stood on the curb as Wali proceeded to the tea-stall. The area had no electricity--not even the generators. The glow of gas ...

19. Let’s fly Sunni (Part III)

I stood on the sidewalk, waiting for Wali to come back out of the shop. I was hesitant to go in--who wouldn't be after knowing the kind of merchandise being sold in there? The place had started to become...

20. Let’s fly Sunni (Part II)

We stopped at the traffic light. The driver turned the stereo on; a Bollywood tune filled the air waves. He had a pair of powerful woofers in the back; the car shook with the bass waves. “What’s your...

21. Let’s fly Sunni

It was Sunday night. My father called me from Pakistan, unexpectedly. He sounded terrible on the phone. He called from the hospital. I’d not seen him in the longest time--I’m talking about twelve yea...

Page 1 |