Explained: Pakistan’s ‘truck art’ – its ride to recognition and a special tribute to Moosewala
About Moosewala’s popularity in Pakistan, Rizwan Mughal from, son of a truck artist from Rawalpindi, said: “It is because of his humble beginnings and struggle in life that people here connect with him. His songs were close to real life. There is a huge craze for Punjabi songs here.” A tribute to popular singer-songwriter Sidhu Moosewala in […]Read More
Windscreen beggars: Concerted efforts needed to end child begging
Begging by cleaning windscreens of vehicles like cars and jeeps at traffic signals, especially by small children, while the vehicles waiting for the light to turn green, has become a new trend in the holy city during the last few months. A group of five to six children, carrying water bottles and small wipers, can […]Read More
‘Worrisome’: Geneticists, Historians, Others on Reports of Govt Study of ‘Racial Purity’
Although the ministry of culture had already refuted any such proposed study, the signatories in an open letter appealed for ‘public disavowals of any present or future project related to race.’ A number of geneticists, historians, academics, writers, former bureaucrats, among others have written to the Union ministry of culture to express concern over the reports that […]Read More
How illegal weapons, ammunition find its way to gun enthusiasts in Punjab
With over four lakh active gun licence holders, Punjab stands third on the list of states with active gun licences in the country. HIGHLIGHTS Besides Pakistan, illegal arms are also being smuggled from Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh Licensed gun houses are also involved in illegal sale of ammunition Keeping a gun is more than […]Read More
Better Sorry Than Shave: In India, the Moustache Is Serious Business
Moustaches are an enduring symbol of maleness on which hang pride and social standing. In India, however, they also dictate caste equations, employment and how we see law enforcement. Moustaches are not just a fashion statement in India, but an integral part of tradition and folklore. They are closely associated with respect, privilege, honour and […]Read More
India and Pakistan Must Let Their People Meet – Before it’s Too Late
When strategic analysts dismiss the utility of people-to-people contacts, they forget the role of such linkages in blunting the narrative of countering misconceptions and hate. The past few months have seen several instances of tearful reunions with members of divided families from either side of Punjab in Pakistan and India meeting, after years of enforced […]Read More
Why Guru Tegh Bahadur Is Not the Anti-Muslim Icon BJP-RSS Claims He Is
Sikh scholars have expressed misgivings with the BJP government’s efforts to portray the Sikh Guru as a symbol against Muslims, with several of them insisting he died protecting the ethos of religious freedom. Jalandhar: Hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation on the 400th birth anniversary of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth guru […]Read More
Remembering Mangoo Ram Mugowalia, the Revolutionary Leader Who Challenged Caste
In a political career spanning 65 years, Mangoo Ram made remarkable contributions. Most notably, he was a member of the Ghadar Party and shaped the Ad-Dharm movement in Punjab. Can religion play a revolutionary role in society? Philosophers, people of letters and social scientists since the dawn of ‘Enlightenment’ in Western Europe have struggled to […]Read More
Explained: What Haryana plans to celebrate Guru Tegh Bahadur’s birth anniversary
Haryana is scheduled to go to Assembly polls in October 2024. However, the government has said that it has no political agenda, and that its aim is only to spread awareness. The BJP-JJP coalition government in Haryana has planned a series of events to mark the 401st birth anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh […]Read More
Amritsar Calling: Let us marry the old with the new in the Holy City
Enough has already happened considering that the harmonium, for one, is such a basic bajaa adopted from European traditions and brought in by the British in the 19th century, which has become an anchor instrument in the gurudwara and mandir musicology forgetting the richer nodes of our better native strings. The world in this quaint […]Read More
