Freud and Jung and Their Secret Affairs

Of all of Freud’s admirers and critics, the most complex, complicated and troubled relationship was of Carl Jung. He started as an admirer and ended as a critic.

Pakistan's Nuclear Test - Ten Years Later

Today we are at war on multiple fronts. But the Bomb provides no defense. Rather, it has helped bring us to this grievously troubled situation and offers no way out.

Were Buddhists and Jains Persecuted in Ancient India?

Many genuinely believe that Hinduism had always been a tolerant religion that assimilated other peoples and ideas without bloody conflict.

Akbar and Alexander

Jodha Akbar has stirred considerable interest in the historic Akbar but it mostly shows his softer romantic side and rather little of his tougher character.

Late Afternoon at Masjid Wazir Khan

“Aapni ki Bengali”? I asked him as we finally reached the lattice worked balcony that encircled the minaret from where the muezzins have been calling the faithful to prayers for centuries.

The More Things Change...

Almost every election ever held in the country has been replete with allegations of fraud and duplicity.

Hyderabad’s Rare Book Seller

Described by a writer in Anthropology Today as “one of the few antiquarian book shops in India” the book store itself is the size of a large closet.

Al-Andalusia … Decline of a Plural Culture

1st January 2008 is the 516th Anniversary of fall of Al-Andalusia’s last plural place Granada. A sociological analysis of this decline and its implication for World.

Fall of Dacca

December 16 comes every year to haunt the nation, particularly those few remaining who were witness to the debacle.

On disowning Bhagat Singh and Other Vagaries

“Zia Ul Haq ordered to destroy all Hindi and Gurmukhi books of the library. The books were thrown in a nala (sewage channel) that ran by the library.”

Imperialism and the Writing of History

Occupied Iraq and Colonial India

Footfalls of Indian History

Nivedita shows a remarkable insight into India’s past which comes out in this book. It is not that she accepted India without questioning.

Remembering the Presidential Election of 1965

Today Musharraf looks to Benazir Bhutto to rescue him from his spot between devil and the deep blue sea. He forgets what her father did to Ayub Khan.

The Dancing Girl of Mohenjodaro

A five thousand year old TEOTWAWKI (The end of the world as we know it) that remains forgotten today by its own.

India: The Empire Strikes Back

In 1600 India produced 22.5% of global GDP. By 1870, India had been reduced into a Third World nation, thanks to the Raj.

Independence Thinker

Gandhi is one of the most written about individuals in modern history... But recently his status has been somewhat eroded.

Making a new Future: Peace Dividends for India and Pakistan

India Pakistan relationships in the light of future economic and security dividends of peace.

Wars of Errors

Evil is self-destructive, you will find if you read Shakespeare; and patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel, said an Englishmen more than two centuries before.

Rest in Peace Pakistan (1947-1974)

You cannot understand Pakistan until and unless you understand how the demise of the ideal of Pakistan was brought about by its own people

150 Years: Recounting Untold History

This May of year 2007 is making 150 years of those untold stories of the heroes of the India’s war of freedom.

The Dispatches On War: Part X

Metternich And the European Politics of Power: 1815-1850

Thanksgiving as Tragedy

Thanksgiving: a feast as a prelude to a massacre.

Vidarbha and Farmer Suicides - Facts and Fiction

The black cotton soil of Vidarbha is legendary and is supposed to breed “aalsi” (lazy) farmers since you simply have to throw the seeds onto the fields and you will have a rich cotton crop! So why the suicides in the cotton belt now?

Studying History? Yes, it is necessary

Why do Pakistanis consider Mahmud Ghazni, Mohammad Ghauri and Aurangzeb Great Muslims?

Dispatches on War (Part VI)

The American movie industry is a powerful institution, which can shape perceptions globally.

Indo-Pak History via Mail

Pakistan is trying to create an identity but you cannot hide your heritage.

The Naked Fakir

’The naked fakir,’ Churchill called him. ’Greatest man ever who walked on the earth ...’ said Einstein.

Remembering H.M. Seervai (1906-1996)

Those who are familiar with the legal profession know that his 4 volume work on Constitutional Law is the finest work on the subject.

Dispatches On War (Part IV)

The Battle of Somme offers that unique event in which the views of an entire generation and through them, the world’s perspective on a human phenomenon, war, would change and would never be the same.

The Dispatches on War (Part V)

Muslims and Crusades -- In the last five hundred years, the destiny of the Muslim world and the European continent seems to have undertaken diverse paths ...

South Asia’s Clarence Darrow

An anglicized barrister who ended up founding a separate Muslim majority state is an apparent paradox but not really so...

Recent Terror in Egypt

Egypt is where it all started as early as 1928. Indeed it was not as much a reaction to non-Muslims or even colonial rule as it was opposed to its own co-religionists.

Our Turkic Connection

We need to do some work on the history as well. And accept our ownership of the Indus Valley, Vedic and Gandhara civilizations, a geographical fact. And it is for free…..

Gurgaon Past and Present

The original Gurgaon residents continue to shop at sector markets, look at the three M’s i.e. malls, multiplexes and multi-cuisine as encroachers

Re-evaluating the First United States—Pakistan Alliance

US-Pakistan alliance during the early Ayub era

Mistri, Munshi, and Sipahi

The tale takes an ominous turn in the middle of 17th century when British East India Company showed up at the doors of Mumbai (Bombay), Bangalore, and Shanghai. There they discovered the local resources that no other continent could match in numbers.

The Long Shadows of Hindu Kush

What is finally left behind is a mosaic of different ethnicities - Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras, Uzbeks, Turkmen, Baluch and Punjabi speaking Sikhs and Hindus and the mixing of some Arab and Mongol blood.

Brou’ha ha on “The Da Vinci Code”

“Not the Son of God?” a shocked Neveu asked. “Jesus’ establishment as the “Son of God’ was officially proposed and voted on by the Council of Nicaea,” explained Teabing. “..establishing Christ’s divini

The Dispatches On War (Part III)

The period from 1789 to 1815 saw a major evolution in the nature of warfare, as wars increased in duration, totality of effort and in a conceptual sense, which would set the stage for the industrial wars of the early twentieth century.

Mahadev Gobind Ranade (1842-1901)

...some historical figures, intellectual giants in their own right, who Pakistanis know nothing about, and certainly many Indians as well...

Why Fashion Matters

According to Frieha Altaf, “Fashion in Pakistan is and always has been for the elite. It has two effects: a trickle-up effect, when street fashion comes into the main-stream; and a trickle-down effect, when fashion moves from the elite to the masses

Damascus Diary, Mehraba!

I had romantic impressions of Damascus, of it being a place having archaeological artifacts by the thousands, of an overwhelming feeling of timelessness, history strewn all over. Now, after a few days in the city, I get the impression that ancient histo

The Middle Kingdom Wallas

In a nutshell, the Middle Kingdom is unique in three aspects to the other ancient civilizations. It did not produce any God. It has been the longest continuous civilization. And it has yet to have the bitter-sweet taste of democracy.

Myths about the Golden Age of Islam

The history of Islam, especially the golden age of Islam, is full of instances of narrow parochial, sectarian and tribal divisions.

Reflections of Resistance

No matter how different ideological courses these movement may adopt, women in South Asia are there to bring about a change for peace and justice by resisting the ‘sacred’ and the ‘secular’ both.

Socio-political History of Modern Pop Music in Pakistan

A complete chronology of influences on Pakistani Pop music and the rapid trend to being 'globalized'

Judicial Murder of a Prime Minister

Bhutto was removed from the political scene of Pakistan to satisfy the power lust and perpetuate the rule of the vily military dictator General Zia Ul Haque

What is Killing Pakistan?

Well, I must be getting back to the operating room. You still want to come? Hey, nurse. How was your lunch? Well, I hope you aren’t feeling too sleepy after that hefty meal… our patient needs our full attention. Yes, tonight at my place. Bring

Lahore ka Jughraphiah

..The elders have described the essence of all this research in these curt and expressive words: Lahore is Lahore. If you cannot find Lahore from this descrption, it only proves that your education is defective and inteeligence questionable...

A Visit to My Hometown Kakori in Lucknow

Situated barely fifteen kilometers from Lucknow, the town is as much known for its fine variety of mangoes and kebabs as for the anciently grand mosques and havelis that dot it and the hordes of litterateurs and writers it has produced.

The Company Bahadar

In its 250 years, it expanded to rule most of India, founded Hong Kong and Singapore, held Napolean a prisoner on Saint Helena and had something to do with the Boston tea party. Its officers invented the games of badminton, polo, squash and snooker.

Beating History

We now have what has aptly been termed the ‘‘Musharrafian system’’ of government, which appears to be tottering on the brink of a precipice with an increasingly vocal and troublesome opposition led by the MMA on the one hand, and

Turkey’s Ottoman: Era-Octopus Like Linkages

In the Caucasian region not only the geological plates grind against each other making it earthquake prone, but strategically too it has been the clash point of tectonic plates of kingdoms and empires throughout history. The imperial powers and states int

Destruction of World’s Eastern Heritage in Iraq

There was an international cry and outrage in April and May, when following the collapse of the Saddam Hussein regime, US armed forces as the occupying power, had allowed the heritage Museum in Baghdad and other museums in Iraq to be damaged and looted al

Operation Searchlight

Dhaka, March 25th 1971, Tejgaon airport. General Yahya, Pakistan’s military dictator, before boarding his special aircraft turned to General Tikka Khan, Commander Eastern Command, and ordered “Sort them out!”

A Movement in Religious Nationalism: Jami’at-ul-Ulama-i-Hind

With the decline of Moghal empire in India and failure of Sepoy mutiny, prominent followers of Shah Wali-Ullah like Muhammad Qasim Nanautawi (1833-77) and Rashid Ahmad Gangohi set up an Islamic madrasa at Deoband on May 30,1866 to promote Wahabism, a radi

Saud’s Arabia?

Who is this guy Saud? Is he the owner of Arabia? Or is he the lease holder? How long is the lease period? 99 years, or 99 generations? Who is the lessor? Almighty Allah? Or a Turkish Sultan, or King George VI, or ReMax Arabia?

Pakistan and Israel: Through the prism of realities

Despite some striking ideological parallels between Pakistan and Israel, rightly summed up by General Ziaul Haq that both Pakistan and Israel are products of ideologies — and this incontrovertible fact that Pakistan does not have any border or polit

The Enigmatic Smile Lives On

For her journey to America the Mona Lisa was in fact treated like nothing less than royalty.

Interview with a Historian

Interview of Dr. Robert Anderson (an anthropologist and historian)

Gujarat, Madrasas and Other Things

I thought I had only five identities

The Ramifications of the U.S. Foreign Policy in Asia & the Middle East

Failed US foreign policies in Central, South Asia and the Middle-East

Quandary in Quantum Mechanics

Quantum mechanics began in a cloud of doubts and hesitation and these doubts still remain

A Challenge to My Co-religionists

at least three factors that explain why religious fundamentalism is such a popular political proposition

Flexible Relations and Post-Fordist Globalization

This paper will critically analyse some aspects of the debate surrounding the transformation of the world economy and the process called ‘globalisation’

The Metaphysics of Religion

Much of the metaphysics appears to be meaningless to a materialisitic way of thinking.

Five Centuries Ago Tomorrow

I Can See The Future -- And it’s Ottoman

Islam in Crisis - Part 3

Isn't this a good time for a re-look at Islam and its interface with modernity?

Islam in Crisis (Part2)

one must start by asking a hitherto unasked question, namely, about the nature and character of the Quran

Islam in Crisis (part 1)

Kaleidoscope of Human Life

The greatest creation of human minds is the ''words''......

Once Upon A Time: When The World Spoke Arabic

A survey of the Golden Period of Islamic Civilization, during the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates

Our Master Jallaludin Rumi

A nation of Love has a different religion, God alone is their nation and religion

Three Hard Questions and Quest for Their Solution

Why can't I go out to play? Because, it might rain....Can the chain of explanation stop somewher, with God perhaps,..

Skeptical And Counter-Skeptical Trends In Medieval Islam

There are hundreds of religions in the world, each one of them claiming to be the only true religion

Intellectual Diversity of Human Thought

Man is a rational animal and is ensnared in his own web.

Looking For Life on Other Worlds

Are ingredients that make up life on Earth common in the universe?

Promises of A Brave New World

A profound question that confronts religious thought in general is whether or not the idea of 'change' may be reconciled with the 'eternal' and 'perennial' truth that religion is expected to convene. And if at all so, then to what extent.

Shaykh Sa’di of Shiraz: Persian poet and Sufi Master

He was from amongst the greatest of the Sufis

Blasphemy Law: An Academic Investigation

a law enacted by a person or entity of authority can only be repealed or changed...

Refugees of A Refugee Camp

Did God set up this conflict?

Why Anti-American Sentiments Exist in The Muslim World

anti-western sentiments began with the crusades

The Great Illusion

How pure is our bloodline?

A Convert’s Complaint: Analyzing Naipaul’s Views on Islam

Naipaul claims that Islam asks its followers to abandon their past histories, culture, and identities

Understanding Oppression and Violence

We once more find ourselves caught in horrifying acts of global violence and terror

The Identity Crisis of a Modern Muslim

this over-emphasis on religion clashes with their other identities

War Now and, Forever?

we the majority of people in India and Pakistan are together

Caste, Technology and Religious Conversions in India

the segregation of human ability and skill from one’s social status has perpetuated an imbalanced perspective about how economic processes work

Looking Without; Looking Within

Bloody instructions, which, being taught, return. To plague the inventor ... [Macbeth, 1:7]

Islams Challenge

It is past time for a concerted effort by the descendents of Averroes and Avecinna to reacquire the best, most fruitful and constructive elements of its own heritage.

The Summer of ’47

The role of Lord Louis Mountbatten

Tilak and Gokhale

That was the beginning of Jinnah’s journey on the road to Pakistan ...

The Cling Effect

there is a persistence of the non-rational in the human belief system

End of Physics

The Theory of Everything, if you dare to be bold

Sher Shah Suri

the first true social reformer in the history of Indo-Pakistan

A Forgotten Hero Named Jassa

no street/ town/ city is named after him

The Islamist and Hindutva Politics: Identities of Outlook and Objectives

Pakistan’s Islamists and Sangh Parivar have similar goals?

Desi Fate

Why is it that all Indians are so smart and well behaved?

Joint Indo-Pak School History Textbook on the Web

A team of historians from South Asia will jointly write a history text suitable for middle and high school students.

Arguments For Aryan Invasion Theory

You cannot explain Indo-Aryans without explaining Indo-European

India Unvarnished

An unemotional examination of some of the main questions about India’s history

The Asian Waltz

In a utilitarian sense, the economic needs of the world will eventually outweigh the political needs of India and Pakistan

India-Pakistan Reconciliation School

As a pilot project, twenty-five high school seniors (+2 level) each from India and Pakistan would be brought together to live and study together for three weeks.

The Life and Times of Saddam Hussein

Saddam Hussein has given his people only blood, toil, tears, defeat and humiliations.

The Aura and Mystique of the KOH-I-NOOR

...a penniless Indian Beant Singh has written to the British Prime Minister claiming to be the sole owner of the Koh-I-Noor.