Inspired by the Jaipur Lit Fest, Pakistan’s first literary festival took place in the country’s largest city Karachi in 2010. Subsequently replicated in Lahore and Islamabad, such festivals now take place around the country, from the agricultural and industrial hub of Faisalabad, formerly Lyallpur, to the port city of Gwadar on the Balochistan coast.
While the overall picture is depressing, Ramaswami also describes hopeful strands within the social fabric of workers’ lives such as the mutual support and 'bhaichara' (fellowship) between men across ethnic, religious and caste boundaries that become more fluid within the city. The inter-religious and inter-caste ties forged between workers can be seen as small glimmers of hope in the context of the rising tide of Hindutva politics over the past decades.
Today, as we bid farewell to the Dhaka-born singer once fondly called the “Dhake ki malmal,” one is reminded that the softest fabrics often endure the longest. Her voice was just that. Fine, delicate, yet enduring beyond time. And now, as that voice falls silent, it leaves behind not an emptiness, but an echo. An echo that will continue to drift through radio waves, old recordings and the private corners of memory.
Two girls stood silently holding a placard that read: ‘Forcing your daughter to get married is forcing her to get raped.’ The message speaks to a reality across the South Asian region where the priority for most families is to get their daughters married. On a sheet where attendees were penning messages to their mothers -- words they could not say aloud -- an anonymous note read: “Would you rather see me married or alive?”
Football, though a very popular sport in a cricket-mad region, has still a long way to reach international standards in South Asia, with all the eight countries from the region bowing out in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers – two of them in the first round, and the others in the second
Bangladeshi short film “Niruddesh Jatra” (Journey to oblivion) has received an honorable mention in the Best Student Director category at the Prague International Indie Film Festival
Bangladesh actress Pori Moni says she now feels reassured after the arrests of main suspects businessman Nasir Mahmood and Tuhin Siddiqui Omi on charges of trying to rape and murder her and will continue the fight for justice
A teenager from the apple-producing town of Sopore in Jammu and Kashmir is using his digital marketing skills for his tech exploration and business expansion
Very few people possess a spirit to serve humanity, particularly in a crisis situation. Here is the story of two women from two different districts of Kashmir, whose sheer grit and determination led them to help people fight Covid-19
Legendary cricketers Vinoo Mankad of India and Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara are the two cricket greats from South Asia among ten cricketers freshly inducted into the International Cricket Council (ICC) Hall of Fame to mark the inaugural ICC World Test Championship Final this week between India and New Zealand
Ziona Chana, believed to be the head of the world’s largest family with 38 wives, 89 children and 33 grandchildren from Mizoram state in northeastern India, died in state capital Aizawl on Sunday
Nepal Pride Parade this year will be organized virtually, organizers announced in the wake of the Covid-19 situation and the travel restriction in the capital, Kathmandu
Bangladesh star cricketer Shakib Al Hasan has been suspended for three games and fined Tk 500,000 for abusing the match officials and damaging equipment during the Dhaka Premier League Twenty20 outing between Mohammedan Sporting Club and Abahani
Bangladesh’s star cricketer Shakib Al Hasan has apologized on Facebook for his repeated unruly behavior during a Dhaka Premier League T20 match between arch-rivals Mohamedan Sporting Club and Abahani at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium
Once known for its rich cultural notes, Pakistani music is now veering dangerously towards western styles, raising questions about whether it is losing its identity
The Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) plans to bid for five major ICC events to be held from 2024 to 2031, some of them jointly with Asian countries minus India, could come unstuck due to the enormously resourceful Indian cricket board’s influence and the huge advertising reach and market that it commands
Hindustani lassical music lovers are in for a treat with the telecast of Doordarshan Delhi Kendra’s new show "My Favourite Raaga" on DD Bharati
National Award-winning Bengali filmmaker Buddhadeb Dasgupta, known for delving into magic realism through his works, passed away on Thursday
In an immaculately conducted award ceremony at the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, Junior Under Officer (JUO) Kinley Norbu, a Foreign Gentlemen Cadet (FGC) from Bhutan, was awarded the prestigious motivational trophy for his excellent all-round performance during his training at the IMA
