A Mard’s Perspective on Aurat March 2020
March The most profound piece I can write about the Aurat March from a male perspective, would be a blank page that invites quiet introspection instead of compulsive opinionating. But allow me…
Finding meaning in a post-hope Pakistan
The brain drain makes the escape from poverty impossible It’s okay if you’re not feeling positive. I’m not either. When I was younger, I was obsessed with astrophysics and the possibility of…
On death posititvity
We need to confront the inevitable We will all die eventually, and we need to talk about that. If you’ve ever been to a therapist, they’ll tell you that the best way…
Helping a friend with suicidal thoughts
Knowing what not to say, is as important as saying something Destigmatizing depression or suicide can seem like a Herculean task. But it all starts with unlearning one neoliberal lie: “Preventing suicide…
Pakistan hates vegetarians
Being vegetarian in Pakistan can be an utterly alientating experience I’ll start with an anecdote that should seem unusual, but isn’t. It’s happened several times. Going through the ‘Salads’ section of any…
The great wisdom of millennial girls
There is desperation under the wisdom The war for a liveable climate is the most important war we’ll ever fight. And our flag-bearer is a 16-year old autistic girl with braided…
Too much ‘awareness’, not enough action
At some point, there has to be action Religious extremists are not ‘unintelligent’. It’s unwise to underestimate one’s political opponent under the best of circumstances. And it’s outright foolish to engage in…
Being fat despite exercising
Exercise is good for you Sometimes, exercise has nothing to with getting thinner. This is a point I often struggle to explain to people who observe, with an odd sense of impatience,…
The ‘politician’ is not your enemy
Tabdeeli has happened before Mohammad Ali Jinnah was a civilian democratic ‘politician’ too. This needs to be stated outright before any reflexive condemnation of a siasatdaan (politician) comes our way. It is…
State vs ‘professional beggars’
Poverty is not a choice Capitalism thrives on the myth of ‘choice’. This allows us to lay blame on disempowered individuals for making ‘wrong’ choices, and exonerate unjust systems for setting the…
Healing starts with a divorce
Keeping out the ‘sunk-cost fallacy’ There’s a term in economics for continued investment in a failed project, justified only by heavy investments in the past. The ‘sunk-cost fallacy’ refers to the irrational…
Should we read Hitler’s book?
The short answer is ‘no’ Winston Churchill was a brilliant writer, I’ve been told. In 1953 Churchill was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature “for his mastery of historical and biographical description…
Nobody’s asking to be unwell
The just-world hypothesis helps the rich sleep easy We all deserve good health, irrespective of the personal choices we make. We’re inclined to believe that whatever misfortune we manage to evade, we…
Paris isn’t special
What about other historical buildings? I was no more than 15 years old when I first visited Paris, and I heard no music in the streets. My family and I stayed…
The Woman, according to cinema
Sher Dil does women no service Nobody asked for Sher Dil. This is a film that was dreamed up not by artists, but politically savvy studio executives who reasoned that this is…
In defence of people who don’t read books
Are non-readers permitted to feel smart? As a fat child, I’d quietly surrendered to what seemed inevitable: that I’d never be the athletic or the strong kid. Cute maybe, but never a…
What type of Feminism is this?
It’s the type of feminism that catches your eye and demands action. In the wake of the controversial Aurat March, the expected masculine meltdown was in equal parts infuriating and hilarious. The…