I moved to Karachi in 1967 when the company I worked for transferred me from Multan. Moving to Karachi was like moving from a small town in the American Midwest to New York City: Lots of people, lots of traffic, fancy shops, fancy hotels, cinemas, and a vibrant nightlife. …

The Story of Sohni and Mahiwal — Listening to music on YouTube, I came upon this soulful Seraiki song by Pathanay Khan, a Seraiki singer: ​سوہنی ​گھڑے نوں آکھدی اج میرا یار ملا گھڑیا “Sohni begs her clay-pitcher: please help me meet my lover tonight” Even though I was vaguely familiar with the story of Sohni-Mahiwal, this…

Story of a small mud-and-stone school with volunteer teachers — Our high school in Mansehra had a British-sounding name: Bolton High School. It was named after Horatio Norman Bolton, twice chief commissioner of the then Northwest Frontier Province, between 1923 and 1930. (The chief commissioner was then the chief executive of the province. …

You hear a very old song, drifting out of a small shop selling music cassettes. It’s Madam Noor Jahan singing in a much younger voice: آواز دے کہاں ہے — دنیا میری جواں ہے The shop is virtually a hole in the wall with the shopkeeper standing behind a counter…

The story of a small town, a newsagent, and Donald Club — Surrounded, as it is today, by hills and snow-covered mountains in the distance, Mansehra was a quiet little town, the tehsil headquarters (similar to a county seat in the US ) with a population of about seven thousand. This was in the 1950s when I was going through high school…

How to make an effective presentation — In the first few years of Esso Pakistan Fertilizer Company, everyone seemed to be making a presentation on something or the other. We made presentations to senior managers, to visitors from the head office in New Jersey, to groups of new hires, to our peers, and so many others. …

Kala Kola is not a beverage as the name might suggest but one of the oldest brands of black hair dyes in Pakistan. It so happens that most Pakistani men these days, when they reach their 50s or even before, start dyeing their hair, especially the politicians we see on…

A Canadian Couple travels to the Northern Areas of Pakistan — I did not expect Pir Wadhai (پیر ودھائی) to be mentioned in an international tourist book. But it is, in a book called Lonely Planet, produced by a publisher in Australia. Those living in Rawalpindi and Islamabad would be familiar with the name. It’s a low-income neighborhood situated between the…

A few years ago, I visited Islamia, my old college in Peshawar, after several decades. Visiting one’s old school or college always brings back happy memories. And my visit did, too. Among others, I was delighted to meet Mian Jameel, my friend, and roommate in Hardinge Hostel, Room №52. He…