Keeping the Flame Alight

  April 24 of 2016 will bring us to Sabeen Mehmood’s first death anniversary. The brutal murder of the creator/director of T2F – a prominent personality at many forums – left a loss felt deeply by civil society. Uncertainty prevailed after her passing and there was talk of having to close down T2F – one …

Interview: Dr Ghazala Rahman Rafiq

In her highly compact office, Dr. Ghazala Rahman Rafiq, Director of The Sindh Abhyas Academy (SAA), seems to disappear into the shelves, laden with books, looming large behind her. The petite, soft-spoken professor initiated the SAA and introduced the much needed, specialised subject of Sindh Studies in SZABIST in 2012.   Dr. Rahman Rafiq is …

WOW-ed Festival Karachi

WOW-ed Festival Karachi By Deneb Sumbul On May 1 this year, Karachi had the distinction of being the first South Asian city to host the Women of the World (WOW) festival, celebrating women. Held at the Beach Luxury Hotel with the support of The British Council and London’s Southbank Centre, the one-day event with free …

The Heart of the Matter

By Deneb Sumbul Drama enthusiasts were given a treat on March 7-8 when the visiting Ajoka Theatre staged the play Rozan-e-Zindan Se at the Karachi Arts Council. The ensemble cast brought to life the long-distance, four-year love-letter relationship between the country’s jailed legendary poet, Faiz Ahmed Faiz and his fiery Anglo-Saxon wife, Alys Faiz. Rozan-e-Zindan …

City of Dreams

Text and Photographs by Deneb Sumbul This article was originally published in Newsline’s September 2015 issue. The brainchild behind painting the public walls around Karachi with vibrant, vivid art deserves major kudos. So do all those involved in trying to inject colour into Karachi’s dreary, often dark cityscape – and in doing so letting this teeming metropolis …

A Super Ride

The Super Savari Express offers a welcome opportunity to check out Karachi's landmark.  Text and photos by Deneb Sumbul   A tour with the Super Savari Express (SSE) starts bright and early around 8 am aboard a technicoloured public mini-bus with turquoise doors – the “bride of Karachi,” with its heavily embellished, ornamental décor, complete with …