Music is life: That’s why our hearts have beats – Shoaib Mir:   This beautiful insight I came across recently. Somehow it has triggered my neurons to expand on it. So I thought life’s ups and downs are like undulations of music – the komal and the teevar, one cannot be

مہاجر کیمپ تک آنے والی جنگ اور جنگ کے بادلوں کی اوٹ سے ابھرتی شامی موسیقی -عامر حسینی: وسام  الجزائری شامی مصور کی تخلیق  میں نے جب اپنا کالم ” خوف میں جینا سیکھ لو ” لکھا تھا تو مجھے ہرگز نہیں معلوم تھا کہ اس کرہ ارض پر ایسے لوگ بھی موجود ہیں جو خوف کے

Death anniversary of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan being celebrated today (August 16):     Lahore, Pakistan: Death anniversary of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan being celebrated today (August 16). Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan died on August 1997 due to kidney failure and an era of Qawwali and mystic music was buried with

DISPATCHES: Della Mae in Pakistan – by Amy Reitnouer:     Our favorite ‘grass gals, DELLA MAE, are traveling through Central Asia as part of the U.S. State Department’s American Music Abroad program.  Bassist SHELBY MEANS sent the Sitch an update on their journey and time spent in

DISPATCHES: Della Mae in Pakistan – by Amy Reitnouer:     Our favorite ‘grass gals, DELLA MAE, are traveling through Central Asia as part of the U.S. State Department’s American Music Abroad program.  Bassist SHELBY MEANS sent the Sitch an update on their journey and time spent in

To Brazil with love from Pakistan – by Paul Rockower: In 2012, the Grammy-nominated Bluegrass band Della Mae visited Pakistan and Central Asia as part of their American Music Abroad tour. While visiting Islamabad and Lahore, Della Mae conducted performances, music collaborations with local musicians and bluegrass workshops at universities. The American Music Abroad

فطرت ، محبت اور موسیقی کا حسین امتزاج – از عامر حسینی: برسے گا ساون جهوم جهوم کے جب تم او گے سجن ایک خوبصورت گیت سن رہا ہوں کلر کہار کے پاس رک گیا ہوں دو دل ایسے ملیں گے برسے گا ساون جهوم جهوم کے گانے والا وردیں لگا

’بلبلِ صحرا‘ ریشماں انتقال کر گئیں:  پاکستان کی معروف لوک گلوکارہ ریشماں چھیاسٹھ برس کی عمر میں لاہور میں انتقال کر گئیں۔ پاکستان کے سرکاری اور مقامی میڈیا کے مطابق وہ طویل عرصے سے گلے کے کینسر میں مبتلا تھیں اور گزشتہ ایک ماہ سے

Khoon: A powerful song-video by Topi Drama on how we are all complicit in #ShiaGenocide: Since January 2012, more than 1700 Shia Muslims have been killed in various parts of the country, particularly in Quetta, Karachi, Gilgit Baltistan, Rawalpindi and Parachinar, by Takfiri terrorists. In the last few decades, the total number of Shias

General Kayani’s children kill famous musician Qamar Allah Ditta: Jihadist children of Pakistan Army have struck once again, this time killing Pakistan’s famous musician Qamar Allah Ditta. On 4 October 2012, Takfiri Deeobandi Jihadists of Sipah-e-Sahaba (operating as Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi) abducted and killed a

For the love of Attan – by Imran Khan: So what is Attan? In one word it is a dance. But this is the dance of the Pashtuns; a people who according to some have formed the largest tribal society in the world. Since the dance in some cases

Mehdi Hassan has left a rich legacy of poetic anguish -by Ras H. Siddiqui: Mehdi Hassan, one of the finest ghazal singers that South Asia has produced, passed away in Karachi, Pakistan on June 13, 2012 at the age of 84. It has been reported that he had suffered a stroke over a

RIP Iqbal Bahu: LUBP offers condolences to the family of noted Sufi singer Iqbal Bahu and millions of his fans in South Asia and other parts of the world. In the current era of state sponsored violence against Sufi (Barelvi) and other

Aalu Anday – by Beygairat Brigade: One of the most well-informed Pakistani music videos: Aalu Anday – by Beygairat Brigade Great song, very smart lyrics and video, most probably inspired by veteran columnist Kamran Shafi’s critical articles on the Ghairat Brigade, e.g., The Ghairat Brigades

Channels refuse to play Laal’s “too anti-army” song: Editor’s note: Laal is amongst very few honest and bold voices in Pakistan who are equally critical of Pakistan’s almighty military establishment and their jihad enterprise (Taliban, LeT, SSP etc). We express our full support to Laal’s contribution to

Music binds people & souls, says Rekha Bhardwaj: Music has power to bind souls, saturate valor, associate humanity, and express feelings of love, care, happiness and pain, it has also great power to pacify. The traditional music and folk songs of the subcontinent particularly connect various religions

Fareeda, turya turya ja: In support of internal diversity of Islam: I am writing this brief post in defiance of all those Shias, Sunnis, Salafis, Doebandis, Barelvis, Ismaelis, Hanafis, Jafaris, Malikis, Shafeis, Hambalis etc who consider their beliefs and practices as the only true representation of Islam considering followers of

When dreams of hope come true – by H.A. Khan: Two days back one of my friends had shared an advertisement video of the new programme titled, Chhote Ustad, starting from 24th July on Star Plus. I saw that ad and as a die-hard music lover, it was an

Psuedo Pakistaniat: Dancing to the tunes of Coke in the streets of Pakistan – by Aneel Salman: Dancing to the (capitalist / non-indigenous) tunes of Coca Cola in Lahore’s Liberty Market Source: All Voices Huntington wrote that: “the fundamental source of conflict in this new world will not be primarily ideological or primarily economic. The great

Taliban’s attack on Baloch cultural concert in Khuzdar blacked out by Pakistani media: An injured student is treated at a hospital after a blast in Khuzdar, southwestern Pakistan, on March 2, 2010. Source: Xinhua Once again, Pakistani media has almost blacked out an act of violence by Taliban extremists. This time the

Taliban killing laughter and music in Pakistan: * Displaced Pashtun comedian feels lucky to be alive, as others falling foul of Taliban morality squad have been killed instantly PESHAWAR: Pashtun comedian Alamzeb Mujahid had bad news for his fans after being freed by suspected Taliban who

Kalam-e-Iqbal: Tu abhi rehGuzar main hai: Kalam-e-Iqbal Tu abhi rehGuzar main hai Poetry: Allma Muhammad Iqbal Singer: Jawad Ahmed One of the best things I heard for ages…

The beginning of the Talibanization of Lahore? Hall road traders burn CDs after being threatened by terrorists of Sipah-e-Sahaba/Taliban: Monday, October 13, 2008by Ahmad Rafay Alam A significant event passed by relatively unnoticed last week when media reported that traders on Lahore’s Hall Road deliberately set alight thousands of pornographic VCDs and DVDs. The Anjuman-e-Tajiran had resolved to