On Being a Non-Bilingual Brown Person

“You can’t understand Punjabi?!” Rishma* said, mouth open in a grin stuck on pause that evolved into rolling laughter of disbelief. “No,” I smiled, clenching my fists that lulled by my sides to prevent them from instinctively floating up and punching her in the jaw. Advertisements

Partition, 70 years on

So much reading material is available on the formation of Pakistan that it’s hard for someone as clueless as me to decipher what’s true anymore. But there is one tale that seems quite indisputable – that for almost 1000 years different religious groups co-existed here in harmony, as a family, embracing one another’s traditions.

To The Women Of My Blood

A perception of South Asian women has lingered That they are inherently submissive, naive, hidden from the world behind dupattas and burkas But I look to the women of my bloodline who arrived before me

Zubaida’s 1947

Zubaida and the children left their home to discover a new religious refuge Her husband would catch up with her later, he had to do what men do

Second Generation

My Father was a hipster His Father was a prisoner of war Both of my Grandmothers believed in God

To The Women Of My Blood

Charlie Hebdo: People, Not Politics

As emotions continue to run high following the atrocious attacks in Paris last week the latest issue of Charlie Hebdo went on sale in the UK, with customers queuing overnight to get their hands on the Survivors issue. As I’m sure you’ve all seen the front cover maintained their brazen stance, with a cartoon of […]