Cover to cover

COVER STORY

This year Karachi Literature Festival featured the following book launches.

A Thousand Cups of Tea: Among Tea Lovers in Pakistan and Elsewhere in the Muslim World by Jurgen Wasim Frembgen

Dr. Jurgen Wasim Frembgen has written extensively on the cultures of the Eastern Muslim world between Iran and India, focusing primarily on Pakistan. This travelogue is a journey through the production, preparation, and consumption of tea from North Africa to South Asia, with deep insights into diverse habits, customs, preferences, and traditions surrounding this practice.

Remnants of a Separation: A History of the Partition through Material Memory by Aanchal Malhotra

The belongings carried by refugees to either side of the border during the 1947 Partition, as well as what they had to leave behind, all tell their stories about these families and this time of immense hopes, tragedies, and upheaval.

Bhopal Connections: Vignettes of Royal Rule by Shaharyar M. Khan

Bhopal State of undivided India had a unique status as a repository of muslim-indian culture and scholarship. it was also the only princely State rules by a female ruler. Princess Abida Sultana, the last ruler of Bhopal, before its takeover by India, migrated to Pakistan. Her son, Prince Shahryar A. Khan, then succeeded to the title. Prince Shahryar is better known to us as a career diplomat, who has served in the nation’s top foreign office and ambassadorial assignments, and as the Chairman of Pakistan’s Cricket Board.

Pirani and Other Short Stories by Jamal Abro

The late Jamal Abro is considered to have been amongst the best Sindhi language writers. This book is an English translation of his short story collection published originally in Sindhi, comprising 16 short stories that capture the essence of the land and the people of rural Sindh.

Travels in a Dervish Cloak by Isambard Wilkinson

It is a discursive, funny, moving portrait of the often opaque and always complex country in which we live. He has rendered the land in a bright chiaroscuro and with obvious affection.

The Three Innocents and Ors.: Chughtai on Childhood translated by Tahira Naqvi

The stories of Ismat Chughtai, one of the most renowned Urdu writers of the 20th century, had a gentler side as well. In this delightful anthology, she writes on her own childhood with warmth and humour, stepping into a child’s shoes and looking upon the world with refreshing candour.

The Faltering State: Pakistan’s Internal Security Landscape by Tariq Khosa

It is based upon the author’s approximately four decades (1973-2011) of credible public service and provides special insights into how Pakistan, as a state, has been mismanaged at all levels. Bringing a practitioner’s expertise, it will no doubt serve to inform the interested readership and stimulate debate on an issue that is of central importance to the survival of Pakistan as an effective state.

Governing the Ungovernable: Institutional Reforms for Democratic Governance by Ishrat Husain

This book attempts to examine the reasons behind the slowdown, the volatile and inequitable growth of Pakistan in the last 25 years. It also suggests a selective and incremental approach of restructuring some key public institutions that pertain to accountability, transparency, security, economic growth, and equity.

Of Pearls and Pecks of Straw: Recollections, Essays, After-Thoughts by Iqbal Akhund

‘A ramble through my life’ is how the author describes what he has written in this book. He touches briefly but not specifically on issues of the moment - religion, purdah, westernization, and partition. The author reminisces about days under the Raj, the converaion of his grandparents, the why and wherefore of partition, as well as thoughts on current issues.

Mr and Mrs Jinnah: Hindustan ki Hairankun Shadi by Sheela Reddy

In this book, Sheela Reddy gives readers a close-up look into the marriage of the great political leader Mohammad Ali Jinnah with the young and beautiful Ruttee, ‘the Flower of Bombay’.

A Cry Launch for Justice: Empirical Insights from Balochistan by Kaiser Bengali

As this book reveals, the province of Balochistan is abjectly under-developed, with virtually absent physical infrastructure and abysmally low social development indicators. Local discontent and anger over the state of affairs has repeatedly boiled over into insurgencies, with one under way currently.

Interior Design of Pakistan by Maria Aslam

As an ancient land with several ethnic cultures, Pakistan has a wide range of aesthetic traditions feeding into its contemporary design vocabulary. Maria Aslam’s extremely handsome book has showcaded the talents of the Pakistani interior design industry.

The Impact of Afghan-Soviet War on Pakistan by Imrana Begum

The books describes how the Afghan-Soviet War (1978-1989) dramatically changed history for Afghanistan and the former Soviet Union. The impact on Pakistan, as a neighbouring country with ancient and intimate historical, ethnic, political, and economic links, was bound to be especially strong.

The Quest Continues: Lost Heritage: The Sikh Legacy in Pakistan by Amardeep Singh

The book is an exploration across 90 cities and villages in Pakistan, which provides a strong impetus to anyone curious about the Sikh legacy.

From Mountains to Mangroves: Protecting Pakistan’s Natural Heritage by Rina Saeed Khan

This book informs the reader about the many inspiring stories of conservation activities taking place across Pakistan. The 16 stories in the book are penned in an engaging, personal manner with rigorous research endorsed by WWF-Pakistan.

Wavell: Soldier and Statesman by Victoria Schofield

India’s penultimate Viceroy Lord Wavell has always been an enigmatic character. A great military leader, he brought an especially no-nonsense, yet enlightened, approach to the issues of an india looking for freedom. And yet he failed to bring together the conflicting sides.

Pakistan Heritage Cuisine: A Food Story by Sayeeda Leghari

Sayeeda leghari’s book explores how the cuisine of a country is intricately woven into its fabric and is shaped by the history and characteristics of the region and its people.

Uljhay Suljhay Snwar by Imrana Maqsood

Imrana Maqsood’s book is about her husband, the writer, satirist, artist, and playwright Anwar Maqsood.

Cityscapes of Violence in Karachi: Publics and Counterpublics by Nichola Khan

The metropolis is severely afflicted by every kind of violence - criminal, political, sectarian, and ethnic. Nichola Khan brings together prominent academics, enthnographers, journalists, writers, and activists to drill deep into the city’s neighbourhoods and examine the ways that violence is textured.

Moon Rise by Bilal Hamid

Moon Rise is a book of 32 poems that are meditations, impressions and reactions to diverse phenomena and ideas experienced by the writer.

Jamal Mian: The life of Maulana Jamaluddin Abdul Wahab of Farangi Mahall 1919-2012 by Francis Robinson

This book describes the eventful life of Jamal Mian Farangi Mahall, a symbol of Lucknow’s Old-World scholarly culture.