It was mid-September. The sky was deep blue, and the landscape had turned into dry grassland. I cycled across the border of Bolivia and entered Peru. My first city in Peru was Puno. Earlier, someone had recommended to me that I should visit the nearby floating islands in Lake Titicaca. So in Puno, I went … Read more
KAHANI MERI is a song based on the true story of Kaavan, the world’s loneliest elephant. After spending 35 years of his life in chains at Islamabad Zoo, on November 29, Kaavan is leaving for a sanctuary in Cambodia. Soon he will be roaming free with three other elephants in a wildlife sanctuary, but around … Read more
Today, I went to to see Kaavan. It is his last day at Islamabad Zoo as he flies to Cambodia tomorrow. Kaavan now weighs about 4.7 tons while his custom crate weighs nearly 5 tons. No ordinary cargo plane can carry such bulk and volume, so the world’s largest aircraft, Antonov, is coming to Islamabad … Read more
This is the story of Kaavan—the world’s loneliest elephant. Kaavan was born in 1985 in Srilanka, and at the age of 1, gifted to Pakistan. He endured almost 35 years of his life in chains at Islamabad Zoo. An elephant named Saheli was brought in and remained as Kaavan’s partner for 22 years until her … Read more
In Layyah, the doorbell rings at our house. Outside, a child clings to his mother’s finger and stares at me with big eyes. His mom Shamim Akhtar is here with her daughter and a little son. My sister had given free ration and money to this family a while ago and also told me about … Read more
“Sh“ince I was a child, I loved driving a donkey cart. I got the feeling of flying from it. My elders were also in this profession. I have been working in this street in Sadar, Karachi for the past 25 years. I carry cement, machinery, furniture, heavy equipment, anything you name it,” Yousuf said whom … Read more
“Mama, Mama, chawal dey do! (Uncle, uncle, give me rice!)” the kid pleads through the van window. The driver shifts into the reverse gear and turns the steering. Akhuwat’s white van swerves to the right, pushing children away but they somehow latch onto the window frame. “Why don’t you give him one rice meal?” I … Read more
A couple of months ago, a friend took me to the Business Network International event in San Fransisco Bay Area where everybody gathered for networking. Someone came up to me and asked, “what business do you do?” “None!” I replied. “Do you work for someone then?” “No. I don’t!” “Do you plan to start something … Read more
July 21. It was my birthday. I was heading to the border of Canada. I could have stayed in Glacier National Park, Montana for a few more days. It was beautiful out there. The weather was great, the campgrounds were cheap and I loved swimming in the cold lakes. There was no need to rush. … Read more
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