Personalities
073. Choudhary Rahmat Ali – The Man Who Named Pakistan
A lot is written about the views, motives, and personalities of the people involved in the independence movement and the creation of Pakistan. We continuously discuss every aspect of these figures—from Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah to Liaquat Ali Khan, Khwaja Nazimuddin, Nawab Salimullah Khan, and Allama Iqbal. Even some earlier leaders like Sir Syed Ahmad…
072. Gurdwara of Baba Badan Singh Dhillon in Chak 68JB Leelan, Faisalabad.
1947 was a milestone in the history of India. It ended British rule and brought independence to 400 million people of South Asia. But it was not a happy time for all. Millions of people suffered terribly as a result of the events surrounding this occasion, which caused cataclysmic changes in some parts of India,…
070. Khushwant Singh Of Hadali (A very Nice Man To Know) & His Friend Asad Bhatti
It was a dream come true, when Muhammad Ali Asad Bhatti finally got a chance to visit India in 2003 to attend a literary event, Punjabi Language Conference in Chandigarh. Besides other things, he was very excited to meet Khushwant Singh, his friend. Asad did not have his mobile number, so when he called Khushwant…
063. Grave of Air Chief Marshal Nur Khan
The war of 1965 was a very important moment in the history of Pakistan. Some even believe it to be our finest hour, when we successfully repulsed massive attacks on our borders at several fronts by an enemy many times bigger. While our army and navy performed well (especially in defense), it was the Air…
055. Rajesh Khanna & His Ancestral Hometown Burewala
My first memory of Rajesh Khanna is his blockbuster song, Mere Sapnon Ki Rani Kab Aayegi Tu, singing in an open four-wheel drive for the beautiful Sharmila Tagore, with Sujit Kumar in the driving seat. The song is from the film Aradhana (1969), but was still very popular many years later in the late 1970s….
052. Raja Ghazanfar Ali Khan
In my previous post, “The Last Assembly“, I wrote about the members of the last Provincial Assembly of United Punjab. One of the most prominent among them was Raja Ghazanfar Ali Khan. Before winning the 1946 election to the Punjab Assembly, he had also been elected in 1937. He later served as a minister in the…
033. Bollywood’s Pakistan Connection
In mid July, 2014, news items appeared in the media that PM Nawaz Sharif has ordered the house of legendary actor Dilip Kumar, to be declared a national heritage and also to take steps to restore it and turn it into a museum. Notification for that purpose was issued on 26th July, 2014. I noticed,…
031. Khurd – Birthplace of Great Actor Sunil Dutt
I’m sure most of you know Sunil Dutt, yes, the father of Munna Bhai! But what many might not know is that he was born in a village in District Jhelum, Pakistan. While the list of Bollywood actors who trace their roots to present-day Pakistan is long and fascinating, Sunil Dutt is the only one whose…
026. Birthplace of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Pakistan
I hope many of you have heard the name of Shaheed Bhagat Singh—thanks to Bollywood movies, if nothing else. He is probably one of the most famous revolutionaries who fought against British rule in India. During my recent visit to Pakistan, visiting his ancestral village, Banga, was one of my top priorities. Despite all the…
018. Gujranwala: Birthplace of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Samadhi of Mahan Singh and A Jain Mandir
Gujranwala is a large but comparatively new city. Though settlements existed in this area for a long time, the foundations of the modern city were laid in 1758, when Charat Singh constructed a small mud fort at Sirai Kambohaan. He was the sardar of the Sukerchakia Misl and the grandfather of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The…