BrainCan - the big picture

wanderlust: 8 cities, 20 days, and a life changing...

The soil is like a book; whether you spend your entire life in your own country,then you’ve only...

varanasi: the city of the living dead and nirvana

“Benares is older than history,older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as...

the diaspora of naya pakistan: the time is ripe...

Some years ago,summer of 2012 to be precise, I hosted an casual morning tea for Maleeha Lodhi, or...

kathmandu: the city of dogs, falafels, singing...

While reading approximately the countries where one can get visa on arrival,Nepal suddenly caught my...

konya: the city of legacies, spirituality and rumi

As we returned domestic from our trip to Uzbekistan last year,we kept aside four days in Istanbul...

as a pakistani muslim, my trip to palestine was...

Simon Sebag Montefiore,the author of a best seller on Jerusalem, wrote, or “It is impossible to...

a year after the most important election: donald...

Donald Trump shocked the world final November by defeating Hillary Clinton in the 2016 US...

harvey was the daddy of all hurricanes, but is...

Recently,I was asked,“Aren’t you happy that you left Houston when you did?”In the wake...

muslim immigrants alternative terror: i m...

I am a Muslim American and have lived in Las Vegas for over 17 years. It is my city,it is my...

warm people, inexpensive food, beautiful culture -...

We were at the Tashkent train station at around seven in the morning,on our way to Samarkand. I knew...

we all know what divides india and pakistan, but...

When it comes to India and Pakistan,one comes across an array of academicians and scholars in...

i was not just a pakistani visiting india; i was...

Several years ago,I chanced to visit India for a conference. Our immediate destination after...

brett kavanugh vs christine blasey ford: don t...

Christine Blasey Ford recently accused an attorney and a sitting judge of the United...

sean spicer may just be the first in the long list...

Change is the only constant in Washington. We know that. However,whereas Fridays are generally on...

the curse of the green passport: 4 places to visit...

English novelist Aldous Huxley once said,“To travel is to discover that everyone is mistaken about...

does removing jinnah s portrait prove that india...

In 1938,the then president of the All India Muslim League (AIML), Muhammad Ali Jinnah, or was made a...

pulling out of the paris climate agreement may be...

In the cold and grey Washington,the news cycle has been eternally hot lately. The fire refuses to...

will the masuka draft law be able to put an end to...

Since Narendra Modi’s government came into power in 2014,incidents of cow-related...

as a south asian living in the uk, my vote goes to...

Last week,I found a pamphlet of a budding political party innocuously placed next to my door. It...

when trump met the pope…

On May 19,2017, Donald Trump landed in Saudi Arabia, and to trace his first series of international...

touching the ocean floor and feeling my heart beat...

There is a phrase I often use to describe my very first scuba diving experience in Antalya,Turkey...

trump has a yates problem and it ain t going away...

I don’t even know where to begin but let me start with this – at the time of writing these...

arming teachers will only create a greater mess,...

It’s a irregular time in our history. America is making the news for the worst of reasons. I peep...

why 2019 looks difficult for bjp

Until recently,what seemed like Narendra Modi’s India now looks a little disenchanted after...

who is a pakistani? a muslim? a desperate migrant?...

Over the past two years,I have travelled to 15 countries, either by myself or with friends. Before...

with donald trump s travel ban 3.0, is america any...

nowadays,the Supreme Court allowed President Donald Trump’s revised travel ban to be fully...

my wanderlust took me to cambodia, the museum of...

Back in April this year,I felt really low and sort of depressed, as I kept getting a strong urge to...

time travelling through history and losing myself...

I wanted to end 2017 by surprising my parents with a visit,all the way from California, US to...

if xi jinping wants china to be accepted as a...

The anointment of President Xi Jinping as the ‘core leader’ in the recently...

some fall and some rise, and 2017 proved just that

Another year has arrive and gone,while another approaches very soon. This year was quite eventful...

it s not you, it s me: why did india refuse...

The Indian state of Kerala,known as God’s own country, has become the victim of nature’s wrath...

how modi convinced india to celebrate a surgical...

Sparta,a warrior city in ancient Greece, was known for the ferocity of its soldiers. But while its...

the perversity of labelling eight year old asifa...

As India slowly wakes up to the horrors that were inflicted on eight-year-old Asifa Bano in...

how many hurricanes will it take for donald trump...

Since the 45th elected president of the United States was announced,the world has been divided...

should saudi arabia be a part of cpec?

From the word move,the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has been under a heavy burden of...

stepping into the void: a magical journey to the...

The mountains are calling and I must go – this is what I told myself while planning my summer...

when two madmen come head to head to play a game...

Call it a coincidence or an irony of fate,but I was in the process of winding up my study trip to...

why turkey s referendum is important

Turkey is one of the most beautiful countries of the world. Besides physical beauty of its...

for the us, it is time to say goodbye to the...

In an era of revenge politics where reprisal and retribution rule the roost,it comes as no...

a trip to king s landing, minus the dragons and...

I am one of those people who belong to the cult of the famous HBO series Game of Thrones...

if you think qatar s ostracism is an awful...

Queen was never my first choice of music when I was an avid music lover during my youth. I...

the london mosque incident was not only an attack...

On Monday,as the clock struck midnight, Darren Osborne, or a 47-year-old from Cardiff,drove a rented...

why nobody wants to admit to the real reasons...

There was a “mass casualty event” at an American high school a couple of days ago that took the...

a new dawn for the monarchy: will meghan markle...

On Saturday morning,inside St George’s Cathedral, situated in the grounds of the historic Windsor...

if no major non arab nation has supported the...

As is often the case in regional conflicts,external players may feel compelled to toe the line of...

barack obama s legacy is not of change, or even of...

final week,Barack Obama made his first public appearance after stepping down from office earlier...

islamophobia is an undeniable fact in the west,...

It is accurate that Islamophobiais a genuine phenomenon; Muslims have been and continue to...

if the us does not recognise its glaring gun...

“Why are they not calling it terrorism,” was the text of the WhatsApp message I received from my...

want to be a hero in india and get recognition in...

Indian democracy comes to weep in Kashmir. The elected government in Srinagar seems to exist just...

a lesson for kashmiris from manan wani: we cannot...

As I pursue my PhD,more often than not I find myself going through and posting on social media on...

why are iranian women protesting against the hijab...

devout freedom has been a pipe dream for years now,especially for women, who are subjected to male...

the alabama election proves that after trump s...

Besides Pakistan,the two other countries I have always been politically interested in are India and...

not even after 70 years of independence can...

A couple of weeks back,India celebrated the 70th anniversary of its independence from the British...

why pakistanis are happier than indians

The World Happiness Report, released by the United Nations on March 20, 2017 – to coincide with...

5 stories that prove the trauma of partition did...

As I mediate of the Partition that happened 71 years ago,it feels like a memory. Though I do not...

the turkish republic, as we know it, is dead

In perhaps the most important election of the past two decades,Turkey has given its verdict,...

why in the world is donald trump undoing decades...

It is almost impossible to see the logic behind Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as...

dear paresh rawal, you can change friends, but...

Dear Paresh Rawal,Writing this letter to you was difficult since I did not know where to start, and...

marine le pen vs emmanuel macron: who will win le...

With the second and final round of the French presidential elections due onMay 7,2017, both...

with its sandy white beaches and visa on arrival,...

In 2016,a colleague of mine happened to take a trip to Maldives, and showed me his pictures when he...

it is impossible to not fall in love with the...

Discovering new parts of the world always has an epiphanic effect on you – everything seems...

dictators like rodrigo duterte need to be careful...

The world works in strange ways and the more things change,the more they stay the same. After...

is trump aware of the catastrophic consequences of...

These days,for the most unlucky reasons, there’s no dearth of events clamouring to grab the...

can imran khan fix 71 years of failed talks,...

Imran Khan’s victory in the recently concluded General Elections went as per preordained script....

can the real american desi please stand up?

While Pakistani-Americans receive some notice in news because of their professional and social...

with rebel groups pledging allegiance to the is,...

After being routed from Syria and Iraq,the Islamic State (IS) is now attempting to create its...

a man raped a woman in public in broad daylight...

With the growing number of harassment cases,especially ones that involve men as the perpetrators, it...

divided states of america: donald trump will not...

Donald Trump’s vicious win as the 45th president of the United States caused quite an upheaval...

is donald trump the first real illegitimate...

Washington is perpetually buzzing with activity. It’s been like that ever since Donald...

will a black president make america great again?

After this year’s Golden Globe Awards,an overwhelming number of tweets and op-eds acclaimed Oprah...

why a ban on qatar may not be in the interest of...

While the announcement that several Middle Eastern counties including Saudi Arabia,UAE, Bahrain and...

why would india elect yogi adityanath as cm of...

Is the expanding dominance of Narendra Modi on a national political landscape a reassuring sign for...

a day trip to the micronation of andorra, a jewel...

Sandwiched between Spain and France in the Pyrenees mountains,very few have heard of the micronation...

why an independent kashmir is not good news for...

In a preceding blog that discussed the implications of President Donald Trump’s new Afghanistan...

how travelling to baku restored my faith in...

One major reason as to why the travel bug constantly tugs at my heartstrings,even more than the...

sex rings, paedophilia, preying on white women -...

I am sick and tired of what the British Pakistani society has become – I really am. In recent...

bjp is to india what the taliban are to...

The Taliban government in Kabul during the 1990s had become symbolic,not only of political...

when models are seen and treated as professional...

The fashion industry is a confusing place. On one hand,it empowers women by employing them, giving...

trump may be doing the right thing siding by saudi...

Political pundits around the world are trying to analyse the impact of President Donald Trump’s...

trump s past, just like the baku hotel deal, will...

Donald Trump has taken the US by storm; given a whole new meaning to the word lie’; upped...

paradise from a different perspective: maldives is...

Whenever the phrase ‘vacation to the Maldives’ rings our ears,turquoise waters and luxurious...

saudi women are eager to take the wheel, but are...

On September 26th,a much-awaited milestone was achieved in Saudi Arabia – a royal decree issued...

a timeless trip to the mediterranean: how can an...

“Tell you where I’d go. Ziahuatanejo… a minute spot right on the Pacific. You know what the...

why yogi adityanath s decision to prune official...

One of the most contentious political appointments in India in recent times has been the elevation...

pauline hanson s burqa ban proves she is an...

The Australian senate witnessed unusual scenes yesterday when a woman walked in wearing a...

is donald trump even worthy of receiving a nobel...

President Donald Trump is at it again. As if his life wasn’t full of excitement and ridiculousness...

the reality check that brought narendra modi and...

India-China relations have continued to be plagued by distrust,ever since the 1962 Sino-Indian...

did iran make a historical mistake by signing a...

It was reported in the Washington Post that the US Secretary of State,Mr Rex Tillerson, said the...

india s absence from the obor forum is testimony...

China hosted a massive two-day international event between May 14 and 15 in Beijing to formally...

rahul gandhi pulled a modi, but what does it...

The Indian parliament witnessed an unusual scene that has become the talking point of the recent...

trump s policy and melania s jacket prove one...

This could not acquire advance at a more appropriate time. “I really don’t care,effect u?”...

ironically, the credit for banning triple talaq in...

The recent decision regarding triple talaq by the Supreme Court (SC) of India has elated (full of...

mohammed bin salman is breaking the chains of a ...

During his recent visit to the US,the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), and...

the syrian conflict approaches its seventh year,...

“Everybody knows that the dice are loaded.Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed.Everybody...

nature granted me a front seat to the northern...

The place was a sharp contrast to what I had experienced over the past three days,trekking through...

calling leaders in western europe remnants of...

A unique diplomatic war is stirring between two prominent players in the European arena,the Dutch...

why re electing erdogan will be fruitful for...

For the first time in history,Turkey has transitioned to a presidential system of governance....

how to get away with murder in india? blame a man...

A year and half after the horrific Dadri incident,Hindu vigilantes continue to “yowl beef” and...

it s about time the love charger s battery died

Across the globe,religion is becoming the fastest growing trade. After all, there is never a dearth...

are acid attacks becoming a commonality in the uk...

Picture the following domestic scene:A woman hovering over a tawwa (stove),folding dough balls...

is there a leadership failure in the indian army?

Recently,there was a fratricide incidentin the Kashmir valley. A jawan (soldier) was reprimanded...

when the gun is the law, how far are you willing...

Friday,May 18th.My 17-year-old says to me, A 17-year-old Pakistani exchange student died in the...

announcing a bounty for beheading deepika padukone...

The ideology of the Taliban is in an expansionist mode – it is no longer confined to Afghanistan...

india s undeclared emergency: dear bjp, arresting...

Dissent breathes life into a democracy,which is why when you stifle free speech, you strangle your...

if i score, i m french; if i don t, i m arab : why...

As a Muslim French woman,my feelings regarding France’s victory in the 2018 FIFA World Cup are...

when charitable organisations don t believe in...

This year is definitely a year for women. At the start of 2018,the careers of Harvey Weinstein,...

whether it s ghosts, child traffickers or braid...

It was the mid 90’s,winter had descended on Kashmir, and we had just had our dinner. Lately, and...

mob justice is a slippery slope that india must...

As much as India is the land of dharma,the Buddha, Ashoka, or Gandhi,it is also a land that has...

modi does not believe in unity in diversity but...

Let’s be blunt – India is under the reign of a Hindu extremist government. For the first time...

the modi brand is here to stay

The man is bigger than his party. This is the crux of the results of five assembly elections in...

dubai - a city of countless distractions and all...

As I stood in the line behind the passport control counter,a security personnel menacingly shouted...

announcing a bounty for beheading deepika padukone...

The ideology of the Taliban is in an expansionist mode – it is no longer confined to...

no cow, no beef, no slaughtering - will indian...

India at 70 is an entirely different country as compared to when it started its journey as an...

if you think eidul azha in the us lacks spirit and...

Born and raised in Pakistan,one can only imagine Eidul Azha being celebrated one way, with the...

considering torture is illegal as per us law, how...

The CIA occupies an nearly mythic space in the minds of those of us who watch Hollywood movies. Time...

why did modi not receive justin trudeau himself...

As liberal democracies and countries that don’t have grating disagreements on international...

scars of partition: a muslim and a hindu walk into...

Recently,a video went viral on social media which shows a young Indian girl being physically...

justiceforasifa: has india discarded its moral...

What is at play in India today is a systematic dehumanisation of its Muslim community by the ruling...

the truth about why saudi arabia and israel are...

Despite Saudi Arabia’s tough rhetoric and brutal assault against its neighbour, Yemen (the...

why the creation of pakistan does not negate my...

There is something approximately India as an idea which transcends modern-day political...

the us never did and still doesn t know what it is...

Almost a week on since I wrote on the (im)probability of peace talks with the Taliban,Afghanistan...

is turkey transforming into a fundamentalist...

Turkey has given its verdict in the referendum paving the way for a powerful Tayyip Erdogan...

17 years later, can the us grow out of the 9 11...

Just approximately a couple of days ago,on the eve of yet another 9/11 anniversary, I was telling a...

30 mass shootings, 18 school shootings in 2018...

The recent school shooting in Parkland,Florida in the United States brought forth another round of...

india and israel s humane strategy: why kill...

Amnesty International India recently launched a postcard campaign calling on the Indian government...

it s easy to pass a law that lets young girls...

Child marriage is technically a punishable offence in India. whether a male over the age of 18 is...

the 126 innocent lives lost were mere collateral...

Beads of perspiration glistened on his forehead. Wiping it clean with the back of his hand,he stared...

talks on, talks off: modi, a prisoner of the past,...

Does the Indian government have a coherent policy towards Pakistan? Is ‘adhocism’ now the...

before pointing the terrorism finger at pakistan,...

While in Singapore,I met an Indian Hindu from Indian Gujarat, the state where I was born, and in the...

donald trump s america is awfully racist and...

Q: Mirror mirror on the wall,who’s the biggest racist of them all?A: The human raceRecently, I...

for the us, friends and enemies aren t important,...

Growing up,we form friendships, alliances and enmities in playgrounds and classrooms. There are...

i applaud trump for inspiring such great...

Post 9/11,the world became a very different spot. However, no one could beget predicted how the...

is it really the end of the islamic state?

On November 21,2017, media outlets reported that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani declared the end...

instead of playing political games, bjp should...

Civil supremacy over the military,a essential adjunct of the parliamentary form of government,...

india s awakening: the end of article 377 and the...

One of the most glaring anomalies in the Indian legal landscape is Article 377,the 1861 law that...

brexit: britain s chance to flex its economic...

All the pundits and economists predicted Brexit wouldn’t happen and yet here we are,nine months...

is ram nath kovind s appointment as president...

When Ram Nath Kovind and his family were denied entry into the presidential retreat in...

with blatant hatemongering like punish a muslim...

Ever since Britain’s exasperated populace announced its wish to leave the European Union...

will china be the saviour of the imminent us north...

The latest missile test that was launched by North Korea came at a tumultuous time. The United...

why do students in american high schools resort to...

When the student body president of a Northern California high school won his campaign after...

the parasitic relationship of pakistan, the shark,...

Reality is more complicated than fiction. Before someone loses a fuse by just reading this...

india s problem is not pakistan; india s problem...

A self-confessed Indian spy was caught in Pakistan to be sentenced to death,so some people in...

india s contract marriages: when sheikhs marry,...

Poverty is not a crime,but it surely is a curse for docile Muslim girls in the poverty-driven city...

banning triple talaq is one small step for india...

When five men from different faiths – Hinduism,Christianity, Sikhism, or Islam and Zoroastrianism...

jeremy corbyn, the left wing political messiah,...

This was supposed to be a bloodbath. This was supposed to be a funeral. This was supposed to be...

the strange myth of america s humanitarian wars

In March 2009, Human Rights Watch (HRW) published a forgetful 71-page report, calling out...

israel and us are champions of human rights, but...

nearly a month ago,Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, or tweeted to show solidarity with...

silencing the ink: gauri lankesh, a fearless...

Gauri Lankesh’s Facebook profile picture that features Rohith Vemula,with the caption Punish the...

the world must not allow the situation in yemen to...

The Middle East has had a tumultuous history and the region’s politics have been anything but...

silence of the lambs: pakistan is doing its fair...

One wonders what is more appalling – Myanmar’s systematic genocide of its Muslim minority,or...

dear pakistan, i know our history is complicated,...

When I was a little girl,it was customary for our family to watch at least one fresh film every...

are vehicle attacks the new form of terrorism?

The horrific events this week in Spain and Finland are a tragic recurrence of major terrorism...

donald trump will be giving a lecture on islam to...

Blowing trumpets,doves flying overhead and the awaiting red carpet. To many, this scenery invokes...

fudging the population: the missing 90 million...

There is one thing approximately Indian Muslims that just can’t be denied – most of them are...

a ban on transgender individuals in the military...

Christopher T Beck was a US Navy SEAL for 20 years. Beck was part of the elite anti-terrorism unit...

the gujarat election has proved that modi s...

The headline,“The BJP lost in victory, Congress won in defeat”, and from a local newspaper in...

no, my ripped jeans do not allow you to believe...

They are just clothes,I tell my father, when he passes a comment approximately my ripped jeans. He...

why india wants pti to lose and pml n to win the...

South Asia is currently in a vortex of a very defining election season.In India,though the General...

can shahid khaqan abbasi bringzulfiqarhome so he...

“We are not final because we are infallible,but we are infallible only because we are final.”...

of halala marriages and the sexual exploitation of...

According to a BBC undercover investigation,some Muslim women in South Asian diasporic communities...

as a young british muslim, i ve been told to stay...

A few days ago,a German school announced that it had banned Muslim students from using prayer mats...

is theresa may really thinking about what is best...

As England starts paving its way towards Brexit negotiations following the trigger of Article...

thank you, modi, for proving that partition saved...

Dear Mr Narendra Modi,I was not at all surprised that your party, Bharatiya Janata Party (the BJP),...

a life sentence for ratko mladic, the butcher of...

The Bosnian war is one of my earliest childhood memories. I remember watching the coverage on our...

in india, women s safety is a promise no one can...

It was Mother’s Day recently and we couldn’t halt gushing in our seasonal tribute about our...

akbar the great who? - did bjp just eliminate the...

The Express Tribune and Indian media reported earlier this week on the extensive changes made to...

if us foreign policy were consistent, america...

The Syrian civil war,we believe been told, began as fragment of the Arab Spring and really took hold...

why is my brown skin, unapologetically bearded...

Reading approximately the developments from Finsbury Park,London, whereDarren Osborne drove a van...

destroying jinnah s house will not undo the...

The sordid saga of ultra-nationalism unfolding in the subcontinent took a new twist this week. The...

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