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Essays
Mahmood Awan’s Songs of Exile
In his latest collection of poems Mahmood Awan captures the zeitgeist of present day Punjab
Punjabi Resistance: A response to Mahmood Khan Achakzai
The story of Punjabi resistance, narrated through five legends, in response to Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PMAP) chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai’s diatribe
Baba Nanak: The spiritual poet
Baba Nanak consistently displayed a forceful rejection of unjust authority and a love for the downtrodden through his many renderings
Khalistan and poetry of 1984
Harbhajan Singh was one of the few Punjabi writers whose work challenged the powers responsible for causing destruction to Punjab and its people
Why Punjabi is Not welcomed in Punjab?
All over the world, native languages are protected and funded by state universities so they can be kept alive. While here in Punjab, existing working structures of Punjabi are being dismantled
Partition of the Punjab (Part 2)
There are not enough creative writings on partition penned in Punjab, especially poetry, and this may be due to guilt infested post-partition trauma that triggered collective amnesia and conscious forgetfulness
Mahmood Awan’s poems
No doubt good poetry has always been a rarity and still is. It’s like a serendipitous gift of vigorous whisperings in a world littered with cacophonous wreckage. Such is Mahmood Awan’s poetry we find in his new book “Sejal” published by Sanjh Publications, Lahore.
Sejal Book Launch Report
A Punjabi poetry collection titled ‘Saijal’ by Mehmood Awan was launched at the Punjab Institute of Language, Art and Culture on Wednesday.
Reclaiming Punjabi
As the world celebrates the Mother Tongue day, let’s admit that we have failed to make Punjabi language an issue for the common people of the Punjab or its political parties
Melodies of Punjab
In his book Punjabi Literature - A Brief Outline published by...
Waris Shah:The Fearless Poet (Part 2)
Part 2 of the 250th Year of Heer Waris Shah
Lal Singh Dil: The Tragic Poet
Lal Singh Dil’s poetry has the power to connect both the Punjabs, and all Punjabis to their shared grievous land
Poetry from Soon Sakesar
Ayub Awan made a conscious decision to write in his mother tongue and KeeDi da Aata was his first collection of Punjabi verse
Poetry of rural Punjab
A critical overview of the captivating, romantic and inimitable poetic genres especially from Lahnda Punjab
Partition of the Punjab (Part 1)
Muslims and Hindus-Sikhs were never fully integrated as one Punjabi nation but they had found a way to co-exist peacefully. Then what really happened?
A case of Punjabi nationalism
Whenever we raise the issue of Punjabi language, Seraiki separatism jumps in to dilute the whole struggle of mother tongue rights. Our friends from South are free to name the language of entire Punjab as Seraiki and help us get it implemented in the province
The feminine metaphor
Recounting the women poets of the undivided Punjab, a poetic history that lies buried under male monopoly
WW1: Not their War (Part 2)
As WW1 centenary commemorations end, here’s the second and last part about the unique insight this war provided into colonial duplicity and local suffering, and the Punjabi folk lore it generated
Dawn Review of Veeni Likhia Din
Mushtaq Soofi Published March 01, 2013 in Dawn Mahmood Awan, a...
Literary soul of the Punjab
While reviewing the first edition of the Punjabi literary...
The best-loved books of 2023
Mahmood Awan Dublin-based Punjabi poet Anup Singh’s Irrfan:...
Afzal Saahir: A master of rhyme
From esteemed writers to lay readers, Afzal Saahir’s words captivate everyone
A Year in Reading: 2022
As we bid adieu to 2022, TNS turns to South Asian writers and authors to ask them about the titles they read this year that have stayed with them. Here, in alphabetical order, is what they say – TNS
Zubair’s Grieving for Pigeons
The first book-length translation of Zubair Ahmad’s Punjabi short stories
A Year in Reading: 2021
As we approach the end of 2021, we ask some of our favourite writers to share what they enjoyed reading all of last year. Here, in alphabetical order, is what they say – TNS
Royals and Rebels of the Punjab
Priya Atwal’s book retells the Punjab story with new insights, focusing on the rise of Ranjit Singh and the fall of Punjab’s empire
Nain Sukh: Journey through text
In his latest book, Nain Sukh combines oral and written texts to analyse the magical land of Punjab
Baranmah: A new Punjabi Magazine
The new Punjabi magazine Bara(n)mah, that includes writers from both sides of Punjab as well as the Punjabi diaspora, is a fresh breeze in the literary wilderness of Punjab
