3 Lessons From Peru

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 – The Story of Kaavan

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

Kaavan—Last Day At The Zoo

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

The Story Of Kaavan

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

Second Marriage Proposal

My second marriage proposal in Tajikistan. Actually, it was Afghanistan! I am cycling along the Panj River while wearing headphones and listening to my favourite music at loud volume. In the background, I hear a shouting sound that doesn’t belong to the song. I glance at the mountains on the Tajik side to the left … Read more

A Letter To Bolivia

Dear Bolivia, You were my third country on the way to Alaska! I remember you for your vast landscape. Your high plateau reminds me of another country in Central Asia. For me, you will aways be the Tajikistan of South America. Your grand vistas are from another planet. The eyes are too small to capture … Read more

On My Previous Post!

Over the last few years, where the followers of my page have bestowed a lot of love upon me, I have also faced criticism and discouragement. But I have never received as much abuse and hatred as I did on my last post on Facebook. I was abused on the content of the post as … Read more

Witnessing an Interfaith LGBTQ Engagement

“Ricardo knows that my Spanish isn’t good, but I don’t need to say a lot. All I want to say is that I love you with all my heart and that I will always love you!” says Johnny. “Johnny, the love I feel for you is endless,“ replies Ricardo after a pause. Johnny is from … Read more

On Religion and Interfaith Harmony

I see a swami talking to an indigenous man in colourful regalia—a Christian priest shaking hands with a Sikh—a rabbi talking about the need to overcome the ongoing Islamophobia—and a Muslim scholar condemning the recent terrorist attack on a synagogue. Hundreds of people sit together on the floor of the Langar Hall and share communal … Read more