Neat

-- Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr

since forever 

Cuz its a Saturday night!

wedding stories

Love Birds

Bride Story 

Shots from a recent shoot

Everyday Rituals

About today 

Being born in a traditional Muslim family and being raised by stern yet generous nuns at the Convent of Jesus and Mary, Muree I felt kind of lost as a child. For nine months every year I'd fall asleep to the sight of burning candles before the Mother Mary statue in our dormitory and hearing Sister Helena's footsteps as she took the last round shushing us and tucking us away in our four layered beds with hot water bottles.Every now and then we'd go to the church and stare at the paintings like they were telling a story.We were as curious as any eight year old would be. On the other hand when my parents took me to Makkah for Hajj a little later, I remember looking at Kaabah and thinking just how spectacular it was and how I just wanted to keep staring at it. I was absolutely in love with it.However, in Arafat as I sat on a hill with my brother we had a conversation about how we were the only ones not in tears.Everyone around us was gravely crying and asking for forgiveness whereas I just felt happy.Like i said, I was confused and perhaps too young. I recently had a chance to visit Turkey with my father and his friends who went on and on about Hagia Sophia and to be entirely honest I really wasnt interested, At this point all mosques in Istanbul looked the same, I didnt get what the big deal was. I would rather 'chill out' at Taksim than wander around Sultan Ahmet to admire the 'masterpieces of Islamic architecture.'It was when we entered Hagia Sophia I was IN AWE!!! It is the awe not of architecture, age or history.The awe was of how everything just made sense all of a sudden.Hagia Sophia is neither a church nor a mosque any longer but for me it was one of the most spiritual experiences ever. In the dim light deep within was a glimmer of gold, my eyes adjusted to the darkness and I recognized the apse blazing with a glorious gold mosaic of Madonna and Child. A few more steps, and the vision was clear and beautiful.There was the name of Allah, the Prophet pbuh and the Caliphs. Not only that, There were inscriptions of Hassan and Hussain. Its like all the religions just blended together in perfect harmony. The chandeliers hanging from that mighty dome were an absolute treat.Though they have been replaced ,I tried to imagine how it must have looked with its hundreds of tiny oil lamps aflame, like the candles by my bed side that never burnt out. I pictured hundreds and thousands of Muslim faithful in rituals, their genuflexions in perfect unison, their voices rising and echoing in the perfect acoustics. It was an epiphany I didnt even know I had craved for.

Freedom Requires Wings 

Hats off Lena Dunham for your brutal honesty!

Emperor’s Garden, Rio de Janeiro

The Phoenix Firedancers "Light Up Rotary" with their electrifying performance during the opening plenary session of the São Paulo Convention.

The Sao Paulo Gay Pride has grown from 2,000 participants in 1997 to almost 2.5 million people in 2006 edition. They made to the Guinness Book in 2006 for the world’s biggest Gay Pride celebration and haven't lost its #1 position ever since. 

A recent shoot for Al Kanooz

Lahore