By Sher Alam Shinwari
PESHAWAR: Destinies of the nations are shaped by events. They are inspired
by the political, economical, social, historical, cultural and even
spiritual ideals of the people. Literature is considered as a mirror to the
social life of the nation. The Pakhtuns, a nation of strong nerves but hot
tempers, enjoy a unique position among the people of South Asia. The
elegance of the Pakhtuns lies in their literature, especially their
folklore. The quest for their self-identification has never been questioned.
Right from the age of Khushal Khan Khattak to the British era and up to the
present times, the Pakhtun poets and writers have played their role
effectively for their just and genuine cause. The process continued during
the concluding year also and it was marked by a few major events that are
worth mentioning.
The first and most important event was the fourth centenary birth
celebrations of the Baba-e-Pashto, Khushal Khan Khattak, held across the
globe. The most spectacular of all was the one arranged by the Cultural
Association of the Pakhtuns in Germany. The Pashto Adabi Board, Roshan
Pakistan, an Urdu weekly published form Karachi, and Pashto Academy,
University of Peshawar, brought out special issues on the life and works of
the great warrior-poet.
A Karachi-based literary organisation of the Pakhtun writers, Jaras Adabi
Jirga, published a remarkable special issue of its magazine, Jaras, spread
over more than 1,400 pages, on modern Pashto poem. In the wake of the
political change in Afghanistan, the Kabul Adabi Tolana was re-activated.
Prominent Afghan poets and writers like Habibullah Rafi, Zalmay Hewadmal, Dr
Abdul Shakoor Rashad and a few others revived the organisation and arranged
a seminar on Rehman Baba in Kabul. A large number of poetry collections,
novels, short stories, translations and research works were published
throughout the year.
The famous and coveted Chacha Karim Bakhsh Adabi Award ceremony for Pashto
literature was held in Mingora, Swat, in which certificates and cash awards
were given to poets and writers for producing quality books in the
categories of poetry, prose and fiction. Didar Yousafzai got the first prize
for his haiku collection, Da Khamoshai Shor. Zama Ghazal, the long-awaited
poetry collection of the prominent ghazal poet, Ikramullah Gran, was
published that received much public appreciation. The gigantic literary
works of Qamar Rahi and Ayaz Daudzai, namely Zala and Hassay, added a
valuable treasure to the Pashto literature. The Pashto Academy, in addition
to another special issue on Allama Iqbal, also published the dewans of the
most popular classical poets, Ashraf Khan Hijri and Abdul Qadir Khan and a
research document on the life and works of the latter. The provincial
governor gave the Pashto Academy the status of a language authority this
year. He inaugurated the Hamza Baba Cultural Complex in Landikotal and Ghani
Khan Complex in Charsadda.
The governor also announced the establishment of the Writers Club in the
provincial metropolis.
The Pashto Academy launched a website of its own. The elections of the
Progressive Writers Association, NWFP chapter, were held after a lapse of
sixteen years in which an eminent young writer, Rokhaan Yousafzai, was
elected as the general secretary of the association. The Pashto Department
awarded PhD degrees to Salma Shaheen, Humayun Huma, Islam Gauhar and Yasmin
Pervez for their research theses on different aspects of the Pashto
literature.
There were some sad and unfortunate events also that hit the world of the
Pashto literature. The sad demise of the reputed historian and linguist,
Bahadur Shah Zafar Kakakhel, a revolutionary poetess of the independence
movement, Syeda Bushra Begum, a pioneer short story writer, Mian Mohammad
Yousaf Kakakhel, a famous writer and broadcaster, Jan Mohammad Zalmay, and a
senior chaarbeta poet, Farid Gul Ustad, sent waves of extreme grief among
the literary circles of the Pakhtuns.
The prominent scholar and critic, Qalandar Momand, expressed the hope that
the Pashto language and literature would continue its journey towards its
ultimate success in the coming years.