Thought a bit of Pashtun culture would liven up this board:)
http://khybermail.com.pk/c8.htm
By Sher Alam Shinwari
Book Review
Book: Da Hum Haghasey Mosam Daey (It is the same season- Pashto poetry collection)
Poetess: Haseena Gul
Pp.: 154, Price: Rs.100
Published by Danish Kitabtun, Qissa Khawani Bazaar Peshawar
Pashto poetry has a charm of its own. It has recently undergone a slight change as a number of poetry collections appeared, were a deviation from the set traditional style of Pashto poetry. The change is in substance as well as in style. There is a dearth of woman poets in Pashto but the reason of low literacy among woman folk is not the only one. The daughters of great warrior Pashto poet Khushhal Khan Khattak of 16th century were very good poets. The big hurdle is our social taboos and strict family barriers, which curbed a woman to speak out her mind and heart.
But fortunately there are some courageous Pashtun women in 20th century as well who paved way for budding poetesses to express their views and outlook on the society in a free and bold manner without undermining our social values. Zaitoon Bano, Syeda Bushra Begum and Dr. Salma Shaheen are among those who broke ways with the typical Pakhtun restrictions on woman expression. Haseena ranked herself among the best and popular modern Pashto poets and writers in a very short span of time. Apart from being a talented radio and TV compere she actively participates in literary sessions and discussions where sometimes she seems a lonely feminine figure. This poetry collection contains thirty-six ghazals in short rhyme and a number of poems mostly in free and blank verse.
Rokhan Yousafzai a young poet and critic writes in preface to the book, " This poetry collection is the voice of a modern Pakhtun virgin will definitely strike many readers with wonder because she reflects the present revolutionary movement that has already been started to redefine the role of the woman in our male dominated society. Haseena is not only the representative of woman’s woeful tale of her ordeals but also addresses her internal and external problems in a woman’s language and stirs her to rise up to a new life in the contemporary world."
From gender bias to the tragedy of Iraq Haseena Gul has the necessary skill to versify any issue that confronts Pakhtun woman and the humanity at large. Salim Raz a renowned writer and critic writes on the back flap of the book, " Haseena Gul acclaimed a respectable status among the literary circles in a very short time and proved her literary mettle and got approved her creative capabilities by even cynical critics. She has excelled her contemporaries in freedom of expression courageously. She enjoys the strength, self-confidence and originality of Kishawar Naheed and Fahmida Riaz, therefore I believe she is the trendsetter among the modern Pashto poets."
Haseena Gul uses very simple diction and short metres thus deliberately avoiding ornamental style with hollow emotions. There are some glaring proof mistakes which should not occur because this is the third collection of poetry, the other are Shpoon, Shpol Auo Shpaelai, and Kho Takkabaraey Kawa. The book has been divided into poems and ghazals but one can not understand why the ghazal portion carries some short poems also? Pashto poetry lovers will discover new aspects of a Pakhtun woman’s emotional grief and internal agony in verse form. Da Hum Haghasey Mosam Daey will prove an eye opener for the male segments of our society who stifled the throat of the woman down the ages. She could not raise her voice against injustice and violence inflicted on her on different pretexts.
In the wake of new changing world perspective she is in a position to make her presence felt. Haseena Gul is a poetess with difference and enlightened vision and the readers will read her poetry with a new and fresh wind of thought.