Pakhto Adabi Board, a literary organisation engaged in literary and research pursuits for the last many years, has brought out special issue of its quarterly journal ‘Tatara’ on the life and works of Ghani Khan.
Born in 1914, Ghani Khan lived an eventual life. Being the eldest son of Bacha Khan, he experienced many difficult times, but soon he turned towards a literary career.
Spreading over 169 pages, the journal carries thought-provoking research articles by prominent writers highlighting various aspects of Ghani Khan’s life and works.
Pakhto Adabi Board earlier has published similar special editions of Tatara on Khushhal Khan Khattak, Rahman Baba, Hameed Baba, Hamza Baba, Qalandar Momand, Ayaz Daudzai, Ajmal Khattak and a few other literary figures.
This quarter it made available to readers its special number on the multifaceted Ghani Khan embellished with some popular poems and art master-pieces of the legendary poet, writer, sculptor and artist of high repute, who wrote simultaneously in Pashto, Urdu and English with eloquence and gripping style unique to his though.
Ghani Khan devoted his life to serve his mother tongue. He didn’t advocate any theory of philosophy but he was definitely a philosophic poet as his verses demonstrate.
Ghani Khan has his own style of rationalising his emotions. He loved peace, humanity and images of beauty. Different parameters are laid down to judge whether he was an expressionist or impressionist, while he himself once said: “Open your eyes and observe a thing deeply, then shut your eyes, think about that thing for some time, it might have left an effect on your mind. This is impressionism but when you put that impression on a piece of paper or paint it on a canvas, this will be expressionism.”Ghani Khan’s poetry collections published in his lifetime are Palwashay, Da Penjray Chaghaar and Panoos.
Later all his poetry books were published in a single volume, titled Da Ghani Latoon.
His two prose books one each in English and Urdu — The Pathans and Khan Sahib — were also published in his lifetime.
The 17th death anniversary of Ghani Khan fell on March 16, 2013. It went unnoticed, but a seminar was held at Bacha Khan University in Charasada on March 15 that was not attended by any official of the provincial government.
Late Dr Mohammad Azam Azam, Prof Dawar Khan Daud, Murtaza Shaheen, Muflis Durrani, Said Mahmood Zafar, Muazam Jan, Prof Jahanzeb Niaz, Dr Sattar Khan Lawaghari, late Dr Hakimullah Jan, Dr Irfan Khattak, Qamar Rahi, Ikramullah Gran, Haji Gul Sufi, Wadood Ashnaghari, Shaukat Hussain Hasrat, Qaiser Ali Shah, Salim Munawar, Feroz Khan Sadiq, Syed Mohsin Shah, Hayat Roghani, Atal Afghan, Syed Zafarullah Bakhshali, Mahmood Gul Yasir, Khan Mohammad Tanha, Gul Mohammad Masroor Safi and Falak Sher Falak have contributed articles on various aspects of Ghani’s literary works in the journal.
The credit for publishing this beautiful journal goes to Mohammad Azam Khan, former chief secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and editor of Tatara, who has intention to bring out its next edition on the life and literary contributions of Dr Azam.
Researchers and Ghani Khan’s fans will find this journal a must read.
