Ghani Khan
Encyclopedia
Ghani Khan (1996-1914) is widely considered as one of the best Pashto language
poets of the 20th century, along with Ameer Hamza Shinwari
. He stands on a par with Khushal Khan Khattak
and Rahman Baba
. He was also a respected writer and artist. He was son of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
and older brother of Khan Abdul Wali Khan.
, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (then NWFP), British India, modern day Charsadda, Village Utmanzai, Pakistan, the son of the Red-Shirt
Leader Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
and older brother of Khan Abdul Wali Khan. His wife Roshan came from a Parsi family and was the daughter of Nawab Rustam Jang. He went to study at the art academy at Rabindranath Tagore
’s university in Shantiniketan and developed a liking for painting and sculpture. He visited England and studied sugar technology in the United States, after which he returned to India and started working at the Takht Bhai Sugar Mills in 1933. Largely owing to his father’s influence, he was also involved in politics, supporting the cause of the Pashtuns of British India. He was arrested by the Government of Pakistan in 1948 – although he had given up politics by then – and remained in prison till 1954, in various jails all over the country. It was during these years that he wrote his poem collection Da Panjray Chaghaar, which he considered the best work of his life. His contribution to literature (often unpublished) was ignored by the Pakistan government for much of his life although near the end of his life his works did receive much praise and as well as an award from the Government of Pakistan. For his contributions to Pukhto literature and painting, the President of Pakistan, General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, conferred on him the prestigious award of Sitara-e-Imtiaz (23 March 1980).
The singular distinction of his poetry – aside from his obvious poetic genius – is a profound blend of knowledge about his native and foreign cultures, and the psychological, sensual, and religious aspects of life.
Pashto language
Pashto , known as Afghani in Persian and Pathani in Punjabi , is the native language of the indigenous Pashtun people or Afghan people who are found primarily between an area south of the Amu Darya in Afghanistan and...
poets of the 20th century, along with Ameer Hamza Shinwari
Ameer Hamza Shinwari
Ameer Hamza Shinwari , born in Landi Kotal in the year 1907 and died in February 1994, was a famous Pashtun poet. He Belonged to the Shinwari tribe of the ethnic Pashtuns. Ameer Hamza's work is considered a fusion between classic and modern poetry...
. He stands on a par with Khushal Khan Khattak
Khushal Khan Khattak
Khushal Khan Khattak was a prominent Pashtun malik, poet, warrior,A charismatic personality and tribal chief of the Khattak tribe. He wrote a huge collection of Pashto poems during the Mughal Empire in the 17th century, and admonished Pashtuns to forsake their divisive tendencies and unite...
and Rahman Baba
Rahman Baba
Abdul Rahman Baba is popularly known as Rahman Baba , was a Pashtun Muslim poet from Peshawar in modern-day Pakistan who remains the most popular poet among the Pashtuns...
. He was also a respected writer and artist. He was son of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan was an Afghan, Pashtun political and spiritual leader known for his non-violent opposition to British Rule in India...
and older brother of Khan Abdul Wali Khan.
Life
Khan Abdul Ghani Khan was born in HashtnagarHashtnagar
Hashtnagar is one of the two parts of Charsadda District in khyber pakhtunkhwa Pakistan. This area of Charsadda was for a long time known as Hashtnagar, the reformed name for the Persian word hasht meaning eight, and the Sanskrit root word "nagar" meaning town, thus meaning "Eight Towns",...
, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (then NWFP), British India, modern day Charsadda, Village Utmanzai, Pakistan, the son of the Red-Shirt
Khudai Khidmatgar
Khudai Khidmatgar literally translates as the servants of God, represented a non-violent freedom struggle against the British Empire by the Pashtuns of the North-West Frontier Province....
Leader Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan was an Afghan, Pashtun political and spiritual leader known for his non-violent opposition to British Rule in India...
and older brother of Khan Abdul Wali Khan. His wife Roshan came from a Parsi family and was the daughter of Nawab Rustam Jang. He went to study at the art academy at Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
’s university in Shantiniketan and developed a liking for painting and sculpture. He visited England and studied sugar technology in the United States, after which he returned to India and started working at the Takht Bhai Sugar Mills in 1933. Largely owing to his father’s influence, he was also involved in politics, supporting the cause of the Pashtuns of British India. He was arrested by the Government of Pakistan in 1948 – although he had given up politics by then – and remained in prison till 1954, in various jails all over the country. It was during these years that he wrote his poem collection Da Panjray Chaghaar, which he considered the best work of his life. His contribution to literature (often unpublished) was ignored by the Pakistan government for much of his life although near the end of his life his works did receive much praise and as well as an award from the Government of Pakistan. For his contributions to Pukhto literature and painting, the President of Pakistan, General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, conferred on him the prestigious award of Sitara-e-Imtiaz (23 March 1980).
Works
Aside from a few poems of his youth and early manhood, Ghani Khan’s poetry, like his temperament, is anti-political. His poem collections include Panoos, Palwashay, De Panjray Chaghar, Kullryat and Latoon. He also wrote in English; his first book was The Pathans (1947). His only published work in Urdu was his book titled Khan Sahib (1994).The singular distinction of his poetry – aside from his obvious poetic genius – is a profound blend of knowledge about his native and foreign cultures, and the psychological, sensual, and religious aspects of life.
Quotes & Prose
Ghani Khan's love for nature and the local habitat of the Pashtun people is visible in his work. He wrote- "Pashtun is not merely a race but, in fact, a state of mind; there is a Pashtun lying inside every man, who at times wakes up and overpowers him."
- "The Pashtuns are a rain-sown wheat: they all came up on the same day; they are all the same. But the chief reason why I love a Pashtun is that he will wash his face and oil his beard and perfume his locks and put on his best pair of clothes when he goes out to fight and die."
- As a progressive and intellectual writer, he wrote, "I want to see my people educated and enlightened. A people with a vision and a strong sense of justice, who can carve out a future for themselves in harmony with nature."
Tribute
After his death, in recognition of his outstanding achievements, the Government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province built a public li and park as a memorial to him on about 8 acres (32,374.9 m²) of land, naming it "Ghani Derai" (the mound of Ghani). The site is an historical mound very near his home, Dar- ul-Aman, and within the confines of his ancestral village, Utmanzai, on the main highway from Razzar to Takht-i-Bhai.See also
- Khan Abdul Bahram KhanKhan Abdul Bahram KhanKhan Abdul Bahram Khan was founder of major political family of Pakistan. Khan Abdul Bahram Khan's sons Khan Abdul Jabbar Khan Khan Abdul Bahram Khan was founder of major political family of Pakistan. Khan Abdul Bahram Khan's sons Khan Abdul Jabbar Khan Khan Abdul Bahram Khan was founder of...
- Khan Abdul Ghaffar KhanKhan Abdul Ghaffar KhanKhan Abdul Ghaffar Khan was an Afghan, Pashtun political and spiritual leader known for his non-violent opposition to British Rule in India...
- Khan Abdul Wali Khan
- Bahram Khan FamilyBahram Khan FamilyBahram Khan Family is a major political family from Charsadda, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.- Family tree :The members of Bahram Khan family in politics:* Khan Abdul Bahram Khan, the founder of the family...
- Khan Abdul Ali KhanKhan Abdul Ali KhanKhan Abdul Ali Khan , noted educationist, Oxford University alumni, former Principal of Islamia College Peshawar, Fazle Haq College Mardan, Aitchison College, former Vice Chancellor of Peshawar University, Gomal University and former education secretary.Born in a political family, Abdul Ali Khan...
External links
- Ghani Khan - interviews, images, and poems
- Harappa - Audio and video interviews
- Ghani Khan - The Man in the Poet
- Ghani Khan - Poetry