Abdul Ghani Khan
Ghani Khan (1914-1996) is widely considered the best Pashto language poet of the 20th century and stands on a par with Khushal Khan Khattak and Rehman Baba.
Life
He was born in Hashtnagar, Pakistan, the son of the Red-Shirt Leader Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, aka Bacha Khan and The Frontier Gandhi. His wife Roshan came from a Parsi family and was the daughter of Nawab Rustam Jang. He went to study at Rabindranath Tagore’s Shanti Niketan Art Academy and developed a liking for painting and sculpture. He visited England and studied sugar technology in the United States, after which he returned to Pakistan 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 Pathans of NWFP. 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.
Works
Aside from a few poems of his youth and early manhood, Ghani Khan’s poetry, like his temperament, is anti-political. His other poem collections include Panoos and Palwashay. He also wrote in English; his first book was The Pathans (1947).
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.
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External links
- Ghani Khan - interviews, images, and poems