Out of print, out of mind: A great Pashto poet slips through the pages

Khyber Afridi’s work remains unpublished due to lack of finances, official patronage.

PESHAWAR:

He may be one of the most respected poets of his generation, but most of Khyber Afridi’s poetry remains unpublished. Enthusiasts would be hard pressed to find any printed works today as these are quite rare.

From Said to Khyber

The poet was born as Said Ahmed Jan in Jamrud in 1962, later taking Khyber as his pen name. He became one of the most renowned poets from Khyber Agency and was one of the contemporaries of rhymesters Lal Zada Nazir Shinwari, Ameer Hamza Khan Shinwari and Khatir Afridi.

A naturally gifted poet, Khyber Afridi sought the advice of peers such as Amir Zada Nazir and Hamza Baba when writing. It is said Afridi and Nazir would correspondent frequently through letters. Other renowned poets who influenced Khyber’s work were Murad Shinwari, Farooq and Saghir Afridi.

He would often write about social ills plaguing the agency for centuries. One of his famous ghazals, Da Torkham de, da Torkham de, delta har gadam nakaam de’ (This is Torkham, this is Torkham, where there is suffering at every step), was performed by a number of singers.

Erasure

As focus remains on just a handful of poets, many of the greats who contributed to Pashto literature are being forgotten.

“People are forgetting his poetry,” said Adil Reshtan, one of his sons. “The books on his work which were published in his lifetime are also rare and not available to the public.”

Reshtan said locals have shown much love and respect for Khyber, but officials such as the political agent have to ensure that his work is published for the benefit of the readers.

During his lifetime, Khyber published five books, including his prose Garzinda and poetry books Ranra, Pechomi and Drand.

Two works of prose Darugar and Pukhtana Nomuna remain unpublished along with one body of poetry Shaan.

Family love

His unpublished work has been meticulously gathered by his family but they lack the finances to get it printed. Reshtan claims the political agent has promised time and again to help put his father’s poetry into print, but has never delivered.

His son recalled Khyber had a tremendous sense of humour; audiences would be in stitches during his comedy show Jawab Rasan for Radio Pakistan in 1988. Reshtan remembered his father and Khatir Afridi would recite comic verses and each would try to outdo the other while Murad and Nazir Shinwari would egg them on.

Reshtan urged the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa governor and the political agent to help publish the great poet’s work before it completely slips through the cracks of time.

Khyber was also the head of the Khyber Qaumi Pashto Adabi jirga and would moderate poetry sessions at the gathering.

Muqadar Shah Muqadar, a researcher who published a book on the poetry of Khyber Agency, said the poet held a prominent position among Pukhtun writers. He added although Khyber was influenced by classic Pashto literature, he also adopted modern techniques.

“Khyber fulfilled the role of a poet, of someone who guides society,” said Muqadar.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 9^th, 2014.