Dr Sher Zaman Taizi (1931 to 2009): A quiet revolution in ink

Taizi was known for the prolific nature of his work and his love for the Pashto language.

PESHAWAR/ KARACHI:

Writer, intellectual and researcher, Dr Sher Zaman Taizi was known not just for his penmanship, but also for the prolific nature of his work and his love for the Pashto language. The Pabbi born writer’s novels, blank verse, rhymed verse, short stories and academic documents come together in the published form under 32 titles in Pashto and English. Other work took the less formal arrangement of literary reviews and articles, published in both languages.

Born on November 3, 1931, Taizi was respected and lauded for his work during his lifetime, but after his death on December 22, 2009, the writer faces the threat of being pushed into literary oblivion by mere neglect and passage of time. He was even awarded a Tamgha-e-Imtiaz in the April of the year in which he died. Since then, not much ado has been made about the Pukhtun poet even though he fought hard with his pen to promote the language and the people it takes life from. The adabi jirga (literary society) which he presided over, the Kamil Pakhto Adabi Jirga, and the provincial government were unable commemorate his birthday with a single event.

The long and short of it

Many consider Taizi or Ghumjan—the nom de plume he used in the earlier days—to be among the first Pashto novelists. “When he began writing novels, the form was just an emerging trend in Pashto literature,” said the late Dr Muhammad Azam Azam about Taizi.  Azam was quoted by Khurshid Iqbal Khattak in Dr Sher Zaman Taizi, a biography. Azam had said Taizi’s name was third on the list of great Pashto novelists, Shahibzada Idrees and Syed Rasul Rasa.

Taizi’s first novel, Gul Khan was well-received and is still taught in bachelor’s courses in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P). In the preface he wrote for Gul Khan, his contemporary Professor Pareshan Khattak compared the novel with the work of Leo Tolstoy and Charles Dickens. The fictional work was not just lauded for its emphatic resonance with the highs and lows of Pukhtun culture but also for the beauty in its form.

“Gul Khan effectively highlights the truth of Pakhtunkhwali, its beauty and its wrongs, and draws a clear line between educated and illiterate Pukhtuns,” said Khurshid Iqbal in one of his works, which focused on the life and work of Taizi.

His second novel also gained almost immediate recognition, rated as a masterpiece by those who appreciated his leftist ideology. According to Khurshid Iqbal, Amanat speaks of building a revolutionary society where peace and prosperity prevail, in both social and political spectrums, without classism. Other famous novels include Rahman Korona, which weaves a tale from tribal feudalism, however, the plot transplants the story to the more urban bourgeoisie. Rahman Korona weaves a thrilling story, full of dramatic elements.

Not limited to overtly leftist or bright and shiny suspense novels, Taizi’s books also cover some satire and darker issues. Especially considering Ghunday  and Wadah o Nasho or The marriage that did not take place.

The shortest short

Taizi’s short stories were published in different periodicals and dailies and were compiled in Sheplai. The book is considered to showcase one of the shortest stories recorded in Pashto literature, a three-sentence long story called The field.

“Sultana Bacha was killed. Mir Bacha was sentenced for life. And the field over which the two brothers were fighting over was usurped by others.”

The field might be the shortest and briefest of stories but it succinctly puts down one of the longest-running tragedies repeated in every second Pukhtun household.

When prose comes to verse, Taizi’s Warsho (1981) and Soma (1984) encapsulate his more personal side but is not tied down by direct reflections. His verses touch on the tragedy of Karbala, social inequity, the beauty of spring and romance.

His poem 1857, Taizi lies open the War of Independence with his progressive scalpel. Sala (counsel) chews out Pukhtuns who do not love their language or culture.

The former chair of the Pashto Academy in the city, Professor Mohammad Tair, said in an earlier interview with Radio Pakistan, “He is not only a good poet and of the conventional nazam; his blank verse is forceful, worthwhile and almost tasty, thanks to his choice of subject matter and depth of thinking. He added, “Taizi is inclined towards reformation and mysticism; his every nazam has a particular objective.”

“Taizi contended only a literate society can be peaceful and prosperous because such people could understand each other, their mutual problems and would be able to devise solutions,” said Khurshid Iqbal.

The writer’s focus on the Pukhtun intellect and culture was not appreciated by just his local peers. He made an impact which crossed continents. Damon Lynch, a cultural anthropologist and photographer from New Zealand found more in common in the scholar from Pabbi than many who surrounded him on a daily basis. Lynch told The Express Tribune via email, “I first met Dr Sher Zaman Taizi through our shared admiration of the great Bacha Khan. We soon formed a bond because of our love of intellectual and cultural life.”

Lynch, whose website also talks about his being inspired by Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, added, “[Taizi] candidly shared his insights with me. When I wrote a small essay in which I contrasted a section of his views on morality with those of Samar Minallah Khan, he immediately agreed to having it published, despite the fact that he knew my sympathies were more aligned with Samar’s views in this instance. I always admired his fearless and generous spirit. He remains an inspiration to me to this day.”

Taizi completed his PhD from University of Peshawar’s Area Study Centre, writing his thesis on the Saur Revolution of 1978.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 4^th, 2014.