Transitions: Revolutionary poet Shamsul Qamar Andesh passes away

Andesh was one of the founding members of OIasee Adabi Tolana Mardan.


Hidayat Khan March 09, 2015
Andesh was one of the founding members of OIasee Adabi Tolana Mardan. PHOTO COURTESY: AMJAD SAJJAD

PESHAWAR:


Beloved Pashto poet, writer and intellectual Shamsul Qamar Andesh passed away on Sunday night in his native village of Mayar in Mardan district.


Popularly known among his admirers as Andesh Baba, he was one of the founding members of the OIasee Adabi Tolana Mardan, and a revolutionary poet who rendered an immense contribution to Pashto literature.

Andesh’s death is arguably the greatest loss to Pashto prose and literature since the death of celebrated poet Ikramullah Gran and writer Qamar Rahi.

Most of Andesh’s oeuvre is unpublished; the only book he managed to publish in his lifetime was Fakhr-e-Afghan, to pay tribute to Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, prominently known as Bacha Khan.

The late poet was also conferred the award of best poet of the country by Pakistan Television (PTV).

Andesh loved his language and he regretted Pukhtuns’ lack of interest in reading and appreciating Pashto writings and poetry. According to Hasan Hasas, a poet who spent a lot of time with Andesh, when he once questioned why the poet did not publish his work, Andesh replied, “Find me Pashto book readers and I will.”

“Andesh Baba loved Pashto and always struggled for its preservation and inclusion in the syllabus,” said Hasas. Andesh was born in 1933 in Mayar and was a graduate from Punjab University; he ran a popular medical store in Mardan.

His father was closely associated with Bacha Khan’s Khudai Khidmatgar Movement, therefore, Andesh was deeply impressed with it, and remained associated with it till the end of his life.

“He believed in objective writing with the purpose of providing guidance to the people,” said Zahid Buneri, who runs a Pukhtun e-magazine Khyber Watch and interviewed Andesh for it.

Buneri added most of Pashto poets cannot publish their work due to lack of financial resources. Andesh was laid to rest in his ancestral village. He leaves behind two daughters and thousands of admirers.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 10th, 2015.

COMMENTS (1)

roarwali | 9 years ago | Reply May Allah rest his soul in peace!
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