‘Mobilising’ literature: Pukhtun literati recall their Muse on conference calls

PESHAWAR:

Writers and poets of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa have moved ahead with the times. Not finding a conducive environment for literary activities, they now hold conference calls to discuss their work and promote Pashto literature and poetry.

Poets, writers and literary enthusiasts alike speak for a few hours every few weeks to discuss various topics pertaining to the art of the written word. They also showcase their work for critical analysis to more experienced wordsmiths, providing new writers a means to learn from their seniors.

Talking to The Express Tribune, the former general secretary of the Hameed Baba Adabi Tolana, Noorul Baser, said that for the last couple of years the number of these calls has experienced a manifold increase, which is a good sign for literature in the region. “There is a lot to learn from these conferences. Nowadays mobile service providers offer cheap packages to their customers, which has made it really easy to arrange a meeting of poets and writers by spending just Rs20 to Rs30,” Baser said.

Baser added that many Pashto words have fallen out of colloquial usage, commonly termed as ‘dead words’. However, classical poetry is a means to keep these words alive that belong to an era of Pakhtun literary greats. Classical pieces of fiction or poetry, to original work recited by participants is discussed in these calls.

“We bring an expert on a particular subject, for example, a linguist who tells us about the meaning of different words used in Khushal’s  (Khushal Khan Khattak) poetry. These gatherings are really informative even for seasoned people like us,” he said, adding that some people write the details of these meetings and put them online. This has created a virtual community of people passionate about Pashto poetry.

Poet Suliman Sayal said that women participate in these meetings too, while writers and poets from Balochistan also take part. “In our society it is very difficult to bring a woman to a literary event, but thanks to these telephonic gatherings many women are also taking parts in literary activities.”

Another local poet, Ibrahim Roman, said that in today’s fast-paced world people seldom take out time for themselves.  “In the past few years the number of literary gatherings have dropped dramatically mainly due to peoples’ fear of being left behind in life if they pause and enjoy a hobby; these meetings on mobile phones are godsend.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 12^th, 2012.