Transitions: Peshawar’s literary treasure dies at 85

Professor Taha Khan has immense contribution to Urdu and Pashto literature.

PESHAWAR:

Professor Dr Taha Khan’s absence will be felt in Urdu and Pashto literature for years to come.

Khan, a renowned poet, satirist and academician, left behind a widow, seven children and a vast bank of literary work. He died on Sunday at the age of 85.

Born in Lucknow in 1923, Professor Khan moved to Pakistan after partition and visited India only once in his lifetime in 1951. Khan completed his education in Pakistan, pursuing higher education in Persian Literature.

In Lucknow, he studied poetry under the tutelage of great Urdu poets Maulana Hasrat Mohani and Maulana Abdul Majid Dariabadi.

The professor was associated with Edwardes College and St. Mary’s Cambridge School as a teacher for nearly 38 years. He also taught Linguistics and Persian at the University of Peshawar for several years.

Khan rendered great services to Urdu and Pashto literature and was awarded the prestigious Pride of Performance Award by President Asif Ali Zardari in 2008.

Literary contribution

Though most of his works are in Urdu, his contribution to Pashto literature will remain etched in people’s minds. Perhaps, Khan’s most exceptional contributions to literature are his translations of Dewan e Rahman Baba and Dewan e Khushal Khan Khattak, the works of great mystic Pashto poets Rahman Baba and Khushal Khan Khattak, into Urdu.  The translations earned him a tremendous amount of respect and appreciation from all walks of life.

His sarcastic and witty writings that became popular with Gul Pasha gained more appreciation when he began contributing two Urdu verses to the Daily Mashriq, which were published daily in the newspaper’s editorial pages.

Explaining the proper use of Urdu, Pashto and Persian languages, Khan also published a book titled ‘Bunyadi Urdu’ (Basic Urdu) with the aim to standardise the use of these languages. The book comprises chapters on grammar, correct use of words and various other aspects of these languages to effectively use them.

Khan has also penned 150 Urdu songs which were composed on Pashto tunes and performed by famous singers across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

In 1988, the professor lost his eyesight, but refused to surrender to this handicap and continued to enrich literature and poetry, before breathing his last on Sunday.

Nasir Ali Sayed, a renowned literary figure from Peshawar said, “He (Khan) leaves a huge literary vacuum behind that may never be filled. Such God-gifted writers are rare.”

Published in The Express Tribune, August 27^th, 2013.