Abdul Ghani Khan
Khan Abdul Ghani Khan (Pashto: خان عبدالغني خان; c. 1914 – 15 March 1996) was a Pashtun Pashto language philosopher, poet, artist, writer and politician. He was a son of Abdul Ghaffar Khan, a prominent British Raj-era independence activist. Throughout his life as a poet in both British India and Pakistan, Khan was known by the titles Lewanay Pālsapay (لېونی فلسفي, 'Mad Philosopher') and Da īlam Samander (د علم سمندر, 'Ocean of Knowledge').
Abdul Ghani Khan
عبدالغني خان
عبدالغني خان
c. 1914
Hashtnagar, North-West Frontier Province, British India
(present-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan)
15 March 1996 (aged 81–82)
Charsadda, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan
(present-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan)
- غني (lit. 'Ghani')
British Indian
(1914–1947)
Pakistani
(1947–1996)
- Da Panjre Chaghar
- Panoos
- The Pathans
- Da Ghani Latoon
- Kuliat-e-Ghani
Sitara-i-Imtiaz (1980)
Abdul Ghaffar Khan (father)
- Abdul Wali Khan (brother)
- Abdul Ali Khan (brother)
Works[edit]
Aside from a few poems of his youth and early manhood, Ghani Khan's poetry, like his temperament, is anti-political. His poem collections include Panoos, Palwashay, De Panjray Chaghar, Kullyat and Latoon. He also wrote in English; his first book was The Pathans (1947). His only published work in Urdu was his book titled Khan Sahib (1994).
The singular distinction of his poetry – aside from his obvious poetic genius – is a profound blend of knowledge about his native and foreign cultures, and the psychological, sensual, and religious aspects of life.[4][5]
A translation (Pashto to English) of selected 141 poems of Ghani Khan, called The Pilgrim of Beauty, has been authored by Imtiaz Ahmad Sahibzada, a friend and admirer of the poet. The book was printed in 2014 in Islamabad, Pakistan. It is a joint initiative by individual donors in Pakistan and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, Afghanistan. The book also contains paintings of Ghani Khan. The Pakistan launch of the book took place in the Afghanistan-Pakistan Pukhtun Festival, in March 2015. The Afghanistan launch took place on 22 February 2016 by the Ministry of Information and Culture.In 1982, At Edwards College Peshawar, Quaid Muhammad Khan(President Of Pushto Literature) familiarized Ghani Khan with Sardar Ali Takkar so that he could be able to read Ghani Khan ghazals with some music at the background (Modern Day Tappy).
Ghani Khan's love for nature and the local habitat of the Pashtun people is visible in his work. He wrote
Ghani khan poetry
څوک دې ماته وُوائي
څه رنګې شیدا شي څوک؟
څوک چې چاته وُخاندي
ولې پۀ خندا شي څوک؟
ستوري د غره څوکې تۀ
غلي شان بېګا وُوې
مینې پۀ ژړا وُوې
حسن پۀ خندا وُوې
Tribute[edit]
Abdul Ghani Khan died on 15 March 1996 and was buried in Utmanzai, Charsadda.[6] After his death, in recognition of his outstanding achievements, the Government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province built a public library and park as a memorial to him on about 8 acres (32,000 m2) of land, naming it "Ghani Derai" (the mound of Ghani). The site is a historical mound very near his home, Dar- ul-Aman, and within the confines of his ancestral village, Utmanzai, on the main highway from Razzar to Takht-i-Bhai.