Peshawar: Internationally known Urdu poet Ahmad Faraz has proposed steps for promotion of Hindko, saying the ancient and sweet language needed basic measures for literary growth.
Presiding over the launching ceremony of Kaali Dhup, a Hindko poetic collection of prominent Urdu/Hindko writer, poet and research scholar late Farigh Bokhari, held here at the Imaam Khomeni Hall of the Iranian Cultural Center by the Gandhara Hindko Board, Peshawar, Faraz suggested that a committee should be constituted by taking literati from Peshawar, Kohat, Hazara and other areas where Hindko was spoken to work for the language in better and organized manners.
He said that there should be more dictionaries and other publications in the language as these were a must for the enrichment of the language.
Responding to the demand from the gathering for composing poetry in his mother tongue - Hindko, Faraz said his native language endeared him, but he could not write in it for lack of practice. However, as a gesture of love for Hindko, he announced that he would award Farigh Bokhari Hindko Adabi Gold Medal to the best research work cundertaken in the Hindko language.
Recalling early days of his life in Peshawar, Faraz said that at that time Peshawar used to be a central place for literary and cultural activities. He emphasized the need for creating cultural awareness by setting up art galleries and libraries in Peshawar, saying we must properly lead our youths and leave better things for our posterities.
About Farigh Bokhari, he said writing was an art and to write with honesty was a great trait found in a few people. “A bold writer cannot bow down by coercions and Farigh was one of those few writers who had this quality”, he opined.
Faraz said Fargh was a brave and courageous writer who never compromised on principles. He recalled the time when Farigh was jailed for writing a poem which the authorities deemed seditious. “Farigh never sought concessions from any one and led a simple life. He was my senior and his house served as an academy for me. Novelists, story writers and professors would flock to his house. All learnt much from him”, Faraz recalled.
Talking of the boldness of late Farigh, he said when he (Faraz) was deprived of job, right to write snatched from him and censorship placed on the Press during the dark Zia era, he decided to go into exile for some time to continue his literary pursuits. “When late Faiz Ahmad Faiz tried to revive the Afro-Asian Congress, I proposed the moot should demand lifting of the ban on writers in Pakistan. It was Farigh who supported my stand, although the late Faiz was opposed to it”, he disclosed.
Chairman of the Gandhara Hindko Board Professor Dr Zahoor Awan said that the struggle and literary achievements of Farigh could not be encompassed in a two or three hours-long sitting, adding his struggle was long and arduous. He said a thesis was being written on Farigh in the Peshawar University, and it would be published soon by the board to highlight the works of a great progressive poet who remained a beacon of hope for others, but suffered a lot throughout his life.
Professor Khatir Ghaznavi said his friendship with Farigh spanned over 55 years. He said Farigh was a symbol of resistance and always struggled against oppression. Khatir read out a poem to pay tributes to Farigh and won acclaim.
Professor Mohsin Ihsan talked of the literary sittings that used to be held at Farigh Bokhari’s residence. “Farigh was an upright man, who always stood for the oppressed,” Mohsin said of the late poet who died on April 13, 1997. He said though Farigh had earned a niche for himself in Urdu literature, yet he wrote in pure Hindko just for the love of his mother language. Mohsin also requested Ahmad Faraz to compose poetry in his mother tongue - Hindko.
Qamar Abbas said his father had devoted his entire life to literature. He said he had written the biography of his late father while he was in jail, and the Hindko poetry of his father had now been published by the Gandhara Hindko Board.
The late Farigh Bokhari was the father of Mr. Zafar Abbas, well known poet and journalist who heads the Urdu Times Bureau in Los Angeles, and is a prominent figure in literary and social circles.