Selected works of Hindko language poets translated into Urdu

PESHAWAR: The Gandhara Hindko Academy has translated the selected work of the Hindko language poets into Urdu to take the poetry to a wider readership.

The 111-page book is titled “Chiragh-e-Sukhan (The Speech Lamp).

Ali Awais Khyal, a young research associate at the academy, has rendered the translation. He has chosen six noted poets for the work.

The poets whose Hindko language “Harfis” (couplets) have been translated are Raza Hamdani, Ghulam Rasool Ghail, Agha Muhammad Josh, Abdur Rasheed Taj, Khwaja Muhammad Yaqoob Akhtar and Syed Saeed Gilani.

In the preface to the publication, the author says “Harfi” is the life and soul of the Hindko literature. “No doubt Hindko old literature had Charbeta, Mahya and Geet, but “Hafri” genre has always enjoyed the highest place in the Hindko language literature. “Ghazal” (sonnet), “Nazm” (poem) and other genres entered the Hindko literature at a later stage. But “Harfi” was there long before anything else,” he has opined in the preface to the book.

The author says the Hindko classic poetry reached us through the oral traditions. “This is why we don’t have to turn to the books and libraries to research on our classic poets. We have to look for those who have preserved such work on their minds. But alas such people, too, are now becoming a rarity,” he argues.

Ali Awais says he undertook the translation project after encouraged by a noted Hindko writer, poet and research scholar, Muhammad Ziauddin who wanted the Hindko poetry translated into poetic Urdu to have a wider readership for the language.

“I readily accepted the idea as I had already collected the “Harfis” of the classic poets. First I thought I should translate this work into Urdu myself but later changed my mind. I requested a senior poet and lyricist, Syed Saeed Gilani, for the task who agreed. The Gandhara Hindko Academy published the work which was captioned “Virsa” (Heritage). I opted for the work of those poets who are considered a bridge between the classic and modern Hindko poetry,” recalls Ali Awais.

Director of Gandhara Hindko Academy, Dr Zaffar Iqbal, in his impressions, has termed the poeticized translation an achievement of the young writer.

He believes translating Hindko into Urdu and other Pakistani languages will expand the various dimensions of the language, adding Ali Awais has shown the way to other young poets and writers.

Distinguished Hindko language writer, poet and research scholar, Muhammad Ziauddin, in the foreword to the book, says the Hindko language poetry thrived in the past. “Even those poets who did not have a formal education would compose poetry as per set standards and select great topics. “But lamentably this literary work was not transferred to the next generations in the written form as there were no official institutions required for the purpose. The Gandhara Hindko Academy is now preserving such work of immense literary value. This book is a step in that direction,” he points out.

Sheen Shaukat, General Secretary of the Pakistan Writers Guild, sees the book as a good resource material for the students of the Hindko language and literature. He says a group of relatively young Hindko writers headed by Syed Farigh Bukhari came forward almost 60 years back to promote other genres in the Hindko poetry such as “Ghazal”, “Qitaa” (limerick) and “Nazam” (poem). He has also mentioned “Naviaan Rahwaan” (The New Ways), a book published in the year 1964 which had the poetry of the contemporary Hindko poets. The literatus has focused on the etymology of “Harfi” and dwelt at terms such as “Sey Harfi”, etc. He has compared “Harfi” with genres of other sister languages only to find similarities.

Saeed Paaris says Raza Hamdani and Farigh Bukhari duo did a great service to Pashto by translating the language literature into Urdu which later proved to be a milestone.

He has remembered a late scholar, Prof Dr Zahoor Ahmad Awan, for the

quality translation and is all-praise for Ali Awais for treading the path of the literary giants.

It may be mentioned here that Hindko is among the nine officially recognised languages of Pakistan, others being Urdu, Punjabi, Pashto, Sindhi, Balochi, Saraiki, Kashmiri and Brahvi.

Gandhara Hindko Board has been working for preservation and promotion of Hindko language since its launch in 1993 while the Gandhara Hindko Academy, which it runs, became functional in 2015.