Saturday 18 February 2012

Noted Pashto poet Murad Shinwari passes away



Ashrafuddin Pirzada
 PESHAWAR: Noted Pashto poet and short story writer Murad Shinwari passed away on Saturday after protracted illness. He was 89.

He was the only son of late Amir Hamza Khan Shinwari, Baba-e-Pashto ghazal or the father of Pashto ghazal.

Murad Shinwari was admitted to the Khyber Teaching Hospital almost a month ago after he suffered brain haemorrhage. His body was shifted to Landikotal where he was laid to rest in the afternoon.

A large number of people including poets, writers, tribal elders and political administration officials attended his Namaz-e-Janaza.

Murad Shinwari was born in 1928 in Landikotal and he was just one year old when his mother died. He received his early education at the Government High School No 1 Peshawar, and passed the middle standard examination from there.

Murad Shinwari took up a job with Rahat Zakheli, a prominent Pashto writer, as an assistant editor of ‘Afghan’, a representative newspaper of Pakhtuns at that time.

Around this time, he wrote Palwashay, a collection of Pashto short stories, which unfortunately is not available in the market. It earned him appreciation and gave him a prestigious place as a fiction writer.

His thirst for further education took him once again to seek employment in the Khyber Rifles as an instructor.

Later he was sent to the Army School of Education, Murree, where he received the necessary army training and passed all the Education Corps examinations with distinction and was awarded the degree of B.T by the University of Punjab. He did his master’s in Pashto literature as a private candidate from the University of Peshawar and received gold medal for his outstanding performance.

Murad Shinwari joined the Pashto Academy in 1958 as a librarian and also worked as lexicographer and translator.

Mohammad Wali Babar, a resident of Nangarhar in Afghanistan and newscaster of the then All India Radio at Peshawar, was the main source of inspiration for moulding the progressive ideas of Murad Shinwari.

Wali Babar introduced him to many literary giants of the time and would often bring him literary magazines, books and newspaper clippings with articles on progressive literature and trends.

In 1958, he compiled ‘Da Khyber Adab’, an anthology of 41 Pashto poets containing critical commentary and a brief introduction of each poet. After developing differences with Maulana Abdul Qadir, the founder director of Pashto Academy, Murad Shinwari switched over to the Radio Pakistan Peshawar as a staff artiste. He wrote some memorable features like Hujra and Maraka highlighting social evils and also penned a few dramas.

Murad Shinwari’s famous poems Daulat Kaka, Khyber, Tatara, Rahman Baba, Dost Mohammad Kamil, Hamza Baba, Khatir Afridi and Shaheed Ta Khitab are considered by critics as sublime, creative and reflective of his literary talent.

The literary stature of his legendary father could not eclipse his unique style and he emerged as an innovative poet, fiction writer, journalist, and critic.

He also wrote dialogues, scenarios and songs for more than 100 films including the hits Urbal, Bangree Au Hatkarray, Juram Auo Saza, Naway Da Yawe Shpey, and Multan Khan Afridi.

He directed and scored music for some of these films. However, he quit the world of Pashto movies forever when some vested interests tried to present a distorted image of the Pakhtun culture.

Murad Shinwari used to contribute his poetry and articles to different social, political and literary magazines such as Laar, Qand, Szuand, Pakhto and Ghuncha and also Pashto newspapers Hewad and Wahdat.

He retired from the Radio Pakistan Peshawar in 1989. His poetry collection titled ‘Ayena’ was published a day before his death under the auspices of the ‘Pak Amaraat Adabi Tolana’.

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