Khan Baba, Ghani: The Mad Philosopher

Abdul Ghani Khan Baba:

(1914-1996)

Ghani baba was born in Hashtnagar in Frontier tribal areas of British India (probably now the Charsadda district of  KPK) in 1914. He was the son of Indian independence activist the time of British era, The leader of Awami National Party Abdul Ghaffar khan aka Bacha Khan. His wife Roshan belonged from a Parsi family, daughter of Nawab Rustam Jang. This couple had three children Shanadana and Zareen daughters and son, Faridun. He is widely considered to be the best Pashto poet of the 20th century and stands on a par with Kaushal khan Khattak and Rehman Baba. Apart from that he was politician, philosopher, writer, and artist. He was often praised by the titles of  Lewanay Palaspay (i.e.: Mad Philosopher) and Da Ilm Samandar (i.e. Ocean of Knowledge).

In his early age, he went to study art at Rabindranath Tagore's University in Shanti Niketan, where he build interest in painting and sculptures. In 1933 after he came back from England where he studied sugar technology, he started working in Takht Bhai Sugar mills. Later, he started taking interest in politics and supported the rights of Pashtuns, due to which he also got arrested in 1948 by the Government of Pakistan though he had left politics by then. He remained in prision for more than 6 years till 1954.

It was his imprisonment when he started to write poetry collection DA Panjraay Chaghar, which he said to be the best poetry of his. Apart from a few poems of his youth and early manhood, Ghani's poetry like his temperament, is anti political. His other poems are Panoos, Palwashay, Kullyat, and Latoon. Not only poetry but, he  also wrote a book, The Pathans a short book in English, which was published in 1958. The only published work he wrote in Urdu was a book titled  Khan Sahib published in 1994. His friend and admirer Imtiaz Ahmed Sahib Zada translated his 141 selected poems from Pashto to English, known as The Pilgrim of Beauty. This book contains his  paintings too, published in 2014 in Islamabad. 

During most of his lifetime his works on literature remained un praised and not very famous. But in the later years of his life he received very much acknowledgement and praise. He was awarded Sitara-e-Imtiaz by the then president of Pakistan in 23rd march 1980 for his contribution to Pashto literature and paintings. He passed away on 15, March 1996 in Charsadda. In hi memory KPK's Government built a public library and a memorial park, named it "Ghani Derai".

                                                                ستړې سترګې مې کړې پټې یا اللّٰه

                                                            زما خوښه نــه ده ستا   وړه   دنيا!

Translation:                     I closed my tired eyes or Allah

                                              I don't like your little world!

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