Monday, April 19, 2010
Peshawar: The three-day annual Urs of the great 17th century Pashto poet Rahman Baba (1653-1711) arranged by the Rahman Baba Adabi Jirga concluded at the poet’s shrine at Hazarkhwani here Sunday.
A large number of poets from all over the province, tribal areas, Balochistan and Afghanistan attended the event. Every year Rahman Baba’s devotees and poets visit his shrine and pay him tributes. He is called the Hafiz Shirazi of Pashto because of his refined and appealing poetry.
The participants demanded early completion of reconstruction work on Rahman Baba’s mausoleum. The three-day annual celebrations started with a seminar at the Iranian Culture Centre on Friday where scholars read out papers on various aspects of the Sufi poet’s life and poetry.
Speakers termed him the messenger of peace and harmony who through his poetry influenced and inspired many generations of Pukhtuns. They said he was perhaps the most relevant Sufi poet today than ever before.
Prof Dawar Khan Daud in his paper titled ‘Rahman Baba the poet of peace’ pointed out that peace was evident in every verse of his poetry drenched in Sufi thoughts standing above the divisions of race, colour and land. He said Rahman Baba was the perpetual fountain of good sense as individualistically inclined Pukhtuns of all age and sex were still unanimous on his literary stature despite a lapse of more than 300 years. He added that Rahman Baba was the most respected, most quoted and most poplar poet among Pukhtuns. “He is revered both in Pukhtun’s Hujra and mosque,” he observed.
Dr Sohail Insha in his research paper, Rahman Baba the poet of humanism, said that probably he was the most relevant Sufi poet today than ever before because he advocated justice, peace and universal brotherhood in his spiritual poetry.
Prof Dr Hanif Khalil threw light on the political consciousness of the legendary poet and said that Rahman Baba was not just a Sufi reclusive but he was well aware of his surrounding as his poetry spotlighted common people’s problems.
Majeedullah Khalil, who presided over the event, maintained that research scholars had not dug out many hidden aspects of Rahman Baba’s poetic art and stressed that substantive research work should be initiated on his personality and creative work so that the young generation could know about the Sufi poet and his literary contributions.
Abdul Sattar Lawaghari, Malik Qasim and a few others also spoke on the occasion. Malik Wazir, president of Rahman Baba Adabi Jirga, told the participants that all the research papers read out at the seminar would be published in an annual journal of the Jirga’s ‘Rahman Puhanah - Understanding Rahman Baba’.
The other important feature was the two-day poetry recital on April 17-18 held at the shrine of Rahman Baba at Hazarkhwani in which 400 prominent Pashto poets from all parts of the province, Fata, Balochistan and Afghanistan. They attended the celebrations and paid glowing poetic tributes to the great mystic.
The four sessions of the poetry recital were held on each day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Poets and Baba’s devotees laid a wreath on Sufi poet’s shrine. With it the Urs came to an end on Sunday. Yousaf Ali Dilsoz conducted the event in a befitting manner.
[ Picture's Source: Wiki ]
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