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Glimpses of Revolutionary Romanticism in Pashtu Literature

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Glimpses of Revolutionary Romanticism in Pashtu Literature Fazal-ur-Rahim Marwat, PhD* Glimpses of Revolutionary Romanticism in Pashtu Literature ABSTRACT Pakhtun nationalism, with its dual goal of freedom and development, was the hallmark of Pakhtun/Afghan political thinking at the turn of the century in various forms, associations and institutions like Maktaba-i-Habibia, Maktaba-i-Herbiya Kabul and Islamia College and Edwards College Peshawar. A nationalist literary movement emerged advocating reassessment of the role of poets, writers and intellectuals in the society. The movement is seen to have worked on the adaptation of old literary forms to new circumstances and audiences. Along with other literary forms, poetry was consciously employed to promote social and political goals. In this paper, an attempt is made to highlight briefly the genesis of traits and trends of revolutionary romanticism in Pashtu literature and its major contours in the geopolitical-economic context of the entire Pakhtunkhwa. It also explores how Pashtu language and literature were born and bred in the womb of nationalist movements with various ideological cross-currents in pre-partition. The paper mainly explores how Pakhtun nationalist movements in India pushed towards revolutionary romanticism on both sides of the Durand Line. * Vice Chancellor, Bacha Khan University, Charsadda, Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities: Volume 23, Number 1, Spring 2015 Keywords: Revolutionary, Romanticism, Bacha Khan, Pakhtunkhwa, Pakhtun, Hijrat Introduction nglo-Russian rivalry for supremacy in the area, their intrigues and advances at the turn of the 20th century, A the ties between religion, nationalism and centralized state power took strong roots in the new form of resistance to imperialism. The British neglected NWFP (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and tribal area. Amidst Britain’s strategic bonanza for this entire region, this area was intentionally governed through ‘Special Ordinances’ and Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR). Instead of political, economic and social reforms, the British authorities tried to indulge in their secret mechanization to control the masses through their own paid agents in the form of official titles, jirgas and secret funds to Mullahs, Maliks and Khans.1 But this prevailing status quo and isolation was broken by (a) the arrival of Indian revolutionaries in Peshawar, tribal area and Kabul along with anti-British literature, (b) the anti-British activities of famous Turko-German mission based in Kabul2 but above all the Russian Revolution of 1917, which played the same role in Asia as the French Revolution (1789) in Europe. The French Revolution jolted almost all European countries with drastic effects on socio-economic and political life of the common people. It brought with it the promise of a brighter day, the promise of regenerated man and regenerated earth. It was hailed with joy and acclamation by the oppressed, by the ardent lovers of humanity, by the poets, whose task it is to voice the human spirit.”3 Triggered by the revolutionary spirit, the writers of the time were full of 2 Fazal-ur-Rahim Marwat creative ideas and were waiting for a chance to unleash them. The focus was now no more palace, aristocracy and clergy but workers, laborers and peasants. All eminent English revolutionary romantic poets and writers like Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Keats and Shelley had supported the French Revolution and the cause of oppressed classes. The Russian Revolution of 1917 deeply affected, directly or indirectly, the Central Asian Khanates (Khokand, Khiva and Bukhara), Afghanistan, British India, China, Iran, and Turkey. The Marxist- Leninists ideas came to lower Pakhtunkhwa and Afghanistan (upper Pakhtunkhwa) in different forms and from different places and here they mingled with another stream, nationalism, Pan-Islamism, identity – sometimes supporting it, sometimes opposing it. The minds of men and movements in the area were caught up in this emotional surge; triumphant Bolshevik Russia was received favorably and looked up to as a new liberating force.4 The Ghadr Party (Rebel Party), the Chamerkandi Mujahideen, the Indian nationalist revolutionaries based in Kabul and Tashkent, the Hijrat Movement5 and Bacha Khan (Abdul Ghaffar Khan)'s Anjuman-i-Islahul-Afaghana (Society for reformation of Afghans), the Khudai-Khidmagar and his Pashtu journal the “Pakhtun”6 also played a leading role in preparing the ground for new literary thoughts and genre. Pre-Partition (1910-1946) Literary Trends: With the arrival of British in the Indian subcontinent and Russian advances in Central Asia, some of the Europeans and Orientalists translated Pashtu literary works into English while some of them translated Persian and the works of indigence 3 Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities: Volume 23, Number 1, Spring 2015 writers in to Russian for their own imperialistic and administrative designs in the entire Pakhtunkhwa and Central Asia Khanates. During this period, the works of the literary triumvirate or Ahmad trio gained tremendous eminence: Mir Ahmad Shah Rizwani (1860-1934) of Akber Pora, Noweshera , Maulvi Ahmad (1845-1883) of Tangi, Charsadda and Munshi Ahmad Jan (1883-1951) (Bannu), on the learning of the Pashtu language and literature as well as the translations into Pashtu of Maulana Altaf Hussain Hali’s Musadas and Ibni Batuta’s travelogue. Mian Hasib Gul Kakakhel translated Deputy Nazir Ahmad’s (1830–1912) novel Miratul Urus into Pashtu and his another work Taubat-un-Nasuh (Sincere Repentance) (1873) was translated by Mian Muhammad Yousof into Pashtu in 1905. Some Urdu newspapers like Abul Kalam Azad’s Alhilal and Alblagh and Maulan Zafar Ali Khan’s Zamindar were also very popular in NWFP.7 All these translations from Urdu writers opened new vistas of knowledge. The geo -political interests of the imperialist and Orientalists and their “love and Hate” paranoia towards Pakhtuns/Afghans resurrected in the new form of cultural and literary trends on both sides of the Durand Line. In Pashtu literature modernization, revolutionary romanticism was not an abrupt or sudden change or break with the past but it was rather continuation and development under the broader umbrella of socioeconomic and political cross currents in the region. Peshawar and Kabul and to some extent Kandahar and Quetta played a leading role in the progress and development of all genres of Pashtu literature. Some hallmarks of the revolutionary romantic literature depicted deep imaginations and emotions, change and revolt, forward movement, bright future and above all challenge to the status quo. The modern 4 Fazal-ur-Rahim Marwat revolutionary romanticism made an attempt to highlight the problems of the oppressed and common man in simple words. The message would be progressive and not necessarily visible but may be indirect or painted/adorned in mythical or philosophical jargon. The first bold steps were taken by Syed Rahat Zakheli (1884-1963), who was another important harbinger of modern Pashtu literature after the Ahmad trio and others. He took the opportunity to introduce different genres, e.g. novel, short story etc. to Pashtu for laying down concrete foundation for Pashtu language and literature. "Quite fortunately, the renaissance movement successfully inculcated protectionist and modernist tendencies which produced exceptionally intelligent and bold writers with new outlook". Zakheli translated some of Dr. Iqbal’s poems into Pashtu8 and started first Pashtu weekly newspaper “Afghan” in 1910/11. He has to his credit first novel “Marukh” in 1912 and also wrote first short story “Kunda Jeeni” in 1917. This new trend in short stories and fiction in Pashtu was also owned by Master Abdul Karim by writing Yatem Akhter (Eid of Orphan) and others. M. Karim was also inspired by Munshi Prem Chand and Tolstoy.9 The revolutionary romantic echo’ is visible in Zakheli following verses: O, my magician/wizard son! to bring here a revolution, the best way is You must paint the picture of the sad sufferers in your pleasant and sweet poetic words. Then improve its beauty and pleasantness with the sadness of your heart’s blood. 5 Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities: Volume 23, Number 1, Spring 2015 And then you should convey this hearts burning poetic piece of saying to the very ears of those sad sufferers. With the light of your pen bring forth the sorrow of the sufferers. And that it should be kept secretly in those all suffering hearts. Then make those suffering hearts call out with the cry of revolution and make sure and clear the rights of human race and a revenge on the evil minds. It’s the real revolution, and with almighty may you get your goal.10 Zakheli literary activities and movement for new trends were supported by others like Fazal Ahmad Ghar (1899-1965) and Muhammad Aslam Khan Kamali (1886-1962) in his efforts for change. Kamali was educated in Edwards’s college Peshawar and was very fluent in French language. In 1928, he directly appealed to Bolshevik Revolution in his poem by saying. I wish that I have in my head the brain of Lenin With simple life as Bolshevik. Another writer and poet Abdul Malik Fida (1897-1957) who opposed the British Raj bluntly by saying: Khan, Sayed and Mullahs will be servants, As long as, there is British rule.11 A close compatriot of Bacha Khan, Mohammad Akber Khadim (1888-1954) said about himself: Candle lit they self from me I need only a slight air, To become a spark. 6 Fazal-ur-Rahim Marwat I can flash back, but need air- For I am spark in the guise of coal.12 The revival of Sirajul-Akhbar (Dari newspapers) in 1911 in Kabul after five years interval opened a new chapter in the history of Afghanistan, tribal areas and Frontier province. The Siraj became the mouthpiece of the Constitutionalists and the “Young Afghans” and Mahmud Tarzi as the Chief ideologue. Writing about Tarzi's style of criticism on the Amir, an American Prof.
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