Khatir
Afridi whose real name was Misree
Khan was born in 1929 at Landikotal to Zakha Khel Afridi. He gained
tremendous mass popularity, next only to Rahman Baba, due to his simple
style and the deep pathos in his poetry.
Khatir was a few days old when his father died but his grandfather and uncle
reared him very well and raised him like a son. Khatir, unfortunately, could
not go to school. He took up a job at the Khyber Rifle's camp as a
gardener and later on entered the line of private business. But he was
fond of poetry and he learnt to compose verses to the tunes of the rabab
which was played by the maestro, Bagh-i-Haram, a resident of Malikdeen Khel
who lived very close to Khatir.
Qayum Kausar Afridi, his closest companion, said once, "One day I asked
Khatir to give me his manuscript so that I could preserve it. I kept it with
me till his only son, Javed Khan, grew up and was able to publish it. Khatir
dressed simply and would carry a pistol with him according to the tribal
tradition. He always wore a black turban but was a polite and calm person.
His poetry is simple and spontaneous."
Javed Khan Afridi revealed, "A large number of unauthorized and authentic
editions of my father's poetry have been published in Kabul and Peshawar.
PTV and Radio Pakistan, Peshawar have so far aired quite a bit of Khatir
Afridi's poetry but now I intend to take legal action against them. No
literary and cultural organization - government or civil - has ever
approached me for any kind of award for my father's contribution to Pashto."
When in the early 60s Gulab Sher sang 'Sta manzal manzaloono ke yema,
Rasedoo omaidoono ke yema,' from Radio Pakistan, Peshawar, Khatir attained
new heights of popularity. Murad Shinwari says that the tunes of
Bagh-i-Haram and the correction of Nazir Baba are the two factors behind
Khatir's mass popularity. Nearly 80 per cent of his Kuliyat has been sung
and 90 per cent Pakhtoons in every part of the world know about Khatir.
Dr Raj Wali Shah Khattak maintains that the centrality of his poetry is his
deep love and this merit takes him to the pinnacle of universality and
sublimity. Khatir's ghazal has all the qualities of the best romantic
thoughts reflective of his indepth observation and artistic vision. Dr Salma
Shaheen is of the view that Khatir is not only the pride of Khyber but also
all the Pakhtoons love his poetry because Khatir is the representative of
Ishq.
Every Pakhtoon singer takes pride in singing him. Khatir's first
authentic Da Khatir Kuliyat spreading over 605 pages came out in 1998.
Its second edition was published in 1999 while the third edition was brought
out in 2004 and every edition sold out like hot cakes. Strange to say that
the provincial cultural department, Pashto Academy, Pashto Adabi Board,
Academy of Letters, Islamabad, Peshawar chapter, more than 200 so called
Pashto Adabi Jirgas arranged a seminar or brought out a special issue on the
life and works of a poet who enjoys international fame.
Also a number of foreign radio channels which broadcast Pashto programmes
have not aired any programme on Khatir. A part of his poetry has been
translated into English, German, French, Russian, Persian and Urdu. Khatir
Afridi, known as the John Keats of Pashto died in 1968 at the age 39. "His
couplet on his epitaph 'Che pa qabar mey teraigey khudai da paara, Lag sha
maata khapa neewalei zaba marr yem' (Whenever you pass my grave, please stay
a little while as I might be dead) shows our apathy towards our legendary
heroes, poets and artists," lamented his son Javed Khan Afridi.
Read Khatir Afridi's
Poetry
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The End. Nov 28, 2006