Farigh Bokhari’s Hindko poetic collection to be launched on December 2

Press Release

PESHAWAR: The launching ceremony of Kaal Dup, a Hindko poetic collection by an eminent poet Mr Farigh Bokhari will be held on December 2(Tuesday) at Khana-i- Farhang-i- Islami Jamhoori Iran, Peshawar.

Being organized under the aegis of the Gandhara Hindko Board, Peshawar, the function will start at 2:30 pm at the Imaam Khomeni Hall of the Iranian Cultural Center.

A prominent Urdu poet Ahmad Faraz will preside the event.

Head of the NWFP chapter of the Jamaat-i-Islami Senior Minister Mr Sirajul Haq will be the chief guest, while a member of the provincial assembly from the Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians Mr Syed Zahir Ali Shah will be the guest of honour.
Professor Khatir Ghaznavi, a noted Hindko/Urdu poet, research scholar and laureate of presidential Pride of Performance Award, Professor Mohsin Ihsan, another recipient of the Pride of Performance, Professor Nasir Ali Syed, Mr Yousaf Raja Chishti and a former two-time provincial minister Syed Qamar Abbas will speak on the life and literary works of late Meer Ahmad Shah, popularly known as Farigh Bokhari in the literary circles.

The 156-page poetry book has been published by the Gandhara Hindko Board, a literary-cum-cultural body working for the preservation and promotion of the Hindko language and Hindkowan culture for the last 10 years.

The collection has a total of 165 pieces from different genres of Hindko poetry.

The preface of the book has been written by the son of the poet, Syed Qamar Abbas, a PPPP leader who was Assistant Editor of a Hindko monthly magazine, Hindko Zuban, in early 1970s. Qamar discloses in the foreword that bringing his Hindko poetry into fine print was one of the two desires his late father had expressed in the last days of his life.

Professor Khatir Ghaznavi has talked of the life, achievements and style of writing of Farigh Bokhari in his 5-page comments on Kaali Dhup. Khatir has informed the readers of the main events of Farigh Bokhari’s life, including those occurring during his stay in Calcutta (Kolkata) and Rangoon, Burma (Myanmar). Khatir opines that Farigh gave a new dimension to the young Hindko poets by publishing their poetry in 1963 under the title of Navian Raavaan (New Dimensions).

Kaali Dhup is the fourth book published by the Gandhara Hindko Board in the last six months.