Legendary poet Ikramullah Gran dies

KABUL.

Gran, the son of Mian Fazl Rahim, was born in 1937 to an educated, literary and culture-loving family in Charsadda district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. His father had played a great role in polishing Gran’s literary talent.

Gran was widely respected for his enlightened world-view, literary genius and unique style of composing poems on issues that touched the masses. He authored 153 ghazals in his collection, “Zama Ghazal”.

He completed his primary education in his hometown, but did not pursue higher studies due to some problems. Gran started composing poetry in his childhood. His first verse was recited by his father at poetic gatherings.

The way he dealt with subjects like love, humanism, sorrows, peace, spirituality, sympathy and the Pakhtun code of life earned him critical acclaim. He did not like publishing books. His only book is “Zama Ghazal,” which brought him much fame.

Gran enjoyed the company of great poets including Hamza Baba, Ghani Khan, Qalandar Momand and Syed Jalal Mastarib. Sung by renowned singers like Khyal Mohammad, Haroon Bacha and others, his ghazals have been popular with all age groups.

Upcoming writer Tahir Zaland, who spent much of his time attending poetry sessions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, hailed Gran had as a towering figure among poets. He said Gran had been sad in recently and skipped poetry gatherings.

“It is also a common opinion if the title Baba (father) is not confined to Hamza Baba only, Gran should also be called Baba-i-Ghazal because his language is semi-classic.”

A number of poets and writers on their Facebook pages expressed sorrows over the death of Gran, calling it a blow to Pashto literature.

ma/mud

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