Hamza Baba’s death anniversary observed in Jalalabad

JALALABAD (Pajhwok): The 21^st death anniversary of legendary Pashto poet Amir Hamza Khan Shinwari, widely known as Hamza Baba, was observed in the capital of eastern Nangarhar province, on Wednesday.

Born in 1907 in Landi Kotal, a hamlet of Pakistan, Hamza died of kidney failure more than two decades ago.

A seminar, arranged in remembrance of the poet by the Nangarhar Information and Culture Department, was attended by leading poets and dignitaries from Kabul and many some provinces.

Awrang Samad, the Nangarhar information director, said various aspects of Hamza Baba’s personality, philosophy and style of poetry were discussed at the seminar.

“Hamza Baba worked a lot to enrich Pashto language. This seminar is dedicated to remembering him for his valuable contribution to Pashto language,” he added.

Maroof Shah Khan, the dean of Pashto department at the Nangarhar University, welcomed such seminars to pay tribute to influential figures.

“Hamza had developed his unique style in Pashto sonnet. Therefore, he is being called Baba or father of Ghazal. He has written over 40 books and for the first time authored stories for movies and dramas,” he recalled.

Deputy Governor Mohammad Hanif Gardiwal praised the department for conducting the seminar. “Hamza Shinwari was an asset of Pashto literature. It is the duty of writers to preserve his style,” he concluded.

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