PESHAWAR: Poets and writers gathered here on Sunday to pay glowing tributes to popular Sufi poet Raman Baba on his 365th death anniversary.

The three-day Urs of Rahman Baba was started on Friday and conceded on Sunday with a grand Pashto poetry recitation session at his complex in Hazarkhawani. More than 100 poets turned up at the resting place of the Sufi poet.

The annual event was arranged under the auspices of Rahman Baba Adabi Jirga, a literary body headed by Atlas Gul Atlas. He said that his organisation made the event a success despite meagre resources.

He said that a literary society titled Markazi Naukhar Adabi Jirga had arranged the first-ever Pashto mushiara at the shrine of Rahman Baba in 1938 and since then poets from far and wide paid respects to the undisputed Pashto Sufi poet.

Earlier, scholars and intellectuals delivered papers on the life and contribution of the 17th century poet and termed his Sufi message still relevant for the Pashtun society and the country at large. Devotees of the Sufi poet thronged the shrine and continued paying respects to him on his 365th death anniversary.

Over 100 poets attend mushaira at shrine of Rahman Baba

The crux of the Pashto mushaira was that the message of Rahman Baba was still relevant. His message of peace, universal brotherhood and social cohesion has impacted Pashto literary tradition for centuries and would continue to inspire Pashtun intellect for ages to come.

Poets from across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Afghanistan attended the event and paid glowing tributes to the Sufi poet.

The poetic line from the Sufi poet for the poets was ‘Sta Da Dar Gadayan Warha Badshahan Di’ (the mendicants around your shrine are all kings though poor in earthly wealth). Most of the budding poets displayed great talent following the style of the Sufi poet.

Prof Hanif Khalil chaired the event. He said that annual mushaira on the shrine of the Sufi poet had a significant role in chiseling the poetic talent of several generations of Pashto poets as the poetic line from the Sufi poet’s Diwan would throw a great challenge to follow in the footprints of a genius mind.

He said that the annul Pashto poetry recitation session tradition had been started in 1930s in pre-partition era that used to motivate pudding Pashto bards.

Shahab Aziz Arman, an expert on Rahman Baba, observed that Rahman Baba was a great source of inspiration not only for rising poets but also for common Pashtuns.

Later, poets read out their poems paying rich homage and displayed their talent in copying the style of composing verses on the pattern of the Sufi poet. About three sessions of readings were held in which about 130 Pashto poets participated and most had written following the couplet from the Baba’s poetry.

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2025