PESHAWAR, Feb 18: The death anniversary of Amir Hamza Khan Shinwari has passed without any significant event held in the city.

Shinwari, popularly known as Baba-e-Pashto Ghazal, was born in Landi Kotal in 1907. He received his early education from a school in his village and was later admitted to the Islamia Collegiate School, Peshawar, where he studied till class 9.

He started his poetic career by composing verses in Urdu way back in 1920 when he was in the fifth grade.

His spiritual guide Syed Abdul Sattar Shah Bacha asked him to switch over to his mother tongue as the former believed he would not be able to make a mark if he continue to write in Urdu. Soon he perfected Pashto ghazal to such an extent that Pakhtuns bestowed upon him the most coveted title of ‘Baba’.

Mr Shinwari became a legend in his own lifetime. He amalgamated the chivalric spirit of Khushhal Khan Khattak, the humility of Rahman Baba and the romantic thought of Hamid Baba into his poetry. With him Pashto ghazal attained new heights of imagination, but with a modern touch.

The 20th Century owes much to Hamza Baba for his immense contribution to Pashto literature. He started composing poetry in Pashto when Rahman Baba was the only poet whose works had been published.

The works of other great Pashto poets would appear much later. The reason for this being that the period of Khushhal Khan Khattak and Rahman Baba had been overtaken by decadence and deterioration. Mr Shinwari picked up Pashto ghazal from where it had been left by Khushhal Khan and the poets after him.

He gave Pashto poetry a new dimension with the introduction of new subjects.

Two features are extremely distinct in his poetry: Pakhtunwali and Sufism. Therefore, critics say that he had Pakhtunised both Pashto ghazal and Sufism, which are apparently contradictory strains.

He was a practical Sufi and followed the Chistia order.During his youth he had been crazy about acting in films. In 1941, he wrote the script, dialogues and lyrics for the first-ever Pashto movie Laila Majnoon on the request of Rafiq Ghaznavi.

Later on he also wrote the script for two other popular Pashto movies: Paighla (Virgin) and Alaqaghair.

Hamza Baba influenced three generations of Pashtun poets and writers.