Work of Hindko poets translated into versified Urdu

Gandhara Hindko Academy has published the work of 50 poets into versified Urdu, thus introducing the literary heritage of the language to a wider readership

PESHAWAR, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jun, 2026) Gandhara Hindko Academy has published the work of 50 poets into versified Urdu, thus introducing the literary heritage of the language to a wider readership.

Harfi is an old and distinctive poetic genre in Hindko literature. It is a form of poetry in which each stanza is composed around a letter of the alphabet.

The painstaking work of translating Hindko Harfis into urdu verse was accomplished by noted poet and lyricist Syed Saeed Gilani, who passed away a few years ago after rendering invaluable service to his mother tongue, Hindko, alongside his contributions to Urdu literature.

The 216-page publication, titled “Harfi Nama”, is dedicated to the poets whose work was selected from “Virsa”, an earlier anthology published by the Hindko Academy, which is run by the Gandhara Hindko board on a self-help basis.

The book features Harfis composed by 50 poets spanning nearly three centuries. The earliest poet included is Ustad Sahib-e-Haq, who was born in 1740, while the youngest is Ali Awais Khayal, a 33-year-old poet and researcher from Peshawar.

The anthology also includes works by Ustad Namo, Ustad Muhammad Shafeeq Mayyan, Ustad Nazeer Ahmad Rawwa, Ustad Muhammad Gamon, Ustad Ramzan Ali Ramzo, Agha Syed Muhammad Shah, Ustad Ahmad Ali Saeen, Munshi Rajab Ali Johar, Mirza Ghulam Jeelani, Ustad Mian Muhammad Deen, Ustad Sardar Khan Barda, Ustad Ilahi Bakhsh Muflis, Ustad Mauji, Ustad Muhammad Sarwar Sarwar, Ustad Ali Ahmad, Ustad Meer Ahmad Mithoo, Ustad Muhammad Abdullah, Ustad Atta Muhammad, Mian Noor Ilahi Talib, Agha Laal Shah Jigar Kazmi, Hafiz Ghulam Muhammad, Umar Bakhsh Sabir, Ghulam Haider Bismil, Muhammad Hussain Aajiz, Ustad Agha Sher Shah Saifi, Ustad Muhammad Bakhsh, Ustad Farigh Qadri, FR Barq, Ustad Abdul Hakeem Asr, Muzmar Tatari, Khadim Hussain Karbali, Ustad Wazeer Muhammad, Ustad Abdul Lateef Sajin, Ustad Abdur Rasheed Taj, Aatish Fehmeed, Raheem Bakhsh Israr, Prof Khatir Ghaznavi, Prof Dr Elahi Bakhsh Awan, Sajid Sarhadi, Jaleel Ahmad Kamal, Ustad Taj Muhammad Taj, Zaffar Mehdi, Naseem-e-Sahar and Muhammad Ziauddin.

In the preface, Syed Saeed Gilani writes that the collection preserves poetic works dating back to 1740.

"Many of these Harfis are no longer in common use.

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I felt that if these valuable compositions survived only in people's memories, they might eventually disappear. Therefore, I decided to preserve them in book form," he writes.

The author acknowledges that the compilation is not exhaustive.

"At the request of Muhammad Ziauddin Sahib, I wanted to present all the Harfis in Urdu as well. However, I could not translate many Hindko words because they have no exact Urdu equivalents," he writes, while paying tribute to Muhammad Ziauddin, a noted Hindko researcher and chairman of the executive committee of the privately run Gandhara Hindko Academy.

Gilani sahib notes that every language possesses its own distinct style and literary flavour, making the translation of Harfis particularly challenging.

"Instead of translating every expression literally, I translated them according to their meaning. Even then, many Hindko words could not find suitable Urdu equivalents. Therefore, I have provided explanatory notes wherever necessary so readers can better understand those words that cannot be adequately translated," he explains.

The author also praises young Hindko researcher Ali Awais Khayal, who collected many Harfis preserved through oral tradition and compiled them into book form.

"This is no small achievement. It reflects the passion of Ali Awais Khayal and Muhammad Ziauddin, who envisioned research-based publications that will preserve and promote the Hindko language in print," Gilani sahib observes.

The Gandhara Hindko Academy was established in April 2015 under a public-private partnership. Over the years, it has produced research-based literary publications by engaging writers and poets from Peshawar, Kohat, Haripur, Abbottabad and Mansehra.

The academy later expanded its activities to publish books in 11 Pakistani languages in addition to Hindko, which, according to official estimates, is the sixth most widely spoken language in Pakistan and the second-largest language in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government stopped funding the academy after June 30, 2022. Since then, the Gandhara Hindko Board has continued to run the institution through donations from language enthusiasts, ensuring that its work to preserve Pakistan's linguistic heritage continues.