Mohammad Taskeen Manerwal ( ps, محمد تسکین مانیروال; 15 September 1949 – 10 January 2022) was a Pakistani intellectual, writer, and author of
Pashto literature and poetry
Pashto literature ( ps, ) refers to literature and poetry in Pashto language. The history of Pashto literature spreads over five thousands years having its roots in the oral tradition of tapa. However, the first recorded period begins in 7th cen ...
. He was also a teacher and retired from the
Department of Education
An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
Swabi
Swabi ( ps, صوابۍ; ur, ) is a city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan,Maniri village of
Swabi
Swabi ( ps, صوابۍ; ur, ) is a city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan,
Manerwal began primary school in 1953. He
matriculated
Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination.
Australia
In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now. ...
from Swabi High School in 1965, and finished
intermediate college
A junior college (sometimes referred to colloquially as a juco, JuCo or JC) is a post-secondary educational institution offering vocational training designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations and workers in su ...
B.A.
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
(1977) and a
B.Ed
A Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) is an undergraduate professional degree which prepares students for work as a teacher in schools. In some countries such as Tanzania and Kenya, additional tasks like field work and research are required in order for ...
(1980). He became a schoolteacher in 1969, and retired from the
Department of Education
An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
in 1999 as a headmaster.
Career
Manerwal started writing poetry when he was a fifth-grade student, influenced by the Pashto poets
Rahman Baba
Abdur Rahmān Momand ( ps, عبدالرحمان بابا; 1632–1706) or Rahmān Bābā ( ps, رحمان بابا), was a renowned Pashtun Sufi Dervish and poet from Momand Agency in Peshawar during the Mughal era. He, along with his contemp ...
and
Khushal Khan Khattak
Khošāl Khān Khaṭak (1613 – 25 February 1689; Pashto: خوشال خان خټک), also known as Khushal Baba ( ps, خوشال بابا), was a Pashtun poet, chief, and warrior. Khushal Khan served the Mughal Empire protecting them fr ...
. When Taskeen was studying at Government Post Graduate College, Swabi, he was involved in the publication of the ''Neelab Magazine''. His writing in ''Neelab'' brought him to the attention of established Pashto writers such as
Abdul Ghani Khan
, image = Khan Abdul Ghani Khan 1940s.jpg
, image_size = 250px
, caption = Khan in the 1940s
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Hashtnagar, North-West Frontier Province, British India, now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
, death_date =
, deat ...
. Manerwal's numerous
ghazals
The ''ghazal'' ( ar, غَزَل, bn, গজল, Hindi-Urdu: /, fa, غزل, az, qəzəl, tr, gazel, tm, gazal, uz, gʻazal, gu, ગઝલ) is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. A ghazal may be understood as a p ...
and poems, such as "Cha Kha Khoshay Shara Wy" (1973), were popular among Pashtuns not only in
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
but also in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
. His only book, the poetry collection ''Cha Kha Khoshay Shara Wy'', was published in 2011, strengthening his reputation as a romantic poet.
Personal life and death
Manerwal was unmarried, but said he would live among the people through his poetry. According to his colleagues, his life was difficult, but when he was among the people, he was a true advocate of peace. He disliked politics, and was a reader of
Sufi poetry
Sufi literature consists of works in various languages that express and advocate the ideas of Sufism.
Sufism had an important influence on medieval literature, especially poetry, that was written in Arabic, Persian, Turkic and Urdu. Sufi doctri ...
.
Manerwal died in
Swabi
Swabi ( ps, صوابۍ; ur, ) is a city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, He was buried at his ancestral graveyard in
Maniri Payan Maneri Payan is a town and Union Council of Swabi District in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Coordinates:
Taskeen Manerwal
Mohammad Taskeen Manerwal ( ps, محمد تسکین مانیروال; 15 September 1949 – 10 January 2022) ...
,
Swabi
Swabi ( ps, صوابۍ; ur, ) is a city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan,Qaumi Watan Party
Qaumi Watan Party ( ps, قومي وطن ګوند or ; ur, قومی وطن پارٹی), abbreviated as QWP and formerly called Pakistan Peoples Party–Sherpao (PPP–S), is one of the prominent political parties in Pakistan, that split away from ...
Awami National Party
The Awami National Party (ANP; ur, , ps, اولسي ملي ګوند; lit. ''People's National Party'') is a Pashtun nationalist, secular and leftist political party in Pakistan. The party was founded by Abdul Wali Khan in 1986 and its curr ...
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa President
Aimal Wali Khan
Aimal Wali Khan ( ps, اېمل ولي خان; born 18 November 1986) is a Pakistani politician and the provincial president of the Awami National Party (ANP) for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. He is the son of the central president of ANP, Asfand ...
, General Secretary Sardar Hussain Babak and Culture Secretary Khadim Hussain expressed their condolences.