Hindko Academy’s journal ‘Kotal Rang’ published

PESHAWAR: The latest issue of the Hindko language literary journal “Kotal Rang” has been published.It is one of the 16 regular publications the Gandhara Hindko Academy brings out. The magazine is devoted to poets, writers and figures from other walks of life hailing from the historic city of Kohat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

The recent issue carries on the cover a portrait of late Malik Muhammad Rustum Kayani, popularly known as MR Kayani, who was a distinguished jurist and served as chief justice of West Pakistan from 1958 to 1962. MR Kayan was born in Kohat on October 18, 1902, and passed away on November 15, 1962. The publication has been brought out under the guidance of Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi, the patron-in-chief of the Gandhara Hindko Board that runs the Hindko Academy.

A language research scholar and General Secretary of the Gandhara Hindko Board, Muhammad Ziauddin, is the editor and Ali Awais Khayal, the deputy editor of Kotal Rang.Academy’s Director Dr Muhammad Adil, heads the team comprising Nauman Qayyum, Saqib Hussain Ziaul Islam, Mudasir Zeb and Bilal Ahmed which has joined hands to bring the literary pieces into the fine print.

The journal’s editorial has urged the writers and poets from Kohat to come forward and contribute to the third issue of the publication through write-ups, pieces of poetry and other writings as the people of the area have talent that needs to be highlighted and introduced to other parts of KP where the Hindko language is spoken and understood.

Syed Masoom Shah Saqib has penned eight pieces in the journal which are both in prose and poetry. He is followed by Muhammad Ziauddin and Muhammad Jan Aatif who have four pieces each in the magazine.

Munawwar Ahmad Advocate has penned two fictions for Kotal Rang which are moderate in length but grab the attention of the readers for their contents. There are write-ups by academicians such as Syed Imtiaz Gilani, former vice-chancellor of the University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar, Professor Muhammad Iqbal and Dr Matiullah Shah on various aspects of Kohat.

The literary pieces have enumerated the role played by Kohat in producing the men of letters such as great poet Syed Ahmad Shah (internationally known as Ahmad Faraz), Muhammad Rustum Kayani and several others.

The journal has a write-up by Sheharyar Afridi who was a federal minister in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government and is from the Kohat region. This piece is, in fact, based on his speech which he had delivered as a chief guest during a Hindko literary and cultural conference arranged by the Gandhara Hindko Board in Kohat. The speech has been transcribed by Muhammad Aqil.

The Kotal Rang has a write-up on a noted painter and calligrapher, Liaqat Ali Khan. It has sufficient information on the artist who was born in Kohat on October 2, 1949, and received his early training in the field from Anees artist in Peshawar.

Penned by Muhammad Ziauddin, this writing is accompanied by the art pieces of Liaqat Ali Khan whose work has been exhibited not only in various cities of the country but also abroad.It may be mentioned here that Gandhara Hindko Academy has been working under a public-private partnership since the year 2015 and seeks the promotion of Hindko and other Pakistani languages.