All-in-one book published for Persian learners

Qand-e-Parsi encompasses various aspects of language

PESHAWAR: A literatus of Persian, Syed Ghayoor Hussain, has authored a book Qand-e-Parsi that encompasses in one volume the various aspects of the language. Khana-e-Farhang-e-Jamhoori Islami Iran (Iranian Cultural Centre) has brought the 130-page book in fine print.

The author has been teaching Persian at the centre for over two decades. Besides, he takes the language classes at the University of Peshawar, Islamia College University, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University (SBBWU), Qurtuba University of Science and Information Technology and Institute of Management Sciences.

The writer, who hails from Ustarzai village in Kohat district, has to his credit other books as well. These include Farsi Ikhtiari, Yusra Nama and Farsi Zaban Ka Pakistani Kee Qoumi Aur Ilaqai Zabano Par Asr.

The author has dedicated his latest book to his Persian language students at the Iranian Cultural Centre or other institutions.The Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University’s Department for Urdu Studies head, Prof Dr Basmina Siraj, has written the foreword to the book. She says Persian learning is a must for better comprehension of the classical poetry of Urdu. She has praised the author for his Persian language works and commended him for preparing the Persian course of study for her university in the shortest possible time.

In the introduction to his book, Syed Ghayoor Hussain opined that Persian learning is needed for fully understanding the Urdu literature, especially poetry. He believed nobody else can appreciate the importance of Persian language than those associated with teaching Urdu literature. The author said there was a time when classic Persian books such as Gulistan, Bostan and Punj Gunj were taught to children and youth as these were rightly considered a treasure trove of morality lesson. He believed people of this region suffer academically and morally when they started ignoring the Persian language.

He was all praise for SBBWU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Razia Sultana and its Urdu Department head Prof Dr Basmina Siraj for taking the initiative of launching the Persian classes for the Urdu literature students.

Explaining the reasons for penning Qand-e-Parsi, the author said he was asked by the SBBWU administration to prepare the course of study for the students. During the course of work he felt the need for making all the contents available to the students in the form of a single publication.

Syed Ghayoor Hussain said he discussed the idea with Iranian Culture Centre Director General Ali Yousefi who gave it the nod.The title of the book has been taken from the couplet of Persian classical poet, Khwaja Shamsuddin Muhammad, popularly known as Hafiz-e-Shirazi, who was born in 1325/26 AD and died in 1389/90 AD.

The first part of the book has eight ghazals of Hafiz-e-Shirazi. These are followed by eight poems each by Sheikh Saadi, another classical poet, and Allama Muhammad Iqbal. The next 25 pages have been devoted to Persian grammar. All tenses have been explained well in Urdu through examples and tables.

In a portion spanning 26 pages, the author has given a list of words which are common in Persian and Urdu and have the same meanings.Seven pages in the publication contain common words having different meanings in Persian and Urdu. The next 20 pages have a detailed list of Persian words with Urdu translation.

Useful Persian expressions with Urdu translation have been given in four pages. The last part of the book has 70 Persian idioms with Urdu translation.The author has given a list of 14 books and other resources he consulted in preparing Qand-e-Parsi.