Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan was a Pashtun political and spiritual leader known for his non-violent opposition to British Rule in India. A lifelong pacifist, a devout Muslim,and a follower of Mahatma Gandhi, he was also known as Badshah Khan (also Bacha Khan). In 1985 he was nominated for the Nobel peace prize. In 1987 he became the first non-citizen to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, Indias highest civilian award. Ghaffar Khan was born into a generally peaceful and prosperous family from Charsadda, in the Peshawar Valley of British India. His father, Behram Khan, was a land owner, farmer, and the chief of the Mohammedzais (sons of Mohamed) tribe of the Pashtun people. Ghaffar was the second son of Behram to attend the British run Edwards mission school -- an unusual arrangement since it was discouraged by the local mullahs. At school the young Ghaffar did well in his studies and was inspired by his mentor Reverend Wigram to see the importance of education in service to the community. In his 10th and final year of high school he was offered a highly prestigious commission in The Guides, an elite corp of Pashtun soldiers of the British Raj. Ghaffar refused the commission after realizing even Guide officers were still second-class citizens in their own country. He resumed his intention of University study and Reverend Wigram offered him the opportunity to follow his brother, Khan Sahib, to study in London. While he eventually received the permission of his father, Ghaffars mother wasnt willing to lose another son to London -- and their own culture and religion as the mullahs warned her. So Ghaffar began working on his fathers lands while attempting to discern what more he might do with his life. Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan was briefly portrayed by Dilsher Singh in Richard Attenboroughs 1982 epic Gandhi. In 2008 a documentary, titled The Frontier Gandhi: Badshah Khan, a Torch for Peace, by filmmaker and writer T.C. McLuhan premiered in New York. Books written on the life of Abdul Ghaffar Khan: Nonviolent Soldier of Islam by the late Eknath Easwaran, His autobiography My life and struggle: Autobiography of Badshah Khan was published in 1969. In the Indian city of Delhi, the popular Khan Bazar is named in honor of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan.
Posted on: Fri, 22 Nov 2013 06:45:07 +0000
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