Mohammad Jan Fana

Mohammad Jan Fana Safi (born 25 June 1932) poet, writer, and artist. He was commonly known as Mohammad Jan Fana.^[1] He was born in northern Afghanistan and lived in Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, for most of his life.

Personal life

Fana's grandfather was a brigadier and served in the war of independence between Afghanistan and Britain in 1919. His father was Lt. Gen. Saddullah, chief of the military supreme court for the Army, Air Force and police in the Ministry of National Defense. Mohammad Jan Fana Safi was the top graduate in his high school class. He went on to join the army of Afghanistan like his father. At the military academy he finished second in his freshman year and took top honors his second and third years.

He was married and had six children, three boys and three girls, who all lived in Kabul, Afghanistan but moved to the United States after Major Fana's death.

He played a number of musical instruments such as the mandolin, harmonium and accordion.

Army Life

He joined the army at a young age and throughout his army career was stationed in places like Fort Bragg and Fort Benning in the United States. He studied in the Allied Student Training Division at Fort Benning in 1969. Afterwards, he began an airborne training course. He went on to become a major.

Writings and Artwork

Poetry and Writing

Mohammad Jan Fana Safi has 13 published books and has written countless poems. He wrote poetry in three languages: Pashto, Dari, and English.

Oh wind! I am talking with you :
Don't blow from the East if you don't have a
message of happiness with you.
Don't blow from the West if you don't take a
message of helpfulness with you.
Don't come from the North and don't be from
the South if you don't have a message of humanity
with you.
Can you blow and fly with the waves of my
songs and poems from the earth to the sky to take
this praying of my poems to the God?
"Be more kind and pleased for all the people"
and can you blow from the sky back to the ground
to bring the answer of my praying from my God?

The Ministry of Culture and Information in Afghanistan awarded Fana two prizes in 1960 for his works in both Pashto and Dari. Many of the major's poems, originally written in English, have been published in American newspapers. A number of his articles and essays have appeared in military magazines and civilian newspapers in Afghanistan.

Artwork

Mohammad Jan Fana Safi has had many of his illustrations published in newspapers and magazines. He was admired among his fellow army men for his art. His artwork was published in many American newspapers and Afghan magazines.

References

1. ^ Mohammad Jan Fana

External links

Persondata
Name	Mohammad Jan Fana
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	25 June 1932
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death