Syed Fazl-ul-Hasan (1 January 1875 – 13 May 1951), known by his
pen-name Hasrat Mohani, was an
Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
activist
Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...
,
freedom fighter in the
Indian independence movement
The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947.
The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged from Bengal ...
and a noted poet of the
language.
He coined the notable slogan ''
Inquilab Zindabad
Inquilab Zindabad ( ur, ; hi, इंक़लाब ज़िन्दाबाद) is a Hindustani phrase, which translates to "Long live the revolution". It is a slogan used by revolutionary Indians before independence.
History
This slogan ...
'' (translation of "Long live the revolution!") in 1921.
Together with
Swami Kumaranand
Swami Kumaranand, born Dvijendra Kumar Naag (16 April 1889 – 29 December 1971), was an Indian politician and leader of Communist Party of India. He was a key builder of the communist movement in Rajputana and Madhya Bharat.''The Hindu''. Fina ...
, he is regarded as the first person to demand
complete independence for India in 1921 at the Ahmedabad Session of Congress.
Maghfoor Ahmad Ajazi
Maghfoor Ahmad Ajazi (3 March 1900 – 26 September 1966) was a political activist from Bihar, prominent in the Indian independence movement.
Early life
Ajazi was born on 3 March 1900 in village Dihuli, Block Sakra of District Muzaf ...
supported the complete independence motion demanded by Hasrat Mohani.
Biography
He was born in 1875
n many books it is written 1881 and 1880as Syed Fazl-ul-Hasan at
Mohan, a town in the
Unnao district of
United Provinces in
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
.
Hasrat was his
pen name (takhallus) that he used in his
Urdu poetry
Urdu poetry ( ur, ) is a tradition of poetry and has many different forms. Today, it is an important part of the cultures of South Asia. According to Naseer Turabi there are five major poets of Urdu which are Mir Taqi Mir (d.1810), Mirza Ghal ...
whereas his last name 'Mohani' refers to Mohan, his birthplace.
His ancestors migrated from
Nishapur, in
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
.
Hasrat Mohani championed the freedom struggle. He also wrote verses expressing deep love for
Krishna
Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is on ...
, and often went to
Mathura
Mathura () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Mathura district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located approximately north of Agra, and south-east of Delhi; about from the town of Vrindavan, and from Govardhan. ...
to celebrate
Krishna Janmashtami
Krishna Janmashtami , also known simply as Krishnashtami, Janmashtami, or Gokulashtami, is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. According to the Hindu lunisolar calendar, it is observed ...
.
[
]
Education
He received his primary education at Kanpur Vernacular Middle School in Fatehpur Haswah, a town near Kanpur. He achieved a top position in Grade 8 in Uttar Pradesh, and then came first in Maths in Matric (Grade 10) exams. He received two scholarships, one from the government and the other from Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College. He completed his BA in 1903 at Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College
Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College ( ur, Madrasatul Uloom Musalmanan-e-Hind, italics=yes) was founded in 1875 by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, initially as a primary school, with the intention of taking it to a college level institution, known as Muhammed ...
which later became Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh Muslim University (abbreviated as AMU) is a Public University, public Central University (India), central university in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, which was originally established by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as the Muhammadan Anglo-Orie ...
but before that he had been expelled from the college on three occasions for his criticism of the British government. Some of his colleagues at Aligarh was Mohammad Ali Jouhar
Muhammad Ali Jauhar (10 December 1878 – 4 January 1931), was an Indian Muslim activist, prominent member of the All-India Muslim League, journalist and a poet, a leading figure of the Khilafat Movement and one of the founders of Jamia Millia ...
and Shaukat Ali. His teachers in poetry were Tasleem Lucknawi and Naseem Dehlvi. To honor him, Aligarh Muslim University has a hostel named after him[
]
Academic
A few of his books are ''Kulliyat-e-Hasrat Mohani'' (Collection of Hasrat Mohani's poetry), ''Sharh-e-Kalam-e-Ghalib'' (Explanation of Ghalib's poetry), ''Nukaat-e-Sukhan'' ( Important aspects of poetry), ''Mushahidaat-e-Zindaan'' (Observations in Prison), etc. A very popular ghazal Chupke Chupke Raat Din sung by Ghulam Ali and 'Ghazal King' Jagjit Singh was penned by him. He was also featured in the film Nikaah (1982). The famous slogan of Indian freedom fighters Inquilab Zindabad
Inquilab Zindabad ( ur, ; hi, इंक़लाब ज़िन्दाबाद) is a Hindustani phrase, which translates to "Long live the revolution". It is a slogan used by revolutionary Indians before independence.
History
This slogan ...
was coined by Mohani in 1921.
Political
Mohani was a member of the Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...
for many years and also joined the All India Muslim League, serving as its president in 1919. He opposed the partition of India. After the declaration of the Partition Plan on 3 June 1947, Mohani resigned as a member of the All India Muslim League and when the division of the country occurred, he chose to live in independent India. He became a member of the Constituent Assembly of India
The Constituent Assembly of India was elected to frame the Constitution of India. It was elected by the 'Provincial Assembly'. Following India's independence from the British rule in 1947, its members served as the nation's first Parliament as ...
which drafted the Indian Constitution. To represent the remaining Indian Muslims on different platforms, Hasrat Mohani chose to live in India rather than migrate to Pakistan.[
He never accepted Government allowances or stayed at official residences. Instead he stayed in mosques and used to go to the Parliament in a shared tonga. He was a religious practicing Muslim and led a simple life. Maulana had gone for ]Hajj
The Hajj (; ar, حَجّ '; sometimes also spelled Hadj, Hadji or Haj in English) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried o ...
(pilgrimage to Mecca
Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow v ...
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Ara ...
) several times. He used to travel in third-class railroad cars. When asked why he traveled third class, he quipped because there is no fourth class.[
]
Struggle for Indian independence
Mohani participated in the struggle for Indian Independence (end of British Raj
The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent;
*
* it is also called Crown rule in India,
*
*
*
*
or Direct rule in India,
* Quote: "Mill, who was him ...
); and was jailed in 1903 for many years by British authorities. At that time political prisoners were treated like common criminals and forced to do manual labor.[
In 1904, he joined the ]Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...
Party.[
He was the first person in Indian History who demanded 'Complete Independence' (Azadi-e-Kaamil) in 1921 as he presided over an annual session of All-India Muslim League. In December 1929, his campaign for 'complete independence' resulted in the shape of ]Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...
session in Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th List of largest cities, most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is th ...
.[
Mohani opposed the partition of India.] After complete independence from the British rule, Maulana Hasrat Mohani wanted a confederal set up on the pattern of Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR). He wanted to see a confederal constitution in India after freedom from the British rule. His proposal had six federations: 1. East Pakistan; 2. West Pakistan; 3. Central India; 4. South-eastern India; 5. South-western India; and 6. Hyderabad Deccan.[
]
Urdu-e-Mualla
He was also imprisoned for promoting anti-British ideas, especially for publishing an article against British policies in Egypt, in his magazine 'Urdu-e-Mualla'. Afterwards, unlike some Urdu poets like Josh Malihabadi
Josh Malihabadi (born Shabbir Hasan Khan; 5 December 1898 – 22 February 1982) popularly known as Shayar-e-Inqalab (poet of revolution) was a Pakistani poet and is regarded as one of the finest Urdu poets of the era of British India. Kno ...
and many Muslim leaders, he chose to live in India rather than move to 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 ...
after independence (1947) to represent left over Indian Muslims on various platforms. In recognition for his efforts, he was made a member of the constituent assembly which drafted the Indian constitution. But unlike other members, he never signed it.[
]
Communist movement
He was among the founders of the Communist Party of India
Communist Party of India (CPI) is the oldest Marxist–Leninist communist party in India and one of the nine national parties in the country. The CPI was founded in modern-day Kanpur (formerly known as Cawnpore) on 26 December 1925.
H ...
at Kanpur in 1925.[
Hasrat Mohani was deeply influenced by Russian revolution. His house in Kanpur was centre of preparations of the first all India Communist conference of December 1925. K.N. Joglekar wrote in his reminiscences that he and Bombay group came to know through VH Joshi, going to meet S. A. Dange in Kanpur jail, that ]Satya Bhakta
Satyabhakta (Hindi: सत्यभक्त) (2 April 1897 – 3 December 1985) who used the mononym, was one of the founders of the Communist Party of India December 25-28, 1925 at Kanpur (then spelled Cawnpore).
Biography Early life
Satyabha ...
, Hasrat Mohani and others were taking initiative to convene a communist conference in December 1925. Bombay group extended full support.
Hasrat Mohani was elected Chairman of Reception Committee (RC) of the conference. Hasrat Mohani was included in the Central Executive Committee elected at the conference. He was again included in CEC in 1927 extended meeting.
Hasrat Mohani later attended the foundation conference of Progressive Writers’ Association (PWA) in Lucknow in 1936.
Death and legacy
Maulana Hasrat Mohani died on 13 May 1951 in Lucknow, India.
Hasrat Mohani Memorial Society was founded by Maulana Nusrat Mohani in 1951. In Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...
, Sindh
Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...
, 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 ...
, the Hasrat Mohani Memorial Library and Hall was established by the Hasrat Mohani Memorial Library & Hall Trust. Every year, on his death anniversary, a memorial meeting is conducted by this Trust as well as many other organisations in India and Pakistan.[ Also ]Hasrat Mohani Colony
Hasrat Mohani Colony ( ur, حسرت موہانی کالونی ) is a neighbourhood in the Korangi District in eastern Karachi, Pakistan. It is named after the Indian Urdu poet Maulana Hasrat Mohani
Syed Fazl-ul-Hasan (1 January 1875 – 13 ...
, at Korangi Town in Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...
, Sindh
Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...
, 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 ...
, was named after Maulana Hasrat Mohani. A famous road is named after him in the financial hub of Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...
.[
There is a Street Named Maulana Hasrat Mohani in Kadar Palace, Mumbra, Dist: Thane, Maharashtra.
Maulana Hasrat Mohani Hospital is situated in Chamanganj, ]Kanpur
Kanpur or Cawnpore ( /kɑːnˈpʊər/ pronunciation (help· info)) is an industrial city in the central-western part of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Founded in 1207, Kanpur became one of the most important commercial and military stations ...
. There is also a road named Maulana Hasrat Mohani Street in Kanpur. Maulana Hasrat Mohani Gallery is situated at Bithoor
Bithoor or Bithur is a town in Kanpur District, by road north of the centre of Kanpur city, in Uttar Pradesh, India. Bithoor is situated on the right bank of the River Ganges, and is a centre of Hindu pilgrimage. . Bithoor is also the centre ...
Museum.
A hostel in Aligarh Muslim University is also named after him.
Publications
* Urdu-e-Moalla (magazine)[ (launched in July 1903) ][
* Kulliyat-e-Hasrat Mohani (Collection of Hasrat Mohani's poetry) (Published in 1928 and 1943)][
* Sharh-e-Kalam-e-Ghalib (Explanation of Ghalib's poetry)
* Nukaat-e-Sukhan (Important aspects of poetry)
* Tazkira-tul-Shuara (Essays on the Poets)][
* Mushahidaat-e-Zindaan (Observations in the Prison)
]
See also
* Mawlānā
References
External links
* http://www.hasratmohani.com
* http://www.hasratmohanitrust.net
Urdu Poetry of Hasrat Mohani
Hasrat Mohani Ghazals
The Maulana Who Loved Krishna
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mohani, Hasrat
All India Muslim League members
Indian independence activists
Urdu-language poets
Aligarh Muslim University alumni
People from Lucknow
People from Unnao district
1875 births
1951 deaths
19th-century Indian Muslims
Members of the Constituent Assembly of India
Poets from Uttar Pradesh
20th-century Indian poets
19th-century Indian poets
Writers from Lucknow
Politicians from Lucknow
19th-century Indian politicians
20th-century Indian politicians
Indian people of Iranian descent