MOHANI: COMMITTED NATIONALIST AND CHAMPION OF HARMONY
KANPUR: People of all ages remember and appreciate the famous ghazal ‘Chupkey chupkey raat din aansu bahana yaad hai, hamko ab tak ashiqi ka wah zamana yaad hai.’ Not everyone knows that the composer of this touching ghazal was Hasrat Mohani, a great Indian freedom fighter from Kanpur.
The Kamal Khan Ka Ahata in the city and an old Pakar tree (white fig tree) remind people of this great personality, who had demanded ‘Complete Swaraj’ (Azadi-e-Kaamil) for the first time and coined the well-known slogan ‘Inquilab Zindabad’ (Long Live the Revolution). He is no more today, but his house exists in a dilapidated state. The old tree still stands to tell the tales of Mohani, an ardent believer in Lord Krishna. Mohani fought for freedom and ensuring communal harmony amidst the most adverse situations, said eminent historian Prof MA Naqvi. Mohani not only lived here but had also published the “Risala” magazine to infuse the spirit of freedom among the people. The magazine was launched from Aligarh but later Mohani shifted its publication to Kanpur. After sometime, the British government banned the publication of the magazine due to “anti-national” articles. Mohani, a committed nationalist, became the first Indian journalist to have been imprisoned after the passing of the Vernacular Press Act by the British.He was born in Mohan town in Unnao on January 1, 1875 as Syed Fazal-Ul- Hasan. “Hasrat” was the pen name he used in Urdu poetry and “Mohani” refers to his birthplace Mohan. He studied at the Aligarh Muslim University and championed the freedom struggle. He was imprisoned on several occasions for his nationalist activities. He was the first Indian who first demanded ‘Complete Swaraj’ (Azadi-e-Kaamil) at the general body meeting of the Indian National Congress session at Ahmedabad in 1921. Owing to his differences with the Congress, he left the party and founded the Communist Party of India to continue the freedom struggle.He was imprisoned for publishing an article against the British policy in Egypt in his magazine “Urdu-e-Mualla”. He died in Lucknow on May 13, 1951.