Maulana Ghulam Rasool Mehr (13 April 1893 – 16 November 1971) was an editor, researcher, translator, biographer, historian, poet, scholar of Ghalib and Iqbal, and a journalist. During a crucial pre-independence era, he played a significant role in influencing public opinion.
Early Life and Education
He was born in Phoolpur, a village in the district of Jalandhar, and got his early education there. He went to Islamia College in Lahore, where he fell in love with the city. In his opinion, Lucknow and Delhi have a different culture than Lahore. According to Maulana, Lahore had a harmonious fusion of Eastern and Western cultures, in contrast to the deeply Eastern cultures of Delhi and Lucknow.
Career
Mehr was closely following the political developments in India. Apart from their engagement in the Pakistan Movement, Indian Muslims were concerned about what was going on in the Muslim world at the time. Maulana Mehr, a young man who had just finished his schooling and was eager to serve the cause of independence and the Muslim’millat’, and began writing in the Daily Zamindar.
In Lahore Mehr had the opportunity to hear Allama Muhammad Iqbal deliver his verses during the annual conference of Anjuman-e-Himayat-e-Islam.
Mehr also visited Hyderabad for a while. Even though he was unable to find employment that fit him, residing there allowed him to continue his own “political education.” And it was in Hyderabad that he switched from writing poetry to writing prose. When he began his journalism career in 1921 with an editorial that appeared in the Daily Zamindar, this practice paid off. Maulana quickly became a member of the newspaper and became deeply involved in the struggle for liberation and Tehrik-i-Khilafat (the Khilafat Movement). Maulana Abul Kalam Azad founded Hizballah, which he had already joined. Mehr was, in fact, greatly influenced by Azad, and the latter drew inspiration from the articles that appeared in the Al-Hilal journal.
Mehr and Abdul Majeed Salik, a colleague at ‘Zamindar’ with whom he later co-founded the Lahore-based newspaper ‘Inqelaab’.
Mehr has been documenting his accounts of historical events in both the Muslim and Western worlds while journeying from the Middle East to Europe. As a journalist, he attended the Second Round Table Conference with Allama Iqbal and wrote about it for Daily Inqilab.
He also penned Mirza Ghalib’s biography.
Death and Legacy
In his final days, Maulana Mehr made the decision to record his life for the sake of future generations. This record, known as “Mehr Beeti,” was assembled by Mohammad Hamza Farooqi and published by Al-Faisal Nashran. Maulana Mehr has provided a brief overview of several political and religious movements that were taking place at the time, as well as his opinions on them, ranging from literature to politics. Circumstances did not allow him to complete his memories. He passed away on November 16, 1971, in Lahore.