خطوطِ غالب از مہیش پرشاد : اصولِ تدوین

Khatoot-e-Ghalib by Mahesh Prshad: Principles of Editing

Abstract

In the realm of editing Ghalib’s letters, the credit is often given to Makatib-e-Ghalib by Maulana Arshi as the pioneering effort. However, the groundwork for this scholarly pursuit was, in fact, laid much earlier by Maulvi Mahesh Prshad. A distinguished graduate of the Oriental College, Punjab University Lahore—holding the titles of Maulvi and Alim Fazil—Mahesh began editing Ghalib’s letters in accordance with the academic requirements of the Banaras Hindu University. In his editorial work, he adopted a particular textual methodology, which, though appreciated by many later scholars, also faced some critical scrutiny. This paper presents a critical study of the editorial techniques employed by Mahesh Prshad in his compilation of Ghalib’s letters, and their scholarly implications.