Maulana Azad Maulana Abul Kalam Azad(1888-1958) was running a library, a reading room, a debating society before he was twelve and contributing learned articles to Makhzan (the best known literary magazine of the day) at fourteen. In 1923, at the age of 35, he was the youngest President of the Indian National Congress. An accomplished poet, a religious scholar, a journalist and a philosopher, he remained critical of the British raj and led the Khilafat movement. Leading the cause of Hindu-Muslim unity he advocated Secularism and Socialism. While one of the leaders of the Quit India movement from 1940-1945, he remained imprisoned for 3 years.(11 years in all) He opposed the creation of a state on the basis of religion. Amidst communal turmoil he worked for religious harmony. Speaking vehemently against Jinnahs Two-Nation Theory—the notion that Hindus and Muslims were distinct nations—Azad lambasted religious separatism and exhorted all Muslims to preserve a united India, as all Hindus and Muslims were Indians who shared deep bonds of brotherhood and nationhood. In his 1940 presidential address at a Congress session at Ramgarh, Azad said: ... Full eleven centuries have passed by since then. Islam has now as great a claim on the soil of India as Hinduism. If Hinduism has been the religion of the people here for several thousands of years Islam also has been their religion for a thousand years. Just as a Hindu can say with pride that he is an Indian and follows Hinduism, so also we can say with equal pride that we are Indians and follow Islam. I shall enlarge this orbit still further. The Indian Christian is equally entitled to say with pride that he is an Indian and is following a religion of India, namely Christianity.” After independence, he was the first Education Minister of India. He was posthumously awarded a “Bharat Ratna” (highest civilian award) in 1992 by the Indian government. He had refused it earlier on the ground that a member of the selection committee should not accept it. He oversaw the establishment of the National Education Foundation with free primary education, Indian Institutes of Technology and University Grants Commission. He felt that right from its inception, Pakistan will face some very serious problems. Below is the summary of what he had predicted: 1. The incompetent political leadership will pave the way for military dictatorship as it has happened in many Muslim countries. 2. The heavy burden of foreign debt would wreck the economy. 3. Absence of friendly relationship with neighbors and the possibility of armed conflict was imminent. 4. Internal unrest and regional conflicts would characterize the newly born state. 5. The loot of national wealth by the new rich and industrialists of Pakistan would be rampant. 6. There was a strong apprehension of class war as a result of exploitation by the new rich. 7. There would be dissatisfaction and alienation of the youth from religion and the collapse of the theory of Pakistan. 8. There would be conspiracies of the international powers to control Pakistan. Maulana Abul Kalam Azads Birthday, November 11 is being celebrated in India as the National Education Day. Waseem Altaf
Posted on: Tue, 11 Nov 2014 15:20:41 +0000
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