About Maulana Abul Kalam:-
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was born on
11 November, 1888 in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. He was a leading figure in India's
struggle for freedom and a noted writer, poet and journalist. He adopted the
pen name Azad (Free). In his childhood, Azad had a traditional Islamic
education, along with training in subjects like mathematics, philosophy, world
history and science by tutors at his home. Through his own efforts, he learnt
English, along with Western philosophy, history and contemporary politics. He
visited countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, Egypt, Syria and Turkey. He opposed
the partition of Bengal in 1905.
Azad established the Indian Institute of Technology and also contributed in
the foundation of the University Grant Commission.
Personal Life
His real name was Abul Kalam Ghulam Muhiyuddin, but became known as Maulana
Azad. He was born to father Bengali Maulana Muhammad Khairuddin and mother
Arab. He was born in Mecca, but the family relocated to Calcutta in 1890. He
married Zulaikha Begum when he was thirteen years old.
Literary Work
He established an Urdu weekly newspaper in 1912 named Al-Hilal. It was
consequently banned in 1914, following which he started a new journal, the
Al-Balagh.
'Ghubar-e-Khatir' is one of his most noted works which he wrote between 1942
and 1946.
He published many works criticising the British rule and advocating
self-rule for India. His exhaustive book on India's freedom struggle titled
'India Wins Freedom' was published in 1957.
Political Career
It was as a leader of the Khilafat movement that he became close to Mahatma
Gandhi. He became the youngest President of the Indian National Congress in
1923. He always supported the cause of Hindu-Muslim unity and opposed the
demand for a separate Muslim state of Pakistan. He was one of the most
important leaders behind the Dharasana Satyagraha in 1931. He became the
Congress president in 1940 and continued till 1945 and during that time, the
Quit India rebellion also came up.
He served in the Constituent Assembly formed to draft India's constitution
and was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1952 and in 1957. In 1956, he served as
president of the UNESCO General Conference in Delhi.
