Presented in August 2019, these slides cover the historical prominence of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, his contributions to Urdu journalism, the freedom struggle, and the educational development in India.

1. Indian Regional
Journalism Project
Maulana Abul Kalam
Azad
By: Sarah Imran Ali Rizvi
TYBMM – Journalism
Roll no: TYMM127
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s College, Andheri

2. Introduction
• Scholar, Activist, Urdu poet
• Pen name: Azad – Mark of mental
emancipation from narrow view of religion
and life
• Indian Freedom Struggle
• First Education Minister of independent
India
• Bharat Ratna (posthumously) in 1992
• National Education Day : November 11
– birth anniversary
Maulana Sayyid Abul Kalam Ghulam Muhiyuddin Ahmed bin Khairuddin Al-
Hussaini Azad
Maulana Azad on a 1988 stamp of India

3. Early Life
• Languages: Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, Bengali, Bengali
• Home schooled: Arabic, Persian, Philosophy, geometry, Mathematics,
Algebra, the four fiqhs
• Self trained: English, world history, politics
• A child prodigy: library, reading room, debate society before 12
• Interest: Pan Islamic doctrines – Jamaluddin Afghani
Aligarh thought of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan
•Born on November 11, 1888 in Mecca
• Forefathers: Herat, Afghanistan ; India
– Babar rule
• Lineage of learned Muslim scholars –
Maulanas

4. Politics
• Nationalist
revolutionary
• Criticised
•the British-racial
discrimination
•Muslim politicians
focus on communal
issues before national
interest
• Rejected communal
separatism.•Opposed the partition of Bengal (1905)
• Revolutionary activities – Aurobindo Ghosh and Shyam
Chandra Chakravarty
• President of All India Khilafat Committee
• The Khilafat Movement – Non-Cooperation Movement
• President – special session of Congress in Delhi (1923)
• Arrested in 1930 – Salt Satyagraha
• Abstained from voting on resolution in AICC session – partition
on religious lines.
(from left) Maulana Azad, Acharya Kriplani, Sardar
Patel, Subhash Bose

5. Maulana Azad – A journalist
• Articles in Makhzan (literary magazine) – at 14
•1900 – Editor of Al-Misbah (weekly)
•1900 – Nairang-e-Aalam : Poetic journal
•1903 – Lissan-us-Sidq: Monthly journal:
• Social reform
•Rational interrogation of the world
•1912 – Al-Hilal (Urdu weekly journal):
• Espoused Indian Independence Movement
• Revolutionary recruits among Muslims
• Quotations from Quran
• Hindu-Muslim unity post Morley-Minto reforms (communal
electorate)
• Propagated secessionist views
• Covered theology, politics, wars, scientific advancement,
critical coverage of the British Raj
• Banned in 1914 – Press Act
• 1914 – Al-Balagh (Weekly):
• Indian nationalism, revolutionary, Hindu-Muslim Unity
• Banned in 1916, Maulana Azad expelled from Calcutta,
interned at Ranchi, released after WWI

6. Clip of Al-Hilal

7. Education Minister and leader
• Education Minister: August 14, 1947 – February 22, 1958
• Founded Jamia Millia Islamia
• Ministry Of Education established:
• Indian Institute of Technology (Kharagpur) – 1951
• University Grants Commission – 1953
• Development emphasis on:
• Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
• Faculty of Technology - Delhi University
• Emphasis on rural poor and girls
• As Chairman of the Central Advisory Board of Education:
• Adult literacy
• Universal primary education
• Free and compulsory for all children up to the age of
14
• Girls education
• Diversification of secondary education and vocational
training

8. Legacy
• Numerous institutions named after him:
• Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi
• Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal
• Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad
• Maulana Azad Centre for Elementary and Social Education
(MACESE Delhi University)
• Maulana Azad College, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute
of Asian Studies, and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of
Technology, in Kolkata
• Bab – e – Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (Gate No. 7), Jamia
Millia Islamia, New Delhi
• Maulana Azad library in the Aligarh Muslim University,
Aligarh
• Maulana Azad Stadium, Jammu
• His home housed the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of
Asian Studies earlier, now the Maulana Azad Museum
• Jawaharlal Nehru: Mir-i- Karawan (the caravan leader)
• Mahatma Gandhi: "a person of the calibre of Plato, Aristotle
and Pythagoras"

9. Bibliography
•
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abul_Kalam_Azad#Revolutionary_and_j
ournalist
• Vipul’s book on Indian Regional Journalism by Yogesh Dhanjani
• Maulana Abul Kalam Azad: profile of a Nationalist – Edited by
Mahavir Singh