In the changing ideas of the nation, and a constant rise in hate speeches and slogans singling out muslims like “shoot the traitors of the this nation” to the prime minister refering the population as “Infiltrators, those with more children” or “go back to bangladesh/Pakistan “a wave of hate has spread across the nation where one group of population is forced to prove their loyalty and stance towards the very nation their forefathers chose to stay in. This article aims to bring to 10 such names without whom the fight for independence would have been far more difficult.
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
“Slavery is the worst even if it bears beautiful names”
A profound thinker, an upholder of secularism, and builder of free India, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was born on November 11, 1888. At a young age, he came in touch with Arab and Turkish revolutionaries and drew inspiration from them.
On his return to India, he made his way towards politics and started Al Hilal, an Urdu weekly. Al Hilal took a strong stand against British rule. Through the beauty of his writing skills, Maulana Azad urged people to unite and free the country from foreign rule.
Maulana Azad actively participated in the Khilafat movement and joined the Indian National Congress; he was a close ally of Gandhi and participated in the historic Salt March and Quit India Movement.
Post-independence, he served as the first education minister and remarkably promoted universal educational rights. But unfortunately, today, after 78 years of independence, there are hundreds of students who still face discrimination in their schools and universities. The significant discrimination that made many headlines was the Karnataka Hijab ban.
In February 2022, a controversy erupted in Karnataka when some Muslim students were denied entry to schools for wearing hijabs, leading to protests and counter-protests. The girls were denied their rights to education because of their headscarf, a mandatory practice in Islam.
Following this, many incidents have made the rounds on the internet where girls were discriminated against on the basis of their religion.
Begum Hazrat Mahal also known as Begum of Avadh
Known for her bravery, she rebelled against the British East India Company during the Revolt of 1857. She shot British emperor Sir Henry Lawrence and destroyed the British army. She was one of the most important personalities in the galaxy of freedom fighters. Hazrat Mahal played a significant role during the First War of Independence by operating from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. Hazrat Mahal bravely protested British control and stood against the policy of destroying holy sites.
In 1856, when the British East India Company took over the state of Awadh and forced the Nawab into exile, Begum Hazrat Mahal refused to submit to their demands. She appealed to the rural people of Awadh, urging them to join her in the fight against the British. With their support, she led her troops to victory and seized control of Lucknow on July 5, 1857, reinstating Indian rule and handing over the throne to her 14-year-old son.
1857 marks another significant period in the history of Begum Hazrat Mahal. She actively participated in the battles alongside other prominent revolutionaries like Rani Laxmi Bai and Bakht Khan. Despite losing control of Lucknow and most of Awadh to the returning British troops in 1858, she continued to resist and organize soldiers at other locations.
Abid Hasan Safrani
“Jai Hind”
Abid Hasan Safrani holds a significant place in India’s fight for freedom. He left an incredible mark on the land of India by coining the patriotic slogan, “Jai Hind.” These two words have now become the heartbeat of Indian patriotism. Safrani’s words have become a symbol of unity and defiance in the face of colonial rule.
In the heart of Berlin, as Abid Hasan approached the end of his engineering studies A gathering of Indian students was called by Subhas Chandra Bose, and there, for the first time, Abid stood before the leader of India’s freedom struggle.
Netaji asked Abid to join the Indian National Army. Abid initially hesitated and wished to complete his engineering degree before joining the Indian Army.
Hearing this, Netaji became angry and said, “I don’t have time for people like you.” “You are selfish, thinking of your family before your country.”
Abid returned from the gathering, pondered over the words of Subhas Chandra Bose, and immediately joined the Army.
Soon after this, he was made the personal secretary of Subhas Chandra Bose and acted as a translator for Netaji. In 1943, Abid accompanied Netaji in his historic escape from Germany to Japan by submarine. Abid’s works towards freedom are incredible, but, unfortunately, most of the time they are hidden.
Bi Amma
Born in 1850 in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, Bi Amma was born into a nationalist family. Her family was significantly affected by the repercussions of the 1857 revolt against British rule, and this instilled in her a deep sense of patriotism. Later on in life, Bi Amma got married to Abdul Ali Khan, a senior official, and had six children. Two of them were freedom fighters, Maulana Ali Jauhar and Maulana Shaukat Ali.
After her husband’s untimely death due to cholera, Bi Amma faced immense challenges as a single mother. Despite lacking formal education, she was determined to provide her children with a quality education. As a result, her sons later became influential leaders in the Khilafat Movement and the broader independence struggle.
Bi Amma was also an important figure in the Khilafat Movement, which sought to protect the Ottoman Caliphate and promote Muslim unity against British rule. She actively participated in the Non-Cooperation Movement led by Mahatma Gandhi, advocating for the boycott of British goods and promoting the use of khadi
Bi Amma was also the first Muslim woman to actively take part in the freedom struggle for independence. She played a crucial role in persuading women to actively participate in freedom struggles. Along with these things, she actively participated in the Swadeshi Movement by planning meetings, raising money, and teaching the values of adopting Swadeshi items instead of British. She is arguably considered the first lady to raise her voice at political gatherings. Her contribution to education did not stop here; she became one of the founders of Jamia Millia Islamia, which is now educating thousands of students across the world.
Aruna Asaf Ali: Grand old lady of independence
Aruna Asaf Ali played a significant role in the Indian Independence Movement. After her marriage to Asaf Ali, she joined the Indian National Congress and actively took part in the public protests during the Salt Satyagraha. At just 21, she was arrested on charges of vagrancy, and unlike other political prisoners who were released under the Gandhi-Irwin Pact of 1931, Aruna remained behind bars. Her fellow female prisoners refused to leave the jail unless she was freed.
In 1932, Aruna Asaf Ali was imprisoned at Tihar Jail, where she protested against the harsh treatment of political prisoners by going on a hunger strike. Her courageous movements led to better conditions for inmates in Tihar, but in response, she was transferred to Ambala and placed in solitary confinement. After her release, Aruna remained relatively quiet politically, but by the end of 1942, she reemerged to participate in the underground movement.
On August 8, 1942, the All India Congress Committee adopted the Quit India resolution during its session in Bombay. In response, the British government swiftly arrested key leaders and all members of the Congress Working Committee in an attempt to stifle the movement. However, on August 9, a young Aruna Asaf Ali took charge of the session, raising the Congress flag at Gowalia Tank Maidan, signaling the start of the Quit India movement.
The police opened fire on the gathering, but Aruna’s courage in the face of danger earned her the title of “Queen of the 1942 Movement.” In her later years, she was honored as the “Grand Old Lady of the Independence Movement.” Despite the absence of direct leadership, the movement sparked spontaneous protests and demonstrations across the country, reflecting the determination of India’s youth to achieve independence.
Despite all her efforts and contributions, the nation-state of India discriminates against the Indian minority on the basis of their religion. During the recent Kawar Yatra,
Ashfaqulla Khan
“Bahoth jald tutegi gulami ki yeh zanjeere, kisi din dekhna Azaad yeh Hindustan hoga”
Ashfaqulla Khan’s fight towards freedom started in 1918, when Khan was in seventh grade. The police raided his school and arrested a student named Rajaram Bhartiya for his involvement in the Mainpuri Conspiracy, which activists organized looting in Manipur to fund the publication of anti-colonial literature. This incident ignited the engagement in revolutionary activities in the United Provinces.
After this, through a friend, Khan was introduced to Ram Prasad Bismil, a revolutionary leader closely linked to the Mainpuri Conspiracy, through a mutual friend. The two developed a strong bond, and Khan soon joined Bismil in his work with the Non-Cooperation Movement, the Swaraj Party, and the Hindustan Republican Association. Both Bismil and Khan shared a flare for poetry, with Khan writing Urdu poetry under the pen name Hasrat.
On August 9, Khan, along with other revolutionaries Ram Prasad Bismil, Rajendra Lahiri, Sachindra Bakshi, Chandrashekhar Azad, Keshab Chakravarty, Banwari Lal, Maurai Lal Gupta, and Manmathnath Gupta, attacked and robbed a government train in Kakori. After this incident, the British Government arrested Bismil on October 26, 1925, and Khan fled to Nepal to evade imprisonment.
Later on, Khan decided to travel to Delhi to continue his revolutionary activity, but unfortunately, his friend reported his whereabouts to the police, and in essence, Khan was arrested by the Delhi Police.
Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah Faizabad
Born in 1787 in Chennai (present Tamil Naidu), Maulvi Ahamadullah Shah Faizabadi is known as the lighthouse of Rebellion and earned the title of Moulvi due to his spiritual knowledge. His contribution towards freedom has a significant highlights in the first war of indian independence in 1857, Ahamadullah actively participated in it and fought against the forces of East India Company, he personally participated in several battles during the first war of independence along with Sadar Hikhmatullah (formerly Deputy Collector in East India Company) , Firoz Shah, khan Bahadur Khan.
Following this, the East India Company announced a reward of Rs. 50, 000 to find Ahmadullah ( dead or alive). Moulvi was shot dead by Jagannathh Sinha, the king of Powen. He was shot dead when he went to Powen to invite Sinha into the First war of Independence. Thus, Ahamadullah attained martyrdom on 15 June, 1858.
Muhammad Abdur Rahiman
An active freedom fighter, Muhammad Abdur Rahiman was born in Karukappadam near Kodungaloor in 1898 and participated in the Nagpur Session of the Indian National Congress in 1921. He was also the leader of relief activities in Malabar after the Malabar Rebellion in 1921. He, like Maulana Hasrat Mohani, had the power of pen and criticized the British in an article in The Hindu and was again arrested for two years and was ultimately released in August 1923.
His remarkable writing contribution did not stop here, he started a newspaper called Al Ameen in 1942 to spread the spirit of nationalism among masses in Malabar. However, the Government banned the newspaper in 1930 after his publication. Apart from these he participated in Salt Satyagraha at Payyannur and was gravely injured in a police attack. Nevertheless, he continued his criticism against the British when this resulted in his arrest in 1940. He was imprisoned in Vellore jail in Tamil Nadu till September 1945 and the same year after the long imprisonment, he took his last breath.
Ismail Sahib
Mohammed Ismail Sahib, born on June 5, 1896 is often referred to as “Khaddar Ismail,” was a notable freedom fighter from Tenali in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh. His contributions to the Indian independence movement, particularly through the Khadi Campaign, were important in escalating self-reliance and national pride among Indians.
Ismail Sahib is known for establishing the first Khadi store in Guntur, promoting the use of khadi (handspun cloth) as a symbol of self-sufficiency and resistance against British goods. He actively supported the Indian National Movement and provided refuge to activists involved in the struggle for independence.
Maulana Hasrat Mohani
‘Inquilab Zindabad‘
Maulana Hasrat Mohani’s struggle for freedom started during his college years; he participated in revolutionary movements and had to go behind bars in 1903 for his involvement in revolutionary movements. He was soon expelled from his college for the same, but these things did not shake his passion for freedom.
With his power and exemplary writing skills, Hasrat Mohani started publishing a magazine named ‘Urdu-e-Mulla’ from Aligarh in 1903. The key motive of these articles was to make people aware of the oppression and wrong policies being adopted by the imperialists. This contribution by Hasrat Mohani landed him behind bars again in the year 1907. Knowing the power of Mohani’s pen, the British banned his magazine.
Many historians opine that Maulana Hasrat Mohani penned the slogan ‘Inquilab Zindabad’ in 1921. His love for the nation and society and his contribution to freedom and politics are seen in his poetry. On May 13, 1951, in Lucknow, he took his last breath.
