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“The emperor of learning. A person of the caliber of Plato, Aristotle and Pythagoras.”



Mahatma Gandhi on Maulana Azad

We must not forget the contribution made by our great men in the past, for if we do so, it will only lead to our downfall. 



I would like to pay my respectful tribute to a great leader, scholar and a noble soul on the recent 126th anniversary of his birth. I wish to salute his extraordinary and brilliant vision and his efforts to strengthen the secular fabric of India and to shape the educational system of the nation as its first education minister.



Memorable quotes and facts from the life of Maulana Azad can inspire and motivate us to learn lessons from his leadership. We are wedded to the values of Indian nation-building where plurality is preserved and diversity celebrated, and education is a priority. By making education a priority, we can contribute to the prosperity of the community, society and nation.



I strongly believe in the following: A better Muslim, a better India, a better India, a better world.  Azad’s philosophy, ideas and teachings are lessons in  further strengthening our strong pluralistic character that has held different religious and social groups together for centuries. We should spread his philosophy for the betterment and peaceful co-existence of Indian society. Diversity and pluralism have been the nation’s unique beauty and strength.



Azad stood for a learning society through liberal, modern and universal education combining the humanism of Indian arts and the rationalism of Western sciences. He believed in a society where the strong are just and the weak secure; where youth are disciplined and women lead a life of dignity in a non-violent, non-exploitative  social and economic order. He was free India’s first education minister and guided the destiny of the nation for 11 years. I thank the UPA government for recognizing his services to the nation and declaring his birthday November 11  as National Education Day.  I personally feel that the birthday of Maulana Azad should also to be celebrated as National Unity Day.



Throughout his life he stood for the Ganga-Jamni-Tehzeeb (composite culture) of Hindus and Muslims. The following statement  of Mualana Azad shows how Hindu-Muslim unity was close to his heart:



“Today, if an angel were to descend from Heaven and declare from the top of the Qutab Minar, that India will have Swaraj within 24 hours, provided she relinquishes Hindu-Muslim unity, I would relinquish Swaraj rather than give up Hindu-Muslim unity. Delay in the attainment of Swaraj will be a loss to India, but if our unity is lost, it will be a loss for all mankind”. Secular to the marrow of his bones, Azad’s advice to students was: “Bury communalism once and for all.  The student of today is the potential leader of tomorrow. He will have to sustain social, political and economic activities. If he is not properly trained and does not develop the necessary resources of character and knowledge, he cannot supply the leadership which the nation will need”



“The wealth of the nation,” according to Maulana Azad, “is not in the country’s banks but in primary schools”. He advocated in particular, universal primary education, free and compulsory for all children up to the age of 14. Further he advocated girls’ education, vocational training, agricultural education and technical education. He established the University Grants Commission (UGC). According to him, universities not only have academic functions, they have social responsibilities as well. He was a pioneer in the field of adult education. His greatest contribution, however, is that in addition to being an eminent scholar of Urdu, Persian and Arabic, he stood for the retention of the English language for educational advantages and national and international needs.



However, he felt that primary education should be imparted in the mother tongue. In the field of technical education, he strengthened the All India Council for Technical Education. The Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur was established in 1951 followed by a chain of IIT’s at Bombay, Madras, Kanpur and Delhi. The School of Planning and Architecture was also established during his tenure in 1955. He gave new life to Anjuman-Tarraqui-e-Urdu-e-Hind (Society for Progress of Urdu in India). He increased the grants of Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University in their financial crisis. He gave priority to the Archaeological Survey of India in its efforts to repair and maintain protected monuments.



Maulana Azad led a simple life. At the time of his death, he had neither property nor a bank account. In his personal closet were found some cotton “achkans”, a dozen “khadi kurtas” and pajamas, two pairs of sandals, an old dressing gown and a used hair brush. But there were lots of rare books which are now the property of the nation.



A man like Maulana Azad is rare indeed. Throughout his life he stood for the unity of India and its composite culture.



When the Sachar Committee released its report, I was shocked to learn the extent of the  backwardness of Muslims in India in almost all segments of life. In the last  few decades, we have become one of the most backward communities in India and the chief factor of our backwardness is a lack of education. It is very sad that we have not given more importance to education and have not played our role in society. We have absolutely failed to give back to society, and we have not realized our social responsibility. We have not taken care of our people and have not raised funds to help needy children to go to school and learn.  It is painful to note that, according to the Sachar report, only 2 percent of  Muslims are in the IITs, the institutions which were established by our leader.



My belief is that education is the only way to overcome the economic, social and political challenges faced by Muslims in India.  We should raise funds to insure a decent education for Muslims and provide financial help in education, health and shelter for those in need.



We must learn from our past mistakes and everyone must be given the tools of education.



With quality education, we can fight poverty and illiteracy, and bring our future generations development, respect, political and economic empowerment, prosperity and wealth. If we spend  wisely on quality education, I am sure that we can become one of the most  advanced communities in India. We should do something urgently to improve the quality of education before it is too late. Together we can build a better future where no one is left behind.



Mohammed Saleem Khaleefa, Jeddah