Maulana Abul Kalam Azad the First Educaation Minister of India

Maulana Abul kalam Azad

Maulana Abul Kalam Ghulam Muhiyuddin Ahmed bin Khairuddin Al-Hussaini Azad, known as Maulana Azad, was born on November 11, 1888 in mecca, Saudi Arabia. He was one of India's most prominent and influential independent freedom fighters and a noted writer, poet, and journalist. Maulana Azad joined the Indian National Congress and was elected as president twice in 1923 and 1940. Being a Muslim leader, he opposed and stood against the radicalizing policies of other prominent Muslim leaders. He was elected as the first education minister of Independent India. In 1992, posthumously, he was awarded “Bharat Ratna,” India’s highest civilian honor. On 22 February 1958, one of the foremost personalities of the Indian freedom struggle passed away.

His Education and Literary Works

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad studied various languages such as Persian, Urdu, Arabic, and history, philosophy, and geometry. In 1912, Azad started publishing a weekly journal called Al-Hilal, in which he attacked and questioned British policies. But later British banned it. Educationist, freedom fighter, politician, and journalist — Maulana Abul Kalam Azad donned many hats in his more than four-decade-long public life. Intellectual par excellence, he left behind a lasting legacy in the field of India’s education.

1. Ghubar-i-Khatir
2. Tazkirah
3. Tafseer-i-Quran
4. Qual-i-Faisal
5. India Wins Freedom (His autobiography)
6. Tarjumanul Quran

His Political Career

Azad, already inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of non-cooperation to fight the British, also participated in India's major freedom struggle movements. He started leading the Khilafat Movement 1919-24, launched by Ali brothers (Shaukat Ali and Mohammad Ali) to demand that the British sustain the authority of the ‘Ottoman Sultan as Caliph of Islam after World War I’. It was only fitting that he would later serve as independent India’s first education minister and establish institutions such as the Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi during his tenure. In 1992, he was posthumously conferred the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award. India celebrates Maulana Abul Kalam Azad's birthday, 11 November as National Education Day.