Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

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Prime Minister pays tribute to Maulana Azad on his birth anniversary

About Maulana Azad(1888-1958)

He was born on 11th November 1888 in Mecca(presently in Saudi Arabia)
His other names-Abul Kalam Ghulam Muhiyuddin also called Maulana Abul Kalam Azad or Maulana Azad
He was an Islamic theologian and one of the leaders of the Indian independence movement against British rule in the first half of the 20th century.
Azad was influenced by the Indian educator Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan and his ideas of English knowledge
Maulana Azad began his journalism by publishing a weekly Urdu-language newspaper in Calcutta, Al-Hilal (“The Crescent”) which influenced the Muslim community for its anti-British stance
He joined INC in Calcutta and became president of INC in 1923 and 1940-46
He was an active participant in the Khilafat movement(1920-24)
During this Khilafat movement, Gandhi and Azad became closer and he was involved in Gandhi’s various civil-disobedience campaigns, including the Salt March (1930) and Quit India campaign.
Maulana Azad advocated for a single India that would embrace both Hindus and Muslims while strongly opposing the partition of British India into independent India and Pakistan.
Post Independence he served as minister of education in the Indian government of Jawaharlal Nehru from 1947 until his death.
In 1959 his autobiography India Wins Freedom, was published posthumously.
He was awarded Bharat Ratna in the year 1992