Maulana Abul Kalam Azad’s footprints on the political, literary and cultural canvas of India are indelible, noted Rizwan Qaiser, eminent historian and professor of history and culture at the Jamia Millia Islamia, as he presented a vivid picture of Maulana Azad’s ideological and political evolution.
Delivering the Azad Memorial lecture on ‘Siasat, Taleem aur Saqafat: Maulana Abul Kalam Azad aur Hindustani Qaumiyat ky tameer’ (Politics, Education and Culture: Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and the Making of the Indian Nation), Prof. Qaiser compared the genius of Maulana Azad with Aristotle and Plato and said the stature of his personality inspires generations.
He reminded that Maulana Azad established the network of IITs in 1951, founded Sahitya Akademi, Sangeet Natak Akademi and Lalit Kala Akademi to provide common platform to India’s diverse literary and cultural heritage. He described Maulana Azad as an ideologue of Hindu-Muslim unity who opposed partition of the country tooth and nail. He said Maulana Azad also started Indian Council for Cultural Relations, specifically for Middle Eastern and Muslim countries to tell them about the large number of Muslims in India.
The lecture was organised by Maulana Azad National Urdu University to mark the independence activist’s birth anniversary.
