November 11, is the Birth Anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam AzadAbul Kalam Azad received a traditional Islamic education at home from his father and other teachers. Maulana was well versed in many languages like Arabic, English, Urdu, Hindi, Persian and Bengali. He was a renowned scholar, and a poet. He adopted the pen name “Azad” as a mark of his mental emancipation from a narrow view of religion and life. He was drawn to journalism and politics from a young age. Two leading revolutionaries of Bengal- Aurobinto Ghosh and Sri Shyam Shundar Chakravarty inspired Maulana Azad. He joined the revolutionary movement against British rule. Within two years, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad helped set up secret revolutionary centers all over north India and Bombay. In 1912, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad started a weekly journal in Urdu called Al-Hilal. 'The government banned Al-hilal in 1914. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad then started another weekly called Al-Balagh with the same mission of propagating Indian nationalism and Hindu-Muslim unity. In 1916, the government banned this paper too and expelled Maulana Abul Kalam Azad from Calcutta. Influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and his ideals, he joined congress in 1920. Azad became the youngest person to serve as the President of the Indian National Congress at the age of 35 in 1923. Azad became the leader of the 'Khilafat Movement' and was actively involved in non-cooperation movement andHe was imprisoned several times between 1920 and 1945, including for his participation in civil disobedience Movement and the Quit India movement. Azad tirelessly advocated for a single India that would embrace both Hindus and Muslims while strongly opposing the partition. Maulana Azad took an active part in the constituent assembly debates, particularly those related to education. He believed that India as a nation should aspire for high educational standards.As the first education minister of the country from 1947 until his death in 1958, he advocated for free and compulsory primary education for all children up to the age of 14 as he believed it was the right of all citizens. He established ‘the board for adult education to facilitate education among uneducated adults. He was also one of the brains behind the University Grants Commission and played a key role in the establishment of other educational institutions like Jamia milia Islamia and IITs. He breathed his last on 22 Feb 1958. His autobiography “India Wins Freedom”, was published after his death in 1959. Azad was awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1992. It is because of his contributions in the field of education that 11 November is celebrated as national education day.11 November is also the Birth Anniversary of JB Kriplani, a Gandhian socialist, environmentalist, independence activist. Jiwatram Bhagwandas Kripalani popularly known as Acharya Kripalani was born in 1888. From 1912 to 1927, he taught at various places before becoming wholly involved in India’s freedom movement. He met the Mahatma during the Champaran Satyagrah in 1917. He earned the moniker ‘Acharya’ around 1922 when he was teaching at the Gujarat Vidyapith, founded by the Mahatma a couple of years before. As a student, Kripalani was involved in the Indian freedom struggle. He was an ardent Gandhi follower and in 1927 joined the Indian National Congress. He took part in the Champaran Satyagraha, Non-Cooperation movement, and Quit India movement. Acharya Kripalani was married to an equally dynamic personality — Sucheta Kripalani, another noted Gandhian and India’s first woman chief minister, who led Uttar Pradesh from 1963 to 1967.Kripalani was elected to the Constituent Assembly from United Province. He was the Chairman of the Sub-Committee on Fundamental Rights. In the Assembly, he spoke on the Preamble. He was elected as the Congress Party President in 1946 but resigned a year later due to growing differences with the party members on the role of the Working Committee. Soon Kripalani turned into a strong critic of the Indian national congress. Acharya Kripalani passed away on 19 March 1982 at the age of 93, in Ahmedabad.
