ISSUE 375 - 13-11-2020

34 13/11/2020 NEWS LITERATURE POLITICS FASHION ART & CULTURE KIDS RELIGION FILMS
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In 2008, November 11 was designated
as National Education Day to commemorate
the birthday of Maulana
Abul Kalam Azad, independent India’s
First Education Minister. Maulana
Azad an internationally well-known
educationist was born in Mecca, Saudi
Arabia (KSA) on November 11, 1888
and passed away in New Delhi, India,
on February 22, 1958. This multifaceted
genius can be taken for discussion
in various dimensions e.g. Azad as an
educationist, Azad as a commentator of
the Quran, Azad as a thinker, Azad as
a theologian, Azad as an orator, Azad
as an editor, Azad as a journalist, Azad
as a politician, Azad as a debater, Azad
as an author, Azad as a husband even
Azad as a spokesman for the plight of
poor etc.
The personality of Maulana Azad
needs no introduction. Almighty Allah
bestowed upon him extraordinary
knowledge and wisdom. Right from his
childhood, he was quite sharp-minded.
He had exhibited his erudition and
scholarship by rendering the address of
Allama Syed Rashid Reza of Egypt in
Urdu when he had come to address a
meeting in Nadwatul Ulama, Lucnkow
on the invitation of Allama Shibli
Nomani in 1912.
A.B. Rajput describing the influence
of Maulana Azad says: Caesar was a
man of the moment and Paul a man of
the future for Caesar was the symbol of
his age and Paul was the embodiment of
those prophetic qualities which create a
future age. But Abul Kalam Azad happily
combines in him the qualities of both
Caesar and Paul, for his actions and
achievement, though symbolical of the
present age, required yet another age to
be fully understood and
recognize.(Khilafat to Partition)
According to Mahatma Gandhi,
“Maulana Azad is the most forceful,
truthful, and fearless satyagrahi and
fighter against oppression and injustice
that I have come across.” Jawaharlal
Nehru once said, “Though I am grateful
to all my companions, I would like to
mention especially Maulana Abul
Kalam Azad, whose erudition has
Remembering Maulana Azad
on National Education Day
delighted me incredibly, and has sometimes
overwhelmed me. In Azad along
with the good qualities of the past, the
graciousness, the deep learning and tolerance,
there is a strange and unique
mixture of the urges of today and the
modern outlook.”
In fact Maulana Azad wanted to
make India an ideal country where all
people may live with peace and amity
by carrying out the principles and tenets
of their respective religions. He never
like slavery, servitude and serfdom.
That is why he remained an ardent
preacher of his religion also. Even when
he became the first Education Minister
of free India he adhered to his principles
and faith strictly. His monumental work
Tarjumanul Quran is the best exposition
of his religious thoughts and concepts.
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was one
of those remarkable personalities who
could not only stir the whole world, but
when necessary could direct the current
of human history in more useful and
profitable grooves. His life was a
stormy one full of sensational and epoch
making events. The life of this great
scholar who could make his own way in
every walk of life requires to be divided
into five broad divisions.
a) His childhood upto the age of
seven years (1895).
b) His traditional education upto fifteen
years (1902).
c) His struggle for the discovery and
realization of Truth (1902-1910).
d) The crusade for the promotion of
the appreciation of the Truth and its
implementation upto 1947.
e) The glorious last ten year upto
22nd February 1958. (Abul Kalam
Islam and Humanity,P,13).
Maulana Azad selfless contributions
and arduous services in National
Struggle for Freedom can never be
overlooked. He fought alongside Pandit
Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi
to get India free from the British rule. In
1947, Jawaharlal Nehru appointed him
as the first Education Minister in the
newly formed Indian cabinet. He
remained Union Minister of Education
till his death in 1958.
It was Maulana Azad who gave the
first call for Swaraj in 1912 when he
launched Al-Hilal from Calcutta. In
1922 Maulana Azad claimed in his court
statement that the job of creating spiritual
and religious spirit in the hearts of
youths which Mahatma Gandhi had
started, AL-Hilal had already fulfilled
this obligation in 1914. Maulana Azad
had the right to this claim.
Dr. Najma Heptulla says, “His writing
had such an electrifying effect in
masses that British Govt. confiscated
the Al-HILAL Press and sent Maulana
Azad in confinement at Ranchi. This
confinement and many arrests that follow
did not deter him from the path he
had chosen for himself. Maulana was a
devout Muslim and staunch Nationalist
he believed that the country cannot be
free from the foreign rule until and
unless Muslims and Hindus jointly fight
for it. His message on the eve of his
arrest on December 1921 spells this out
clearly: The faithful should neither
worry nor grieve. They should rest
assured that if they have true faith they
will be victorious over all. Our victory
depends on four principles of truth
Hindu-Muslim Unity peace, discipline
and sustained sacrifice.”
Maulana Azad said in his presidential
address delivered at the Congress
Session of 1923: If an Angel were to
decent from the clouds today, settle on
Qutub Minar Delhi and proclaim from
there that India can win Swaraj within
twenty four hours provided that India
renounces Hindu-Muslim unity., then I
would renounce Swaraj and not Unity.
Because if Swaraj is delayed that is the
loss of India, but if Hindu-Muslim unity
is lost it is a loss to humanity.
Maulana Azad’s education plan had
four objectives. First, the removal of illiteracy.
This was to be achieved through
the universalisation of elementary education
upto the secondary level. The project
reached out to women as well. Second,
the provision for offering equal educational
opportunities to all irrespective of
caste and class. Third, the three language
formula. This made Hindi and the state
languages the medium of instruction.
English was offered as an important second
language. Fourth, the expansion of
primary education throughout the country.
K.N. Nizami has precisely said: The
corner-store of Maulana Azad’s educational
policy was his conviction that
democracy cannot function without eradication
of illiteracy. This supplied the
motive power to his efforts in the field of
national education. He often approvingly
quoted Disraeli who used to say that a
democracy has no future unless it educates
its masses. Maulana Azads educational
conspectus covered all segments
of Indian population and dealt alike with
the villages and the towns. He gave his
attention to every important problem
whether it concerned the medium of
instruction, syllabi, future of graduates,
linguistic tension, adult illiteracy, sports,
festivals, roads, houses etc.
The India of Maulana’s dreams was a
country proudly following its past traditions
of enlightenment and culture but
keeping itself abreast of all intellectual
and scientific developments in the world.
(Azad Academy Journal)
It goes without saying that the system
of education which we have today
is largely built by Maulana Azad. On
account of his selfless patriotism,
indomitable courage, free and forceful
tendencies and inclinations he is considered
one of the builders of great
India. Azad has been posthumously
awarded India’s highest civilian honour,
Bharat Ratna in 1992. In short,
Maulana Azad was a complete genius.
He was, no doubt, India’s Jewel and
Bharat Ratna. He will remain immortal
in Indian history.
Next quarters may see negative growth
too, recession on: Chidambaram
New Delhi: With the RBI
predicting the quarterly economic
growth rate is expected to
decline by 8.6 per cent, senior
Congress leader P.
Chidambaram on Thursday said
that remaining quarters of the
fiscal may record "negative
growth" and that for the first
time since data was recorded
methodically, the Indian economy
has gone into a recession, as
defined by economists.
Addressing a press conference,
the former Finance
Minister said: "There is nothing
to be pleased about these rates.
These rates mean that we are still
unable to catch up with even the
tepid growth rates recorded in
2019-20. I am afraid the remaining
quarters of 2020-21 will also
record negative growth rates."
Chidambaram said that since
these rates are calculated y-o-y,
it must be remembered that in
Q1 of 2019-20, the growth rate
was 5.2 per cent and in Q1 of
2020-21, it was (-)23.9 per cent.
Similarly, in Q2 of 2019-2O, the
growth rate was 4.4 per cent and
in Q2 of 2020-21, it is expected
to be (-) 8.6 per cent.
"It is therefore surprising that
the Finance Minister should
quote the RBI as predicting that
the economy will register a positive
growth rate in the third quarter.
Nearly one and a half months
of the third quarter are already
over and there are no signs that
the growth rate will turn positive
in the third quarter," he said.
The Congress leader said that
his party has repeatedly emphasised
the steps that need to be
taken to revive the economy,
and that as farmers must get fair
and remunerative prices for
their produce as only a small
fraction get MSP and the very
poor are outside the formal
economy.
"There are millions who
have lost their jobs and livelihoods.
Unless money is put in
their hands, they will not be
able to contribute to the revival
of demand and the consequent
revival of the economy. It is
absolutely necessary that a
scheme like NYAY must be
implemented," Chidambaram
said
The Congress leader alleged
that as far as the formal economy
is concerned, the government
has done nothing to bring
back the jobs that were lost or to
create new jobs.
Noting that the unemployment
rate on November 11
stood at 6.4 per cent, he said
that it is feared that state governments
will cut their capital
expenditure by nearly Rs 2.7
lakh crore. "That is about onehalf
of the budgeted capital
expenditure by the states. The
Centre is starving the state governments
of funds and doling
out measly sums of money."
Congress leader Rahul
Gandhi too, citing RBI data,
attacked the government.
"India has entered into recession
for the first time in history.
Mr Modi's actions have turned
India's strength into its weakness,"
he said in a tweet.
Major Fire in Gandhi Nagar
cloth market in Delhi
New Delhi: A major fire has
occurred at a cloth shop and
godown in Delhi's garment market
Gandhi Nagar in Shahdara
district on Thursday evening. At
least 26 fire tenders have been
rushed to the spot.
"We received a call from
Subhash road in Gandhi Nagar
regarding the fire in a cloth
shop-cum-godown. There is no
casuality yet," Atul Garg,
Director, Delhi Fire Service said.
The local police also rushed
to the spot and helped in the rescue
operation. Smoke and fire
was seen from a distance and the
locals too aided in the rescue
operation. The building has been
vacated.