1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:07,040 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hi everyone, I'm Eves. Welcome to This Day 3 00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:10,160 Speaker 1: in History Class, a podcast for folks who can never 4 00:00:10,280 --> 00:00:23,599 Speaker 1: have enough history knowledge. Today is November eleventh, nineteen. The 5 00:00:23,680 --> 00:00:28,680 Speaker 1: day was November eleven. Scholar, poet and leader of the 6 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:32,960 Speaker 1: Indian Independence movement A. Bula Kalam Azad was born. His 7 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:35,760 Speaker 1: father was a Bengali Muslim scholar and his mother was 8 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:39,480 Speaker 1: an Arab and the daughter of a scholar. In eighteen ninety, 9 00:00:39,600 --> 00:00:43,440 Speaker 1: Azad and his family moved to Calcutta, India. Azad was 10 00:00:43,560 --> 00:00:46,680 Speaker 1: educated at home by his father and other Islamic scholars, 11 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:50,840 Speaker 1: who taught him religious sciences, Classical Arabic, Persian and order 12 00:00:50,840 --> 00:00:55,240 Speaker 1: do He was also taught philosophy and math. His family 13 00:00:55,280 --> 00:00:58,480 Speaker 1: background meant that he had to pursue traditional Islamic education, 14 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:01,520 Speaker 1: but he also did a lot of self study beyond 15 00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:06,160 Speaker 1: his traditional education, and he learned English, world history and politics. 16 00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:11,080 Speaker 1: As he studied more, he became disillusioned by some religious dogma. 17 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:15,080 Speaker 1: He married Zuleika Begum when he was thirteen years old. 18 00:01:16,080 --> 00:01:18,120 Speaker 1: By the time he was a teenager, he was already 19 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:22,640 Speaker 1: invested in journalism. As he traveled through Afghanistan, Iraq, Egypt, 20 00:01:22,800 --> 00:01:27,240 Speaker 1: Syria and Turkey. He met revolutionary activists and developed radical views. 21 00:01:28,319 --> 00:01:31,560 Speaker 1: He became an Indian nationalist. He opposed the partition of 22 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:34,560 Speaker 1: Bengal in nineteen o five and began to advocate for 23 00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:38,399 Speaker 1: people uniting in the freedom movement against the British. He 24 00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:41,160 Speaker 1: was critical of the British Raj and of Muslims who 25 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:44,240 Speaker 1: focused on communal issues that he believed were not as 26 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:48,920 Speaker 1: important as national freedom. In nineteen twelve, Azad began publishing 27 00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:52,040 Speaker 1: a weekly order to language journal called All Halal. The 28 00:01:52,160 --> 00:01:55,440 Speaker 1: journal was anti Britain and criticized Indian Muslims who were 29 00:01:55,480 --> 00:01:59,400 Speaker 1: loyal to the British. Azad encouraged Muslims to fight for 30 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:04,720 Speaker 1: independent and encouraged Hindu Muslim unity. The government banned All Hallal, 31 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:09,600 Speaker 1: but Azad just started another publication, so British officials invoked 32 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:12,840 Speaker 1: the Defense of India Act against him, a law used 33 00:02:12,919 --> 00:02:17,360 Speaker 1: to shut down the activities of nationalists and revolutionaries. By 34 00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:20,799 Speaker 1: nineteen sixteen, Azad was put on house arrest in Ranchi 35 00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:25,200 Speaker 1: and detained there until January of nineteen twenty. During this time, 36 00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:29,480 Speaker 1: he wrote an autobiographical text called tas Kira. Once he 37 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:32,080 Speaker 1: was released, he was active in the Kila Fat movement. 38 00:02:32,800 --> 00:02:36,040 Speaker 1: In the movement, Indian Muslims and nationalists pressured the British 39 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:39,200 Speaker 1: government to preserve the position of the Sultan of Ottoman 40 00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:43,400 Speaker 1: Turkey as the Caliph of Islam. Azad worked with Gandhi 41 00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:46,720 Speaker 1: in the Non co Operation movement, which organized mass acts 42 00:02:46,760 --> 00:02:50,280 Speaker 1: of non violent civil disobedience to encourage Britain to grant 43 00:02:50,320 --> 00:02:54,639 Speaker 1: India's self government. He urged people to boycott British schools, 44 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:59,520 Speaker 1: government offices, and products. Azad and Gandhi became close and 45 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:03,760 Speaker 1: Azad participated in many of his campaigns, including the Salt March. 46 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:07,280 Speaker 1: He committed to non violence and became a key link 47 00:03:07,320 --> 00:03:11,280 Speaker 1: between Gandhi and the Muslim community. In nineteen twenty three, 48 00:03:11,639 --> 00:03:14,200 Speaker 1: he became the youngest person to be elected president of 49 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:17,680 Speaker 1: the Indian National Congress, a political party that dominated the 50 00:03:17,720 --> 00:03:22,240 Speaker 1: Indian independence movement. He also served on the Congress Working 51 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:25,760 Speaker 1: Committee and as General Secretary on more than one occasion. 52 00:03:26,840 --> 00:03:29,880 Speaker 1: Over the next couple of decades, Azad was arrested and 53 00:03:29,919 --> 00:03:33,960 Speaker 1: imprisoned several times. In nineteen forty two, he and the 54 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:37,520 Speaker 1: Congress leadership were arrested for their support and amplification of 55 00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:40,880 Speaker 1: the Quit India movement, which called for a rebellion against 56 00:03:40,920 --> 00:03:45,720 Speaker 1: British rule in India and demanded independence. After World War 57 00:03:45,760 --> 00:03:49,080 Speaker 1: Two ended in India gained its independence, the partition of 58 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:52,520 Speaker 1: India along religious lines became an issue that Azad opposed. 59 00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:57,080 Speaker 1: He supported a confederation of autonomous provinces with their own 60 00:03:57,120 --> 00:04:02,120 Speaker 1: constitutions and advocated for Hindu Muslim n d but British 61 00:04:02,120 --> 00:04:05,480 Speaker 1: India split into India and Pakistan in nineteen forty seven. 62 00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:09,760 Speaker 1: From nineteen forty seven until his death in nineteen fifty eight, 63 00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:15,040 Speaker 1: Azad was India's first Minister of Education. He promoted secondary education, 64 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:20,080 Speaker 1: literacy and education of women and impoverished people. Azad was 65 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:26,440 Speaker 1: awarded India's highest civilian award, the Rutna, in nineto. I'm 66 00:04:26,480 --> 00:04:28,920 Speaker 1: each deathcote and hopefully you know a little more about 67 00:04:28,960 --> 00:04:32,920 Speaker 1: history today than you did yesterday. If you've seen any 68 00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:35,880 Speaker 1: good history means lately, you can send them to us 69 00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:41,039 Speaker 1: on social media at T D I h C podcast, 70 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:44,520 Speaker 1: or if you are so inclined, you can send us 71 00:04:44,520 --> 00:04:49,880 Speaker 1: a message at this day at I heart media dot com. 72 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:52,640 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to today's episode. We'll see you again 73 00:04:52,680 --> 00:05:03,040 Speaker 1: tomorrow For more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the 74 00:05:03,080 --> 00:05:05,760 Speaker 1: i heart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen 75 00:05:05,760 --> 00:05:06,640 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.