NEW DELHI, Nov 11: As part of its project to digitise the heritage of great Indian leaders, the Government today launched a portal on freedom fighter and the country’s first education minister Maulana Azad on his 125th birth anniversary.
Minister for Minority Affairs K Rehman Khan, member Planning Commission and Maulana Azad’s biographer Dr Syeda Hamid and Chairman of the National Commission for minorities Wajahat Habibullah spoke of the great leader’s contribution to the secularism and his strong opposition to the partition of the country on religious lines and efforts for Hindi-Muslim unity in the face of all odds.
The national portal, a one stop point collating all knowledge and resources available on Maulana Azad can now be accessed on ‘www.Maulanaazadheritage.Org’.
The next portal in the series would be about the country’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Mr Pitroda said.
Along with a biographical account on Maulana Azad, the portal contains titles and information on over 20 books written by Maulana Azad, in Urdu and English, as well as information on over 45 books written on Maulana Azad in Urdu, Hindi and English.
It also contains over 60 photographs – some of which are with contemporaries like Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi, C Rajagopalachari amongst others. The portal also has excerpts of rare writings by Maulana Azad – his address on the Mahatma’s Birthday on All India Radio, his message on the day that marked the anniversary of the JallianwalaBagh massacre, his insights on the history of philosophy – to name a few. Additionally, the portal enlists the institutions, scholarships and other initiatives named after the leader. A separate section on the portal documents the close relationship between Mahatma Gandhi and Maulana Azad, details of which can also be found on the Gandhi Heritage Portal (www.Gandhiheritageportal.Org).
Speaking on the occasion, the Minority Affairs Minister said Maulana Azad’s commitment to the cause of Indian freedom and secularism made him a towering personality and a leader of national importance, the Minister added.
“He had multifaceted personality. India need to follow the path, as shown by Maulana Azad, who fought a relentless war throughout his life, against the Communal forces and worked for building a strong secular nation. His name was Ghulam Mohiuddin while Azad was his pen name and Imamul Hind (Religious leader of India) and Abul Kalam (Father of Inoculation) were the titles conferred upon him by his countrymen due to his vast knowledge and respected position in the society,”the Minister said.
Dr Syeda Hameed threw light on the collaborative relationship between Pandit Nehru and Maulana Azad – through agreements and differences – towards independence and nation building.
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Innovation and Infrastructure Dr Sam Pitroda said it was high time that the country digitised all the literature available on the great leaders to preserve them for ever. He said he was feeling very happy that he was part of a project whose aim was to apprise the people about the great legacy of Maulana Azad. (UNI)
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