K Rahman Khan Launchs National Portal on Maulana Azad Shri

New Delhi, November 11: K Rahman Khan,the Union Minister of Minority Affairs launched a National Portal on Maulana Abul Kalam Azad here today to mark the 125th birth anniversary of the great national leader.

Speaking on the occasion K Rahman Khan said Hindu-Muslim unity and fight against British Colonialism, were the two ideals, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad always kept close to his chest throughout his life and remained in fact the corner stone of his political edifice. His commitment to the cause of Indian freedom and secularism made him a towering personality and a leader of national importance, the Minister added. The Minister said, he had multifaceted personality.

Rahman said that 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 GhulamMohiuddin 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 added further.

The launch was presided over by Dr Sam Pitroda (Advisor to Prime Minister) in presence of Dr Syeda Hameed (Biographer of Maulana Azad) and Wajahat Habibullah (Chairperson, National Commission for Minorities).

This portal is an initiative to digitise the heritage of the great leader, and make his life and legacy available online. Along with a biographical account on Maulana Azad, the portalcontains titles and information on over 20 books written by Maulana Azad, in Urdu and English, as well as information on over 45 books written onMaulana Azad in Urdu, Hindi and English. It also contains over 60 photographs – some of which are with contemporaries likePandit 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).

Earlier Speaking at the event, Dr Syeda Hameed threw light on the collaborative relationship between Pandit Nehru and Maulana Azad – through agreements and differences – towards independence and nation building. Dr Sam Pitroda emphasised the role of such portals in taking the message of these leaders to today’s younger generation, while inspiring such initiatives for other leaders.

Wajahat Habibullah praised the effort saying that Maulana Azad’s ideology and teachings are relevant even in today’s context.The Hon’ble Minister of Minority Affairs, Shri K Rahman, highlighted Maulana Azad’s life-long commitment to the twin ideals of Indian freedom and secularism; by forging a link between religion and nationalism.

The national portal - www.maulanaazadheritage.org - a one stop point collating all knowledge and resources available on Maulana Azad, is now available to the public.