Mohammed Afzal-ul Amin, popularly known as M.A. Amin, was an Indian statesman, politician and social worker from Cuttack, Odisha. He served as the general secretary of Utkal Pradesh Congress Committee during Biren Mitra's chief ministership.[1] Afzal-ul was the Vice Chairman and later the Chairman of Cuttack Municipality and also the President of Odisha Mohammadan Association. He played a major role in preserving Urdu language in Cuttack by establishing several lower primary and upper primary Urdu schools in the city. He is also credited for organising various nationalist meetings and for mobilizing the common masses in Cuttack during the Quit India movement of 1942.[2][3]
Mohammed Afzal-ul Amin | |
|---|---|
 Afzal-ul Amin shaking hands with Lord Mountbatten | |
| President, Odisha Board of Wakfs | |
| In office June 1963 – November 1977 | |
| Vice chairman, Cuttack Municipal Corporation | |
| In office 25 February 1955 – 27 November 1960 | |
| Chairman, Cuttack Municipality | |
| In office 21 March 1960 – 21 June 1965 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 16 July 1915 Cuttack, Bihar and Orissa, British India |
| Died | 28 May 1983 (aged 67) Cuttack, Odisha, India |
| Resting place | Qadam e Rasool, Cuttack |
| Citizenship |
|
| Political party | Indian National Congress |
| Other political affiliations | Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee |
| Spouse | Syeda Roshanara Akhtar |
| Children | Tabasum Sultana, Farhat Amin |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Hussain Rabi Gandhi (elder son-in-law) Saleem Farook (younger son-in-law) Ibrahim Suhrawardy (father-in-law) |
| Alma mater | Ravenshaw Collegiate School |
| Occupation | Politician, Social activist |
Life and career
edit
Mohammed Afzal-ul Amin alias M.A. Amin was born into a Dewan family, to the notable educationist of Cuttack, Sayeed Mohammed and his wife Begum Badar un nissa Akhtar. From his mother's side he was the great grandson of the famous poet and writer, Ubaidullah Al Ubaidi Suhrawardy and from his father's side he was the great grandson of the Sufi Pir Khwaja Fazal Mohammed. After finishing his schooling from Ravenshaw Collegiate School, Afzal-ul entered the field of politics where he emerged as a prominent Muslim leader in the town. Like his father, he too mobilized the Muslims of Odisha to join the Indian freedom struggle. During the 1942 Quit India movement, Amin worked in close association with Malati Choudhury and Ramadevi Choudhury, he organised various nationalist meetings at his place in Cuttack to gather support for the movement after Surajmal Shah and Bibhunendra Mishra were arrested in August 1942.[4][5]
Post independence, Amin met with the then Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru during his Odisha visit, India's President, Zakir Husain both in Cuttack as well as in Delhi, where Husain had invited Amin for high tea at his Delhi residence. Amin hosted India's first education minister, Abul Kalam Azad at Jalal mansion in Cuttack. Afzal-ul served as the chairman of Odisha board of Wakfs (State Muslim endowment board). He was also one of the most prominent Muslim councilors in the Cuttack municipality then. He was elected as the councilor continuously for 28 long years i.e. from 1952 to 1980, winning all the elections continuously. He had also been elected as the Vice Chairman of Cuttack Municipality.[6] Afzal-ul was a member of the Indian National Congress (Organisation). In 1961 he was appointed as the general secretary of Utkal Pradesh Congress Committee by Biren Mitra. In 1971 he ran for the Cuttack State legislative assembly elections as an MLA candidate from the Indian National Congress (O) party.[7][8] He was later appointed as the President of Odisha Mohammadan Association. Amin had also served as the secretary and chairperson of various reputed colleges in Cuttack including Indira Gandhi Women's College and Imarti Devi College.[9]
Amin amplified and made significant contributions to the Bhudan movement in Odisha. During this time, four among the most prominent Chief ministers of Odisha, Biren Mitra, Nandini Satpathy, J.B. Patnaik & Biju Patnaik visited him at his residence. He served as the chairman in many emergency committees formed to help the people in the flood affected areas, during the floods in central Odisha.[2]
Afzal-ul played a major role in preserving Urdu language in Cuttack. As the chairman of Cuttack Municipality's sub-committee on education he established five Urdu lower primary and five upper primary schools in Cuttack some of which include, Maulana Azad U.P school in Qadam Rasool.[4]
Marriage and family
editAfzal-ul Amin married his second cousin, Syeda Roshanara Akhtar, the younger daughter of Ibrahim Suhrawardy, a notable author and linguist from Balasore of the Qadriyyah house and the granddaughter of Umdatunnissa, Nawab Begum of Kharui.
Afzal-ul has two daughters; Tabassum Amin Sultana, who married the notable politician and writer, Hussain Rabi Gandhi and Farhat Amin Sultana, a journalist and a social activist, who married the tribal rights activist, Saleem Farook.
References
edit- ^ "Gandhi's ideals". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
- ^ a b Pati, Biswamoy (1 March 1992). "The climax of popular protest: The Quit India Movement in Orissa". The Indian Economic & Social History Review. 29 (1): 1–35. doi:10.1177/001946469202900101. ISSN 0019-4646. S2CID 143484597.
- ^ "Cuttack City Assembly Constituency Election Result - Legislative Assembly Constituency".
- ^ a b Gayer, Laurent (2012). Muslims in Indian Cities: Trajectories of Marginalisation. Hurst. ISBN 978-1-84904-176-8.
- ^ "Cuttack City Assembly Constituency Election Result - Legislative Assembly Constituency". resultuniversity.com. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- ^ "The Quit India Movement in Odisha – History of Odisha". 19 July 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
- ^ Gayer, Laurent (2012). Muslims in Indian Cities: Trajectories of Marginalisation. Hurst. ISBN 978-1-84904-176-8.
- ^ "Cuttack City Assembly Constituency Election Result - Legislative Assembly Constituency". resultuniversity.com. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- ^ Sethy, Rabindra Kumar (2003). Political Crisis and President's Rule in an Indian State. APH Publishing. ISBN 978-81-7648-463-3.