New Delhi, Nov 12 – The Indian government on Monday launched a web portal on the country’s first education minister Maulana Abul Kalam Azad on his 125th birth anniversary, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported.
The portal – www.maulanaazadheritage.org — was launched by Minister for Minority Affairs K Rahman Khan and contains rare pictures, videos and information about Azad’s work as a freedom fighter, Islamic scholar and a journalist.
Planning Commission member and Azad’s biographer Sayeeda Hamid, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Infrastructure, Public Information and Innovations, Sam Pitroda and Rajya Sabha (parliament upper house) member and Azad’s grand-niece Najma Heptullah were among those present at the launch ceremony.
“Maulana (Azad’s) thoughts, his contribution and commitment to nationalism and secularism is unparallelled. He was opposed to the idea of any nation forming on the basis of religion,” said Khan.
Habibullah said Azad was a leader of a “school of thought”. “Azad was always advising the Muslim community that instead of considering itself as the largest minority in the country, it should see itself as the second largest majority,” she said.
Azad’s contribution to education has led to the declaration of National Education Day on Nov 11 every year in memory of his birth anniversary.
–Bernama
