Book Name : India Wins Freedom

Author : Abul Kalam Azad.

Reviewed By : Osama Bin Anwar.
More usually than not, biographies are victim of private glorification and uncanny dramatization.
Most of them finish in a very yawning disappointment. But, India Wins Freedom traverses
through a distinct path and follow the guns until the top. A book that is utterly unbiased and
unstintingly sincere introduces us to the cross-currents of various ideologies and political realism
within the era of freedom struggle. India Wins Freedom throws glimpses to the glimmer and
therefore the gloom. It leads us to the roads and therefore the cross-roads of the liberty struggle.
The book scores high in its tone of narration that sounds unloosened from any hint of hypocrisy
and narrowness. This book place some leaders through the lenses for his or her arguable role
throughout partition- apparently a daring intellectual pursuit, particularly in a very time once our
legislators had noninheritable the cult standing.
Maulana Azad who sadly finds solely few lines of meager mention in our history books was in
reality a eminent psyche a fierce nationalist, a practical visionary. He was a bright star who
kept dazzling the political horizon of Republic of India throughout freedom struggle. India Wins
Freedom lays clean the intractable genius of Maulana Azad. His expansive learnedness stunned
Gandhiji who narrated him as Emperor of learning- an individual of the caliber of Plato,
aristotle and pythagorean. Jawaharlal Nehru complimented him as A man of bright
intelligence, a mighty intellect with a tremendous capability of piercing through trouble to its
core. even if he was in private instructed to become a Maulvi, his unquenchable thirst of
learning and unconquerable nationalist fervour led him to the pedestal of post of Indian national
congress solely at the age of thirty six - youngest ever president of Congress and through the
foremost riotous phase of 1939-1946 he was honored to carry the president-ship of Indian
national congress in straightness. Congress was full of leaders of large stature, however Maulana
squeezed out his own area along with his untiringly unselfish commitment for the national cause.
He deliberately adopted the name Azad or Free to point his breakaway from his deep-rooted
familial spiritual orthodoxy. though at first enamoured with revolutionaries ideology of Shri
Aurobindo Ghosh he later modified his flight. so as to shake off some sections of Muslims from
their political inertia he estabilished Al-Hilal press. He was stridently condemnatory of some
authoritative Muslims being employed as political pawn of Britishers. He was unapologetically
forthcoming to highlight their feeling and hypocrisy. Shortly Al-Hilal became a rage among the
Muslims. once the seizure of Al-Hilal press Maulana established Al-Balagh to hold on his
unfinished works and retained on igniting the unsteady embers of nationalism. However his
political career took wings once he came among the fold of Indian national congress. it
absolutely was here his political ideology got a definitive mould that still seems freshly coated
with relevance. Maulana was a person of political knowledge and a discerning observer of
someones psychological character He was not a rank follower among the congress circle. return
what might he continued to his convictions and not resorted to subservience. Perhaps, this
unshackled standing gave him the freedom to evaluate the development saga of freedom struggle
in a nonracist manner.
The book is rhythmically unsmooth to begin with, however after following few vapid pages it
picks up the momentum. The trysts with a whirlpool of various political creed and ideologies
build it progressively absorbing. Uncommon truthfulness and bravery unfold across its pages
made it a compelling scan. A flurry of each pre and post independence activities are therefore
finely interwoven that going through the book becomes an enriching practice. It defines a
perspective and cut away a number of the stereotypes. India Wins Freedom presents an
unblurring narration of struggle for independance seen from the steady eyes of Maulana Azad.
Any reader has each right to agree or afflict the forthright views expressed by Maulana Azad,
however to understand the essence of the book a reader should initial suspend, though
temporarily, any ideologic leaning and additionally the prejudiced notion that our leaders
throughout independence struggle were inerrant. The book is important however not caustic
against any leaders. it's an intellectual inquiry into the specific pulls and pressures and human
judgmental errors that caused the demographic dislocation of Republic of India.

In the mutiny of 1857 Hindus and Muslim fought shoulder to shoulder against british army. They
were driven by common objective to uproot British rule from Indian soil. Insult to their faith had
induced the commonality of their goal. However, by the flip of the twentieth century the spiritual
identity of each Hindus and Muslims had undergone the metamorphosis. spiritual identity had
stretched and manifested in vigorous pursuit of political ascendance. Exposure to fashionable
education led to the notice of cultural chauvinism. Muslims were cautious regarding their future
after the departure of the Britishers. Before the Britishers Muslims had the reins of power
however after the end of English rule they worry sliding into power vacuum. They demanded the
safeguards for their safety. However, some zealots overplayed their demands. The duality of
Muslims aspirations came to be lightened when M.A.Jinnah joined Muslim League and began
fiddling with the worry psychopathy of the Muslims. He was a master planner and convincingly
exaggerated a number of the lapses of Congress. In style of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, he
secure a elixir for all types of malaises visaged by the Muslims Community. a big chunk of
Muslims got swayed however, Maulana Azad not yielded to the political maneuvers of
M.A.Jinnah. two big leaders of Muslim society with contrasted ideologies force the strings of
Muslims aspirations in two completely different directions. Maulana who was usually suspect by
Muhammad Ali Jinnah as Show-boy of the Congress had a nationalist approach to everything
whereas M.A.Jinnah saw everything through the prism of Muslim interest. Maulana Azad was a
nationalist first and remained a nationalist until the last. He Affirmed

I am a part of the indivisible unity that is the Indian nationality. i am indispensable to this noble
edifice and without me this splendid structure is incomplete.
Maulana warned the Muslims regarding the upcoming catastrophe if they ever accepted Partition
however, those that took deliberate to the legendary lure of statesman were in truth eclipsed by
the pessimist mentality. He exhorted Muslims to not abandon their claim on the Indian soil of
their forefathers, however their senses were lulled by the psychological attract of cover referred
to as Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
Jinnahs unsupported deep distrust of Congress leaders and fanatical exponent demands for
Muslims created the logjam for the negotiations. For his devious stratagems and decision of
direct action Day India Wins Freedom tumbled out Muhammad Ali Jinnah as he was main
political villain of partition. But, at the scene there have been such a lot of ideologic villains who
had vitiated the atmospheres of Thirties by propagating exclusive Hindu nationalism and treated
Muslims as they were alien import. They were also answerable for the partition as was
Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Maulana Azad shows outstanding spirit in highlightening the
incoherence in Muslim aspirations. He doesnt turned away from criticizing the political
mistakes of Jawaharlal Nehru and Patel however doesnt shed a lot of as much light on those
ideologic foes of the composite nationalism who were unaccommodative - maybe, this can be the
sole quibble concerning the book. nevertheless, India Wins Freedom must be called as a
seminal work that tries to uncover some facts that were hidden before.
Crippled and deflated India hobbled to achieve its independence however with a pricey worth.
On one aspect years long political struggle culminated in independence; on the opposite a dark
and ominous fate befell within the terrible wrench of partition. The happy mood of the state was
subdued with the pain of awful division. the state was plunged deeper into the throes of despair
and choler. Hysteria of emotion and mistrust gripped the state. Fifteen million were settled or
displaced and 1,000,000 lost their lives within the succeeding communal riots. a lot of water has
flown since then. what quantity has changed? what quantity has not changed? mud of
partition remains to calm down. Vestiges are still noticeable. Partition of Republic of
India, that was hailed as solely offered answer to the communal troubles verified to
be an anathema. Was Partition inevitable or avoidable? we might get hear} completely
different answers relying whom will we listen to. we tend to may have stopped it. we tend
to could not have stopped it. Preventing Partition was like chasing ones own shadow. thus close
to however thus very way. Causes and effects of Partition are obvious however thus complicated.
Demystifying the inexplicable reasons of Partition could not be a
straightforward task. however India Wins freedom nudges us into a perceptive engagement with
somewhat obfuscated history. By the time the book is
finished variety of queries begin whirling round the mind concerning the quantum of
role done by our leaders in avoiding or giving partition an acceleration.