WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2010
Mr.K.M.S.Khan from Azamgarh
D.O.B: 18th June, 1937
Place of Birth: Village Mohammedpur. District Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh
Family Life & Early Years:
My father was a zamindar and a legal practitioner who were called "Muqhtars". He married again after he lost his first wife. My mother was his second wife but my two older brothers (her stepsons) always regarded her as their real mother. I also had 5 sisters. I studied in Shibli National Inter College and later at the Shibli National Degree College. I lost one of my brothers when he was only 22 to tuberculosis as only one type of TB medicine had been invented which was not easily available at that time and was also very very expensive. Also as Zamindari was abolished in 1952, we had a difficult time trying to meet the costs of my brother's treatment.
We can trace back the history of our village to 1080 AD. My ancestors came to India with Mohamad Ghazni. The ruler of Azamgarh fought against Aurangzeb's army and defeated them. Azamgarh was the only city which held out against the British after 1857 for two and a half years.
1947
I was very young at the time of Independence. Even so we had a negative attitude towards the British. I remember in school the students would chant
"Seene pe Goli Khaiynege
Bharat banayege"
"We will take a bullet in our hearts
but we will create India"
Years later I realised how much the British had harmed India by creating divides. Another point I want to make is that Muslim freedom fighters have been ignored. In our 6th class text books there was only one mentioned- Maulana Azad. When I later moved to Delhi and became a member of Hardinge Public Library (now Hardayal Municipal Public Library) I discovered the sacrifices made by the Muslim freedom fighters and realised the truth about the British.
Partition of India
In Azamgarh there were no riots. We lived in communal harmony. My school was a Muslim school, but majority of the students were Hindus. I remember at home we had a special cupboard with utensils for fellow zamindars hindu house-guests which were only taken out to cook food for our vegetarian Hindu friends. In fact a Hindu cook from a special caste was called who would cook the food outside our house, clean the utensils and store them in a separate cupboard in consideration of the sensibilities of our guests.
Later tensions did set in. When my older brother Arif went to look for a job with a college in Patna in 1951, he was told there was no vacancy for Muslims and he should go to Pakistan. He left. I was the youngest and suddenly became the eldest. The my father's shock of losing two of his sons, one to illness and the other in all practical purposes when he migrated to Pakistan, was so great, he fell ill and was confined to bed for 5 years. His legal practice ended. Zamindari had also been abolished. When he died in 1959, I had to get a job and disrupt my education to earn. Three of my sisters had to get married. I left for Bombay and became an assistant accountant of film producer Mehboob Khan (producer of "Mother India"). Now I live in Delhi.
I feel that the Partition of the country was a conspiracy. It was a continuation of British policy and served the people in power. Millions died or became homeless. What was the need of that?
Independent India
The youth need to understand religion. Not just follow blindly what the commercial exploiters of religion at temples, masjids and shrines say.
This interview was conducted at Mr.Khan's office.
Mr.K.M.S.Khan from Azamgarh
D.O.B: 18th June, 1937
Place of Birth: Village Mohammedpur. District Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh
Family Life & Early Years:
My father was a zamindar and a legal practitioner who were called "Muqhtars". He married again after he lost his first wife. My mother was his second wife but my two older brothers (her stepsons) always regarded her as their real mother. I also had 5 sisters. I studied in Shibli National Inter College and later at the Shibli National Degree College. I lost one of my brothers when he was only 22 to tuberculosis as only one type of TB medicine had been invented which was not easily available at that time and was also very very expensive. Also as Zamindari was abolished in 1952, we had a difficult time trying to meet the costs of my brother's treatment.
We can trace back the history of our village to 1080 AD. My ancestors came to India with Mohamad Ghazni. The ruler of Azamgarh fought against Aurangzeb's army and defeated them. Azamgarh was the only city which held out against the British after 1857 for two and a half years.
1947
I was very young at the time of Independence. Even so we had a negative attitude towards the British. I remember in school the students would chant
"Seene pe Goli Khaiynege
Bharat banayege"
"We will take a bullet in our hearts
but we will create India"
Years later I realised how much the British had harmed India by creating divides. Another point I want to make is that Muslim freedom fighters have been ignored. In our 6th class text books there was only one mentioned- Maulana Azad. When I later moved to Delhi and became a member of Hardinge Public Library (now Hardayal Municipal Public Library) I discovered the sacrifices made by the Muslim freedom fighters and realised the truth about the British.
Partition of India
In Azamgarh there were no riots. We lived in communal harmony. My school was a Muslim school, but majority of the students were Hindus. I remember at home we had a special cupboard with utensils for fellow zamindars hindu house-guests which were only taken out to cook food for our vegetarian Hindu friends. In fact a Hindu cook from a special caste was called who would cook the food outside our house, clean the utensils and store them in a separate cupboard in consideration of the sensibilities of our guests.
Later tensions did set in. When my older brother Arif went to look for a job with a college in Patna in 1951, he was told there was no vacancy for Muslims and he should go to Pakistan. He left. I was the youngest and suddenly became the eldest. The my father's shock of losing two of his sons, one to illness and the other in all practical purposes when he migrated to Pakistan, was so great, he fell ill and was confined to bed for 5 years. His legal practice ended. Zamindari had also been abolished. When he died in 1959, I had to get a job and disrupt my education to earn. Three of my sisters had to get married. I left for Bombay and became an assistant accountant of film producer Mehboob Khan (producer of "Mother India"). Now I live in Delhi.
I feel that the Partition of the country was a conspiracy. It was a continuation of British policy and served the people in power. Millions died or became homeless. What was the need of that?
Independent India
The youth need to understand religion. Not just follow blindly what the commercial exploiters of religion at temples, masjids and shrines say.
This interview was conducted at Mr.Khan's office.
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