Syed Badrul Hassan

SYED BADRUL HASSAN

Date of Birth: 1898 and Date of Death: 1937

            Syed Badrul Hassan was born in 1898 in a rich aristocratic family in Hyderabad, the then Capital of Nizam State.  His father was Amir Hassan and mother Fakrul Hajia Hassan, a freedom fighter.  Badrul Hassan too joined in the freedom movement.  He went to the Sabarmati Ashram to become a journalist under the guidance of Gandhi and wrote several articles in ‘Young India’ which were published under the editorship of Mahatma Gandhi.  He later, joined in the ‘Independent’ English daily newspaper, which was published from Allahabad.  As a nationalist he wrote a number of articles criticizing the Imperialist rulers.  When it was very difficult to think about the anti-British activities in the Nizam state, Badrul Hassan took initiative to collect fund for ‘Tilak Swarajya Nidhi’ in 1920.  He collected 23,000 rupees and donated the amount to ‘Tilak Swarajya Nidhi’ at Bombay.  Badrul Hassan actively participated in the Khilafat and Non-Cooperation Movement and boycotted foreign goods and clothes.  He was the first person in the Nizam State, who burnt the foreign clothes during the visit of the British Prince to India.  Badrul Hassan gave top priority to the Khadi Movement.  He was the first person in the Hyderabad state, who brought modern Charkhas from Bombay.  Badrul Hassan and his brother Jafar Hussain wore Khadi Dhotis and Gandhi caps against the will of the Nizam rulers.  Without caring for the anger of the rulers they intensified the propaganda for the National Movement.  Syed Badrul Hassan created the required literature to inspire the people for the movement and started Hyderabad Book Depot, which became the centre for the leaders of the Indian National Movement.  Badrul Hassan encouraged the amateur industrialists to promote cottage industries and handicrafts as per the ideology of Mahatma Gandhi.  He led the cooperative movement to overcome the problem of investments and became one of the key persons who laid the foundation for the Cooperative sector in Hyderabad.  Hassan started an Urdu magazine named ‘Imdad-e-Bahami’ to promote and popularise the Cooperative Movement.  Syed Badrul Hassan, who dedicated his total life for the Indian freedom movement and for the rural development under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, passed away in 1937.