Abdul Qayyum Ansari

ABDUL QAYYUM ANSARI

Date of Birth: 1^st July, 1905 and Date of Death: 18^th January, 1973

            Abdul Qayyum Ansari, who fought not only for freedom but also against the social and economic inequalities and evils, was born on 1^st July, 1905 in Dehri village, Shahabad district in Bihar.  His father Munshi Abdul Haq was a business man and mother was Safia Begum.  Ansari entered into the Khilafat and Non Cooperation Movement under the influence of Ali brothers, when he was in high school.  At the tender age of 15 years, he got appointed as the general secretary of the All India Khilafat Committee and attended the Indian National Congress sessions at Calcutta as a representative of Shahabad district.  The British government branded him ‘dangerous’ and arrested him in 1922.  Later, on several occasions he spent several years behind the bars.  He was very much committed to the agitational programmes of the Indian National Congress for which he was applauded by the people.  He campaigned against the divisive ideology of the All India Muslim League.  He explained to the people that the division of the nation would only benefit the wealthy capitalists, landlords, aristocratic groups and the selfish politicians.  He got elected to the Bihar Assembly after Independence and became a minister.  Though he was defeated in 1952 elections, he won in 1962 and 1967.  He held different ministerial posts and irrespective of the posts he held, he took special interest in the backward classes.  He tried to address the Momin issue by forming various organisations and associations.  He also worked for the development of the Urdu.  In this process, he started magazines like ‘Al Islah’, ‘Maswat’ and ‘Tahzib’ etc.  Ansari, had a special interest in the development of education.  He worked as a member of senate in Patna University from 1940 to 1957 and member of the board of Aligarh Muslim University from 1951-1952.  He got elected to Rajyasabha in 1970.  Inspite of his busy political and academic activities, he was very much fond of rearing animals and birds.  He worked as the chairman of the Zoological Society of Bihar for a pretty long period.  Abdul Qayyum Ansari, who dedicated his life for the Indian freedom struggle and social work, breathed his last on 18^th January, 1973.