Allama Syed Abdul Karim Ghani

ALLAMA SYED ABDUL KARIM GHANI

Date of Birth: 1907 and Date of Death: 1978

            Allama Syed Abdul Karim Ghani, who was one of the members in the Advisory Council of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, was born in 1907 in Sodugudi village of Siva Ganga district in Tamilnadu, India.  Since his father Mohammad Ibrahim migrated to Burma for livelihood, he had his primary education at Rangoon.  As he had an independent thought process since his young age, he expressed his ideas as a poet and writer.  He worked for various newspapers published from Rangoon and got recognition as a committed journalist.  He met Moulana Mohammad Ali Jouhar, a leader of the Indian National Movement in 1928.  This led him to think towards the national movement.  He started his own newspaper ‘Udaya Suryan’ in 1930 from Burma.  He founded several voluntary organisations for the welfare of the people in general and for the development of the Muslim youth in particular.  He got elected to the Burma Legislative Assembly.  Meanwhile, he met Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.  As Netaji came to know about the achievements and abilities of Syed Abdul Karim Ghani as an editor and a legislator, he invited him to work with him.  Netaji revamped the Indian National Army and established the Indian National Government in July, 1943.  During that period, Netaji assigned publicity responsibilities to Karim Ghani in order to realise the ‘Chalo Delhi’ slogan.  Ghani, then became one of the members in the Advisory Council of Netaji and a minister without portfolio in the Indian National Government.  But, when Japan was defeated in World War-II in August, 1945, Karim Ghani also went into exile to Malaya along with Netaji.  Later on he was arrested in Malayala by the British government.  After his release from detention, he started working as a journalist once again.  He worked with several newspapers published from Burma, India, Pakistan and Malaya.  While guiding several other publications, he also wrote number of books in several languages.  Since he was actively participating in the people’s movements, he had to face the ire of the government.  Lastly, he joined with the ‘Dawn’ newspaper, published from Pakistan as a member of its editorial board.  While working with the ‘Dawn’, Allama Syed Abdul Karim Ghani passed away in 1978.