Moulana Obaidullah Sindhi

MOULANA OBAIDULLAH SINDHI

Date of Birth: 10^th March, 1872 and Date of Death: 22^nd August, 1944

            Moulana Obaidullah Sindhi, who came into Indian freedom struggle like a flame of revolution, was born at Chiyanwali village, Sialkot district, which is now in Pakistan on 10^th March, 1872 in a Sikh family.  While he was in eighth standard, he read the book Taqwiat-ul-Iman written by Moulana Ismail Shahid and accepted Islam at the age of 17.  He took admission in ‘Dar-ul-Uloom’ in Deoband.  He was inspired by the Principal Moulana Mohammad-ul-Hassan, and dedicated himself to the anti-British revolts.  Directed by Moulana Hassan he went to Afghanistan and inspired the fellow countrymen to revolt against the foreign rulers and garnered support and infrastructure for the same.  He took active part in establishing the first Government of India in exile at Kabul in 1916 along with Raja Mahendra Varma and Professor Barkatullah Bhopali.  Obaidullah was Minister for the External Affairs in that Government of India in Exile.  He played a key role in what came to be known as the ‘Conspiracy of Silk Letters’ in the history of Indian freedom struggle.  As the attempts made by the revolutionaries did not yield any success, the British government booked them under criminal conspiracy cases.  The British Government branded Obaidullah as a ‘Dangerous Person’ and tried to send him away from Afghanistan and even tried to eliminate him.  Under such critical circumstances, he left for Moscow.  Later, he travelled to Hijaz via Italy and continued his revolutionary activities from Arabia for about twelve years.  He spent in exile for about 24 years in his mission for independence and returned to the homeland, India, in 1939.  He opposed the idea of dividing the nation on the basis of religion and strongly criticized the separatist ideology of the Muslim League.  He desired harmony among the people of all sects and religions.  Thus, he drafted a constitution that was suitable to India, where different social and religious groups living.  The draft constitution was praised by Jawaharlal Nehru.  He said that it was fit one not only for our nation, but it was also the best draft constitutions ever written.  Obaidullah authored several books, which were equally praised by the scholars and the common readers.  He was a great revolutionary, who spent most of his life in exile in the history of the Indian freedom movement.  Moulana Obaidullah Sindhi could not see the independent India he dreamt of during his life time, as he passed away on 22^nd August, 1944.