The history of the Indian freedom struggle has always fascinated me and I wanted to read more on the subject from different sources to get different points of view. Maulana Azad was one of the prominent leaders of freedom struggle and a book by him is sure to have some great insights to offer. What also intrigued me was that certain selected sections of this book were left out at the direction of Maulana for 30 years when it was first published. This was primarily to avoid any conflict and controversy because it talks in detail about his contemporaries which he assumed might hurt their feelings. This edition of the book has complete text.
India Wins Freedom looks at India’s freedom struggle from the perspective of the author, Maulana Azad. He captures the period from WWII to India’s freedom. You get to know his insight on WWII and its impact on the freedom struggle, the internal workings of Congress, and the conflicts of ideas within Congress on various issues. He talks in detail about his tenure as a president of Congress and various decisions and actions taken during his tenure. The failed Cripps mission of the British, the quit India movement, the general elections, the demand for partition and the role of Jinnah and other leaders, the interim government, and the partition, he wrote in detail about all.
The book also captures the healthy disagreement of Maluna Azad on various issues with leaders like Sardar Patel, Mahatma Gandhi, and Nehru. In the book, he expressed his forthright views with honesty and courage. Due to this reason, he directed that some selected portions of the text be left out for thirty years as it might hurt the feelings of some of his contemporaries.
The book provides a different perspective on India’s freedom struggle and various historical events in the last decade of the freedom struggle. Also, there are a lot of untold truths that will surely make you think and change your mind about many events and leaders of the freedom struggle.
A must-read for all history lovers especially those who are interested in the history of India’s freedom struggle. The reader will come out as more informed after reading this book.
About the Author
M A K Azad or Maulana Azad was an Indian political leader and scholar. He was the newly independent India’s first Minister of Education. He was a crucial proponent of the Indian Independence Movement and is credited for laying the foundation of the Indian educational system and enhancing it. He established the IITs all over the country. He was the youngest president of the Indian National Congress and was posthumously awarded with the Bharat Ratna.