What happened on October 9: Who is Saifuddin Kitchlew and and how did he contribute to India's independence?
Discourse around the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of April 1919 at the hands of the British colonial empire in Amritsar has been renewed after the recent "renovation" of the site by the Modi government and a stirring movie by Shoojit Sircar on one of the heroes of the freedom movement, Sardar Udham Singh. It is perhaps poignant that today happens to be the death anniversary of another luminary during the independence movement in the early 20th century.
Saifuddin Kitchlew was a lawyer, an educationist, and a freedom fighter who mobilised the residents of Amritsar to protest peacefully against the crushing Rowlatt Act that the British deployed to stifle the press and the activists in the country. He was arrested for his speech and march against the regime on April 10, along with Dr Satyapal.
Saifuddin Kitchlew worked tirelessly to maintain unity between Hindus and Muslims in India during the course of the freedom struggle, and post-independence. He was also a significant presence behind the establishment of Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia University. He was the first Indian to receive the Lenin Peace Prize from the Soviet Union. The law graduate from Cambridge University, England, died in 1973 after a heart attack.
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Happy Word Post Day! The occasion is observed by the United Nations to mark the anniversary of the Universal Postal Union which was established in 1847. The day was aimed at celebrating the world of the postal departments and the impact they have, both on individual lives, and on the social development of the country. The theme for this year's event is 'Innovate to recover' and it aims to accentuate the work done by the postal departments during the COVID-19 pandemic across the world.
