The measure of a man is not the time he has, but what he does with that time, as someone put it succinctly, is so apt in the case of Abid Hasan Safrani, who was Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s Comrade-in-Arms.
Dr. Ismat Mehdi was speaking at a special event organised by DOBARA in honour of India’s Independence Day narrating her first-hand memories of Abid Hasan Safrani, her Mamu (maternal uncle).
“He was a quiet revolutionary who kept himself away from the limelight even while being present at every vital moment of the final phase of India’s freedom struggle across Europe and Asia.” she said
Dr. Ismat Mehdi also shared her knowledge gleaned over decades from his notebooks, his thought paths, working methods, and freedom struggle instincts. Safrani’s life story underlines the trials and tribulations of an unsung national hero.
A member of Netaji’s Azad Hind Fauj , Safrani is famous as the man who coined the slogan ‘Jai Hind’, which to date is the national salutation for Indian soldiers, statesmen, and civilians alike.
Dr. Ismat Mehdi hails from Hyderabad. She has a doctorate degree from Osmania University.
She retains vivid memories of what she heard from her mother and other family members. “My grandparents resided in Troop Bazaar, close to the Residency, and theirs was the first home in Hyderabad to respond to Mahatma Gandhi’s call for Swadeshi movement. This was before I was born. I learnt that my family members piled their foreign clothes together and lit a bonfire. The then Resident was alarmed spotting the fire. Hyderabad was then ruled by Nizams and the Congress movement was virtually non-existent,” she said with a raconteur’s aplomb combined with a chronicler’s punctiliousness.
Ismat Mehdi’s uncles were actively involved in the freedom movement, some of them working alongside Mahatma Gandhi at Sabarmati Ashram. “A few of them were even arrested,” she recalled. Back then, Sarojini Naidu was a frequent visitor to their home.
“I grew up watching my uncles spinning the charkha. We wore khadi and knew about the freedom movement in our growing years,” she reminisced.
“Educated in St George’s Grammar School in Hyderabad, my uncle Abid Hasan Safrani was pursuing engineering in Berlin, Germany when he met Subhash Chandra Bose in Berlin. Netaji asked him to join the freedom struggle immediately. But my uncle had a small plea: ‘I have one semester left. Let me complete it and then I will join the freedom struggle.’ At this point, Netaji became angry with Abid Hasan,” recounted Ms. Mehdi about her uncle’s heroic life.
“I have no need for selfish people. You think of yourself and your family without thinking about the country. Either you join now or never,” were the words of Netaji as recounted by Abid Hasan to his family members.
He tossed and turned all night and by morning, he made the decision to chuck up his Engineering education to join the Indian National Army (INA) when Netaji gave the famous call to liberate India from the British yoke.” Abid Hasan Safrani eventually played a role in the battle of Imphal where the INA forces hoisted the Indian national flag much before India became independent.
When Abid Hasan Safrani was posted to Berne, Switzerland, he took Ismat along with him. This came as a gift filled with new opportunities for Ismat. It helped her pursue higher studies abroad, getting formal training in foreign languages. She went to the University of Geneva and enrolled in the interpreters’ course to train to be an interpreter for the United Nations. She learnt French, German, and English. “I was unable to complete the course since my uncle got transferred to Iraq,” she says. The move to Iraq brought in yet another new opportunity — she learnt Arabic at the University of Baghdad. She has written on the Middle East and North Africa.
Over the years, her work enabled her to leave her delicate and inspiring thumbprints on the pages of history. She also lived in Egypt for three years and was the cultural attaché and Director of Maulana Abul Kalam Cultural Centre in Cairo.
Dr. Ismat Mehdi taught foreign languages at Women’s College, Koti, and the Arts College, Osmania University. She is a retired professor of Arabic from EFLU Hyderabad. She is widely travelled and is proficient in many languages.
She got married to Syed Latif Mehdi and returned to Hyderabad. She worked as a supervisor for the Arabic service of All India Radio.
In the year 2021, Dr. Ismat Mehdi received the Netaji Award which was posthumously offered by Netaji Research Bureau to Major Abid Hasan, Indian National Army, for his outstanding contribution to the freedom and unity of India under the leadership of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.
‘Abid Hasan Safrani Netaji’s Comrade-in-Arms’ compiled by Ismat Mehdi and Shehbaaz Safrani is a true story of steely determination, compassion, wisdom, and humanity. Between owning and acknowledging, the compilers reveal a litany of facts from history and anecdotes out of closeted memories. This is the voice coming to us from the pages of history. It is a soft and gentle voice, one of few simple words, but with a powerful message of hope, faith, and love.
On 14th August 2024, DOBARA organized an unforgettable afternoon titled ''Stories of Independence'' where our esteemed guests of honour, Prof Ismat Mehdi and Mir Ayoob Ali Khan spoke about their first-hand memories of India's historic 1947 Independence. These stories, filled with emotion and pride, offered a rare glimpse into the past, a treasure trove of experiences that shaped our nation.
We would like to thank J Afshan for writing this beautiful article for DOBARA.
Here are some images from the event.
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