Inquilab Zindabad

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Graffiti of Inquilab Zindabad slogan from Bangladesh, drawn by the students after the July Revolution Tongi graffiti 5.jpg
Graffiti of Inquilab Zindabad slogan from Bangladesh, drawn by the students after the July Revolution

Inquilab Zindabad is a Urdu phrase meaning "Long live the revolution". [1] [2] [3] Coined by Islamic scholar and Urdu poet Hasrat Mohani, the slogan was originally was used by Indian independence movement activists in British India, [4] today it is used in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh by civil society activists during protests as well as by politicians from various ideological backgrounds. [5] [6] [7] [8]

History

This slogan was coined by the Islamic scholar, Urdu poet, Indian freedom fighter, prominent leader of Indian National Congress and one of the founders of communist party of India, Maulana Hasrat Mohani in 1921. [9] [10] [11] It was popularized by Bhagat Singh (1907–1931) during the late 1920s through his speeches and writings. [12] It was also the official slogan of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association, [12] [13] and the slogan of Communist Consolidation as well as a slogan of the All India Azad Muslim Conference. [14] In April 1929, this slogan was raised by Bhagat Singh and his associate Batukeshwar Dutt who had shouted this after bombing the Central Legislative Assembly in Delhi. [15] Later, for the first time in an open court, this slogan was raised in June 1929 as part of their joint statement at the High Court in Delhi. [12] [16] Since then, it became one of the rallying cries of the Indian independence movement, with which the phrase has been most identified. [4] [3] In Indian political novels chronicling the independence movement, a pro-independence sentiment is often characterized by characters shouting this slogan. [17]

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Pakistan Zindabad is a patriotic slogan used by Pakistanis in displays of Pakistani nationalism. The phrase became popular among the Muslims of British India after the 1933 publication of the "Pakistan Declaration" by Choudhry Rahmat Ali, who argued that the Muslim minority in British India—particularly in the Muslim-majority regions of Punjab, Afghania, Kashmir, Sindh, and Baluchistan—constituted a nation of an irrevocably distinct nature from the rest of India on "religious, social, and historical grounds" owing primarily to the issue of Hindu–Muslim unity. Ali's ideology was adopted by the All-India Muslim League as the "two-nation theory" and ultimately spurred the Pakistan Movement that led to the partition of British India. During this time, "Pakistan Zindabad" became a widely used slogan and greeting within the Muslim League, and following the creation of Pakistan, it was also used as a rallying cry by Muslims who were migrating to the newly independent state from India as well as by those who were already within Pakistan's borders. The slogan is commonly invoked by Pakistani citizens and Pakistani state institutions on national holidays, during times of armed conflict, and on other major occasions.

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Communists were actively involved in Indian independence movement through multiple series of protests, strikes and other activities. It was a part of revolutionary movement for Indian independence. Their main thrust was on organising peasants and working classes across India against the British and Indian capitalists and landlords.

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References

  1. Solomon, John (31 March 2016). A Subaltern History of the Indian Diaspora in Singapore: The Gradual Disappearance of Untouchability 1872-1965. Routledge. ISBN   978-1-317-35380-5. ... India newspaper in Singapore reported that at a Sunday parade, "the air was rent with lusty shouts of Hindustani phrases such as 'Inquilab Zindabad', 'Azad Hind Zindabad' and 'Netaji ki Jai'".
  2. Amitav Ghosh (2001). The Glass Palace. Random House Digital, Inc. This was followed by other shouts and slogans, all in Hindustani: "Inquilab zindabad" and Halla bol, halla bol!"
  3. 1 2 Mehmi, Vineet (1 April 2021). "Inquilab zindabad!: India's farmers protest deserves our attention". San Francisco Foghorn . Retrieved 8 January 2025. In Hindi, the phrase "Inquilab zindabad!" means "Long live the revolution!" This was the rallying cry shouted by Indian revolutionary Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh in 1929 in front of the high courts of Delhi during the Indian Independence Movement.
  4. 1 2 Sharma, Shikha (24 August 2023). Motivating Thoughts of Bhagat Singh. Prabhat Prakashan. ISBN   978-93-5562-065-1. A beacon of inspiration and a founding member of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association, Bhagat Singh played a pivotal role in shaping the course of the Indian Independence Movement. His indomitable spirit and the resounding catchphrase "Inquilab zindabad" (Long live the revolution) became emblematic of the struggle for a free India.
  5. "Arvind Kejriwal Calls His Win in Delhi Election the 'Birth of a New Politics'".
  6. "Pakistan में Inquilab Zindabad और Azaadi के Slogan क्यों गूंज रहे हैं? (BBC Hindi)". YouTube . 29 November 2019.
  7. "Inquilab Zindabad slogan will stay relevant till people continue their struggle against diverse inequalities". 29 May 2022.
  8. "At Umar Khalid's bail hearing, Delhi HC deliberates on meaning of 'inquilab': 'Revolution not necessarily bloodless'". 20 May 2022.
  9. Pandya, Prashant H. (1 March 2014). Indian Philately Digest. Indian Philatelists' Forum.
  10. "LITERACY NOTES: Hasrat Mohani – a unique poet & politician". Business Recorder. 18 June 2005. Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  11. "India remembers Maulana Hasrat Mohani who gave the revolutionary slogan 'Inquilab Zindabad'". Zee News. 2 January 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  12. 1 2 3 "Bhagat Singh: Select Speeches And Writings, Edited by D. N. Gupta". archive.org. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  13. "Inquilab Zindabad: A War Cry for Change". Archived from the original on 10 January 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  14. Ali, Afsar (17 July 2017). "Partition of India and Patriotism of Indian Muslims". The Milli Gazette.
  15. Habib, S. Irfan (2007). "Shaheed Bhagat Singh and his Revolutionary Inheritance". Indian Historical Review. 34 (2): 79–94. doi:10.1177/037698360703400205. S2CID   143159505.
  16. Singh, Bhagat. "Full Text of Statement of S. Bhagat Singh and B.K. Dutt in the Assembly Bomb Case". www.marxists.org. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  17. Bhatnagar, O.P. (2007). Indian Political Novel in English. Delhi: Saruk and Sons. p. 42. ISBN   9788176257992.