Hyderabad Liberation - 1 |
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Hyderabad Liberation - 1 |
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Hyderabad Liberation Part-1 " I will not declare holiday in this school, because Mr.Rizwi is dead. We will not mourn the death of this Anti-national and terrorist leader and rather rejoice that our days of being with India is near. " To say this before a voilent mob of Razaakars and Nizam police, who had assembled before Gosha Mahal School in Hyderabad, was only possible to one person, that is Mr.Sarfraz Ali - an eminent scholar, nationalist and a person of strong conviction and courage !! Unable to face the wrath of Mr.Sarfraz Ali, the mob of Razaakars and Nizam police had to beat a hasty retreat and Gosha Mahal School and its principal Sarfraz Ali, continued to work, on this day - when the Nizam of Hyderabad had declared a day of holiday and mourning to grieve the loss of the tyrant leader of Razaakars - Mr.Rizwi !! Sarfraz Ali, belonged to Koppal city of North Karnataka and comes from a very devout and well to do muslim family. After graduation at Osmania University, Hyderabad - then it was one of the best in India, he went abroad for higher studies. After his higher studies which he passed with distinction, he rejected many lucurative offers to work abroad and returned to India. A strong believer in Gandhian principles, he came to Koppal and was made principal of the High school there. Moved by the plight of students of the school, who had to sit on floor and could not afford to buy books or pens, Sarfraz Ali spent all the wealth and lands of his family and built full fledged laboratory, class rooms and a massive library for this school. He paid fees of all students in the school and even started scholarships for the merited ones. The school became one of the best schools in entire Nizam province and also attracted students from Madras and Maharastra!! But the rising popularity of the school and Sarfraz Ali was too much to bear, for the RSS Brigade in Koppal. Blaming Sarfraz Ali as a stooge of Nizam and accusing him of promoting conversion of hindus to Islam, this group of people began to harass Sarfraz Ali and his family. Thankfully the people of Koppal realized the wrong and took to task the RSS brigade. In sheer act of desperation, this brigade set fire to the school, laboratories and library in the middle of the night!! Sarfraz Ali was so shattered by this act that he quit his job and left for Hyderabad. Koppal's loss was to be Hyderabad's gain!! Sarfraz Ali was welcomed in Hyderabad and made principal of Gosha Mahal School. But a nationalist to the core, Sarfraz Ali ignored protests from Nizam and threats from Razaakars and opened admissions to this school to non-muslims both for the school and hostel. Sarfraz Ali put up the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi in the room of the Principal and began to talk to students about the principles of Gandhisim, freedom movement and the cruelty of Razaakars and the wrong doings of Nizam of Hyderabad. please remember, under the Nizam's rule, the Razaakars led by Rizwi were notorious for thier cruelty and any action or talk against them or the Nizam was called as treason and the punishment was brutal and immediate. It was Sarfraz Ali's moral conviction and matchless courage that stood by him and his family, during these times. Sarfraz Ali started the fight for liberation of Hyderabad and many of his students formed the resistance movement that spread from Koppal to Hyderabad and were successfull in defeating the armed Razaakars and paving way for the Indian Army to enter Hyderabad. ( More about this in next articles) Unfortunately after the liberation of Hyderabad, Sarfraz Ali was branded by the congress government at Hyderabad, as Nizam's man and was ignored and yet he continued to work at Gosha Mahal School till his retirement. He lived a life of poverty and died unnoticed and unsung for !!. If we are to be happy for not being in Pakistan, then Sarfraz Ali is to be remembered as the true patriot who selflessly fought for us and for the country. Next Article |
| -Basavaraj Koppal |