IN FOCUS

I was born on January 1, 1925, in Uttar Pradesh during the British India era. Now, as a senior citizen, I have witnessed the transition from colonial rule to independent India. I was born into a family renowned for its role in the freedom struggle. My elder brother, Advocate Iqbal Ahmad Khan Suhail, MA LLB, (1884– 1955), was not only a freedom fighter but also a poet. In one of his poems, he wrote: Ghalat hai yeh keh faqat Hinduon ka leader tha Ke tha tamaam jahan bhar ka rehnuma Gandhi It is wrong to say he was only the leader of Hindus; Gandhi was a guiding figure for the entire world. Iqbal Ahmad Khan Suhail contested the 1936 elections in Uttar Pradesh and, after winning, became a member of the UP Assembly. As I grew older, I came across Swami Vivekananda’s book Letters of Swami Vivekananda. In letter number 271 dated June 10, 1898, he wrote to a friend and shared his vision for a free India. He expressed it in these words: “For our own motherland, a junction of the two great systems Hinduism and Islam—Vedanta brain and Islam body—is the only hope I see in my mind’s eye, the future perfect India rising out of this chaos and strife, glorious and invincible with Vedanta brain and Islam body.” (Letters of Swami Vivekananda, p. 427) These beautiful memories stay etched in my heart. I actively participated in the freedom movement to the best of my ability. For example, before Independence, I travelled to Mau (UP) to hear Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964) speak. I still remember how eager THE VISION FOR INDIA PERSONAL EXPERIENCES