By Danish Khan for TwoCircles.net
Syud Hossain was born on June 23, 1888 in Calcutta (according to his passport application to the British Government) in an illustrious and aristocratic family. His father Syud Mohammed was a well-known scholar and the Registrar General of Bengal. His maternal grandfather was Nawab Abdul Latif Khan Bahadur who did pioneering work in the field of education in Bengal.
In 1909, Syud Hossain attended Lincoln’s Inn to study law. While in England, Hossain took part in debates and discussions and became popular among the Indian students in London. In 1916, he joined Bombay Chronicle to assist B G Horniman, its legendary editor. He became involved in the Home Rule Movement in Bombay and in 1918 was selected to go to England as secretary of the Home Rule deputation.
Syud Hossain
In 1919, he joined Independent and made his mark with catchy headlines and fiery editorials. At Independent Syud Hossain carried forward the style and panache of Bombay Chronicle, which was known for its constant run-in with the British Goverment. Hossain did not care about antagonising the moderates or British officers in his stint at Independent.
Asaf Ali wrote an article on the British government’s elation at suppressing people’s uprising in North India in 1919 for the Independent. Syud Hossain titled it ‘Devils dance while Angels weep’. This ruffled feathers not just in the official circles but also among the moderate elements in the Congress who thought it was objectionable.
Another famous tagline coined by Syud Hossain was C M G which meant Chelmsford Must Go. It became quite popular and gave voice to several Indian nationalists who were opposed to the Montagu-Chlemsford reforms.
While in Allahabad, Hossain and Vijayalakshmi Pandit fell in love but faced stiff opposition for their marriage. The affair attracted national as well as the international press for several years. The April 27, 1949 issue of the Miami Daily News mentions about their affair and noted ‘just a few weeks before her Washington appointment was announced, Syed Hussain was found dead in his corner suite at the famous Shepherd Hotel…His intimates there swear he died of a broken heart’.
Syud Hossain’s affair with Vijayalakshmi Pandit should not overshadow his contribution to India’s independence. Hossain’s intellect and personality made him one of the prominent voices for India’s cause across the world.
In 1920, Hossain went to England as part of the Khilafat delegation and stayed there to fight for India’s independence. In London, he became the editor of the official publication of the Congress. From the UK he went to USA where he stayed till 1946 except for a brief period in 1937 when he came back to India.
While in America he became a darling of the press and the intelligentsia. His oratory skills and knowledge left the Americans in awe. The Los Angeles Times described him as ‘the most distinguished Indian visitor in America since Tagore’ while the New York-based Foreign Policy Association said: ‘Of the hundreds of speakers who have addressed our conferences during the past five years, none were more brilliant or authoritative than Mr Hossain’.
He became a headache for the Britishers who tried as much as they could to contain him. He addressed hundreds of lectures and took part in debates at Universities, social clubs, international organisations on the need for India’s independence. Worried about his influence, the Britishers managed to block Hossain from speaking at the Town Hall of New York. However, Hossain’s passion and flair for language ensured he always remained a sought after speaker.
A letter dated May 15, 1930 by Julian Arnold (working for the British govt) in Chicago to the then British consulate general Godfrey Haggard describes Hossain as ‘richly endowed with the two essentials of a good speaker, viz his grace in diction and fire in expression’. Describing the debate ‘Is British rule in India a failure?’ Arnold notes that Hossain’s opponent, George Young,went down like a ‘house built of cards’. The Britishers were always on the lookout for a ‘strong speaker to oppose him’ (Hossain).
Hossain also had a deep knowledge of the major religions of the world and his interest in philosophy gave him the power to captivate the cream of the American society. His impeccable manners, aristocratic background and charm made an enormous impact on women. His secretary Mrs Kamla V Nimbkar (who was an American married to an Indian engineer) noted that the American ladies would exclaim that ‘if India could produce a man like Syud Hossain it could not be a very backward country’.
Asaf Ali, another freedom fighter who went on to become the Governor of Orissa was Hossain’s friend and classmate at Lincoln’s Inn. In the book Dr Syud Hossain, A glimpse of his life, speeches and writings, Asaf Ali notes: “He was handsome in appearance and even more handsome in his relationship with his friends and adversaries. His command over English was of outstanding distinction and his general love of literature, Persian and Urdu particularly, was of the nature of a deep passion.”
Hossain was a special lecturer on World Affairs at University of Southern California and he was also the editor of the New Orient magazine in New York. In September 1945, Hossain suggested to Jawaharlal Nehru if he could come back to India and work towards Hindu-Muslim harmony and stand for elections. Nehru consulted Asaf Ali and Gandhiji. He then cabled Hossain, ‘…Gandhiji thinks you can do more important work in America’.
According to M O Mathai, Nehru’s personal secretary, in 1945 Hossain and Vijayalakshmi were seen together several times in the US. Gandhiji received letters from Indians in America that Hossain was following Vijayalakshmi everywhere. Mathai believes ‘Gandhi’s shrewd advice was to prevent the gossip mill from running overtime impairing Pandit’s usefulness’.
Hossain had the highest love and respect for Gandhiji. In his several lectures he emphasised on the crucial role played by Gandhiji in India. He even wrote a book, Gandhi: The saint as statesman. After independence he was made India’s first ambassador to Egypt where he died on February 25, 1949. He was given a state funeral and a road was named after him in Cairo.
Syud Hossain’s contribution has gone largely unnoticed because he was not a mass leader and fought battles for India in intellectual circles abroad. Sadly, even the intellectuals in India seem to have forgotten him.
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Danish Khan blogs at http://urdufigures.blogspot.com/