By: B Revti

Do you  know  Dr Saifuddin Kitchlew—– one of the most influential leaders in pre-independence India who is known for leading a protest against the Jallianwala Bagh massacre? Incidentally, Kitchlew, whose ancestors were from Kashmir, had an immense love for Kashmir.

   A legendary freedom fighter who is often hailed as a hero of the Jallianwala Bagh protests against the Rowlatt Act of 1919; Dr Kitchlew’s ancestors were Kashmiri Pandits. Born on 15 January in 1888 into a Kashmiri Muslim (Converted) family, Kitchlew’s father, Azizuddin Kitchlew had moved to Amritsar for his pashmina and saffron trading business, whiles his mother, Dan Bibi, was a homemaker.

 Prakash Ram Kitchlew, a Kashmiri Pandit from Baramulla town, had in fact converted to Islam. Later, his son, Ahmed Jo had migrated from Kashmir in the mid-19th century after the Kashmir famine of 1871.

Kitchlew’s studies and career

The hero of Jallianwala Bagh had started his schooling from Islamia High School in Amritsar. He completed his bachelors  degree from Cambridge University in London and PhD from Germany in 1913.  He returned from abroad and started practicing law in Amritsar. His strong intellect and devotion for the nation made him participate in activities that could help India emerge out of colonialism. Kitchlew first became Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (Punjab PCC) head and later the General Secretary of the AICC in 1924

Advocate of Hindu-Muslim Unity, Kitchlew was opposed to partition

In his book, “Freedom Fighter — The Story of Dr Saifuddin Kitchlew’’, Kitchlew writes about his grandfather who was always fascinated by the French Revolution. He read books on these themes, which excited in him a kind of admiration for nationalism and freedom movements.

Kitchlew, who took an active part in the non-cooperation movement and the All India Khilafat Committee, was an active advocate of Hindu-Muslim unity.  He started an Urdu daily Tanzim which became monumental in establishing the Swaraj Ashram in January 1921 at Amritsar to train young men for national work and to promote Hindu-Muslim unity. He was also  one of the founding members of Jamia Millia Islamia.

As a practicing Barrister, Kitchlew had come in contact with Gandhi Ji. A strict opponent to the Muslim League’s demand for Pakistan, Kitchlew had deadly opposed the acceptance of the Partition of India by the Congress Party. He is on record having spoken out against it at public meetings across the country and at the All India Congress Committee session that ultimately voted for the resolution. He called it a blatant “surrender of nationalism for communalism”.

 Kitchlew was a founding leader of the Naujawan Bharat Sabha , which rallied thousands of students, and young Indians to nationalist causes He was a member of the Foundation Committee of Jamia Millia Islamia, which met on 29 October 1920 and led to the foundation of Jamia Millia Islamia University.

After 1947, he was attracted towards Communism and worked for world peace through institutions like ‘Peace and Friendship’. He was the founder president of the All-India Peace Council and remained President of 4th Congress of All-India Peace Council, held at Madras in 1954, besides remaining Vice President of the World Peace Council.

He was the first Indian to be awarded the Lenin Peace Prize in 1952. He died on 9 October 1963 due to cardiac arrest.

From Kashmir to Amritsar to Delhi

Kitchlew’s ancestors had moved out of Kashmir due to Kashmir famine of 1871. His father had started Shawl business in Amritsar-Lahore belt, in order to raise his family. However, Kitchlew had to move to Delhi after his house was burnt down during the partition of India riots of 1947. This had forced him to spend the rest of his life working for closer political and diplomatic relations with the USSR.  

   During his stay in Delhi, Kitchlew longed for Kashmir—the land of his ancestors. During the period from 1948 to 1950, he is reported to have visited Kashmir several times in order to trace his roots. In one of his talks broadcast over Delhi Station of All India Radio in 1950, Kitchlew showers all praise for his birth land. This article was published by several magazines of that era. Kashmir Rechords (www.kashmir-rechords) is reproducing one such write-up written by Dr Kitchlew in Urdu.

  Kitchlew, who had received the Stalin Peace Prize in 1952, died on 9 October 1963.  He was survived by a son, Toufique Kitchlew, who lived in a Lampur village on the outskirts of Delhi, and five daughters. While four of his daughters married men from Pakistan, one daughter, Zahida Kitchlew, was married to the South Indian music director M. B. Sreenivasan who worked mainly  in Malayalam and Tamil film industries.

A colony in Ludhiana, Punjab, popularly called Kitchlu Nagar, is named after him.  In 1989, India Post released a special commemorative stamp featuring him. The Jamia Millia Islamia created a Saifuddin Kitchlew Chair at the MMAJ Academy of Third world Studies in 2009. People of Amritsar still remember him. That is evident from the fact that Kitchlew Chowk in Amritsar, at the intersection of Mall Road and Court Road, is named after him.  There used to be a small bust on a pillar at the intersection.