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Syed Hossain

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Syed Hossain
Born(1888-06-23)23 June 1888
Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India
Died26 February 1949(1949-02-26) (aged 61)
Cairo, Egypt
Burial placeCairo
NationalityIndian
Relatives

Syed Hossain (also Syud Hossain; 23 June 1888 – 26 February 1949)[1][2] was an Indian journalist, an Indian independence activist, and the first Indian ambassador to Egypt in the Jawaharlal Nehru administration.[3][4]

Early life

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Syed Hossain was born in Calcutta in 1888.[5] His father, Nawab Syed Mohammad Azad Khan Bahadur (1850–1915), was the Inspector-General of Registration, Bengal.[6] His great-great-grandfather was Mir Syed Ashraf Ali Khan (d. 1829).[1] Syed Hossain's mother was the daughter of Nawab Abdul Latif, a social reformer of Bengal.[5] Sher-e-Bangla A. K. Fazlul Huq (1873–1962) and Sir Hassan Suhrawardy (1888–1946), were his brother-in-laws.[1]

Hossain passed his Entrance Examination in 1904 and F.A. in 1906 from the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College of Aligarh. He then joined the Bengal Civil Service as a Sub-Deputy Collector in Calcutta but he soon went to England to pursue further education in 1909.[1][5]

Career

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Hossain returned to India in 1916 and started his journalism career early in life at Bombay Chronicle and later joined the Motilal Nehru's nationalist newspaper, The Independent where he soon became the editor.[7][8]

He was also active part of independence movement. Hossain was belonged to Annie Besant's Home Rule League and the Congress. He was chosen by Besant to travel to London and advocate for "Home Rule" for India; however, the journey was cut short when Hossain was arrested and subsequently deported back to India.[9]

Hossain represented India at the Paris Peace Conference in 1920 for the Near Eastern Peace settlement.[10]

He relocated to London in 1920, where he briefly served as editor of the nationalist newspaper India. In October 1921, Hossain departed from London and relocated to the United States. He spent the years 1921–1946 in the US. He first wrote a lot and travelled the US giving talks about India's freedom demands for two years.[citation needed]

Then, from 1924 until 1928, he served as editor of The New Orient, a publication that aimed to bring East and West cultures closer together. Gandhiji, Einstein, Horniman, Kahlil Gibran, Bertrand Russell, HG Wells, Sarojini Naidu, and CF Andrews all contributed to the issues he edited. [11]

In the 1930s, he moved to California.[1] He served as a lecturer at the University of Southern California's Department of History as a visiting faculty lecturer. He taught two courses entitled "India's Civilization" and "Islamic Civilization" in the summer of 1934.[12] The university later conferred on him an honorary doctorate degree.[1]

When Hossain left the United States for India in 1946, a farewell dinner was organized for him at the Ceylon India Inn in New York City where the guests included Ragini Devi, Habib Rahman, and Indrani Rahman.[13]

He had ties to Nehru and was very committed to the cause of Indian independence later in 1946. After his return to India, he was chosen to serve as Egypt's first ambassador. [14]

Hossain wrote "Echoes from Old Dacca", published in May 1909 and "Gandhi: The Saint as Statesman" in 1937.[6][15][10]

Personal life

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During his time in Allahabad, Hossain experienced an unfortunate romance that would define his following career and maybe wipe him out of Indian history forever. The 19-year-old Sarup Kumari (later Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit), the daughter of Motilal Nehru, and Hossain, who was 12 years her senior, fell in love, eloped, and were married according to Muslim customs.

The couple was compelled to dissolve their marriage due to the influence of the bride's family. Hossain was hastily transferred to the UK, where he was supposed to travel to London to advocate for the Khilafat movement, while Sarup Kumari was assigned to spend six months at Sabarmati Ashram.[16][17]

Death

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He has been buried in Al-Arafa in Cairo. He was then one of the only Indians who was buried there. This Al-Arafah is also known as City Of The Dead.[18]

Works

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  • Gandhi, the Saint as Statesman (1936)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Khan, Waqar A. (10 August 2020). "An Indefatigable Crusader: Dr Syud Hossain". The Daily Star. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  2. ^ Murshed, Syud Marghub (5 June 2021). "The Tale of a Forgotten Ambassador: A rediscovery of the life of a patriot". The Daily Star. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  3. ^ "Embassy of India, Cairo, Egypt : List of former Ambassadors". www.eoicairo.gov.in. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  4. ^ Vinodh, N. S. (29 December 2020). A Forgotten Ambassador in Cairo: The Life and Times of Syud Hossain. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-81-947520-9-7.
  5. ^ a b c Choudhury, Enam Ahmed (4 October 2021). "Syud Hossain and his times". The Daily Star. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  6. ^ a b Hossain, Syud (1909). Echoes from Old Dacca. Edinburgh Press.
  7. ^ "Syud Hossain: A Fascinating Footnote from India's Freedom Struggle". The Wire. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  8. ^ "Syud Hossain: A forgotten ambassador brought back to life". South Asia Monitor. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  9. ^ "Syud Hossain: A Fascinating Footnote from India's Freedom Struggle". The Wire. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Pamphlet for Lectures by Dr. Syud Hossain". South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA). 5 September 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  11. ^ "Syud Hossain: A Fascinating Footnote from India's Freedom Struggle". The Wire. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  12. ^ "Syud Hossain Pamphlet". South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA). 23 July 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  13. ^ "The Resurrection Of a Forgotten Ambassador". Valley of Words. 4 August 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  14. ^ Balakrishnan, Uday (6 November 2021). "Uday Balakrishnan reviews A Forgotten Ambassador in Cairo: The Life and Times of Syud Hossain, by N.S. Vinodh". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  15. ^ Hossain, Syud (1937). Gandhi: The Saint as Statesman. Suttonhouse, Limited.
  16. ^ Balakrishnan, Uday (6 November 2021). "Uday Balakrishnan reviews A Forgotten Ambassador in Cairo: The Life and Times of Syud Hossain, by N.S. Vinodh". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  17. ^ "Syud Hossain: A Fascinating Footnote from India's Freedom Struggle". The Wire. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  18. ^ "आज़ादी के हीरो सैयद हुसैन और विजयलक्ष्मी पंडित की कहानी - विवेचना". BBC News हिंदी (in Hindi). 26 August 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
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