Mohammed Ali Jinnah(1876-1948)

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Jinnah was born in Karachi , and received his education in both Karachi and Bombay . He was a law student at Lincoln ’s Inn in London , and became a member of the bar in 1896. Although he initially served as a magistrate in Bombay , he soon became one of the most successful lawyers in Bombay .

In 1913, Jinnah joined the Muslim League which was created to represent the Muslim minority in India . Ironically, Jinnah had his first major experience in politics as a private secretary to the president of the Indian National Congress. The Muslim League and Congress would later become two strongly conflicting organizations. In 1916, he became the elected president of the Muslim Leage, and in 1919 he represented the Muslim population of Bombay in the Imperial Legislative Council. The passing of the Rowlatt Acts gave Indian authorities the power to suppress revolutionary activities; as an ardent nationalist, Jinnah resigned.

In 1920 when Congress launched the noncooperation movement that advocated the boycott of any aspect of British rule in India , Jinnah resigned from Congress. Jinnah and Mohandas Gandhi had major conflicting views on the future and methods to deal with British rule. However, they both believed in the possibility of Hindu-Muslim unity.

His views on Hindu-Muslim unity remained unfaltered until Congress refused to form a governmental coalition with the Muslim League, as Jinnah had proposed, in order for the Muslim population to receive fair representation. Finally in March 1940, at a session of the Muslim League in Lahore , the partition of India and a separate Pakistani state was advocated.

Jinnah was known as the Quaid-i-Azam, or Great Leader, of Pakistan . Upon Pakistani independence on August 14 th, 1947 , he became the first governor-general where this he was official given this title. Jinnah passed away due to tuberculosis in Karachi in 1948.

Listen to his August 14th, 1947 Speech

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi(1869-1948)

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Gandhi was born in Porbandar in the present-day state of Gujarat on October 2, 1869 . He received is education in law at the University College , London . Upon becoming a member of the bar, he settled in Bombay and attempted to run a law practice. He was unsuccessful. He was later recruited as a legal adviser by an Indian firm’s office in Durban , South Africa .

In South Africa , he witnessed blatant discrimination, and denial of civil and political liberties to Indian immigrants. During his 20 year stay here, Gandhi was imprisoned multiple times. It was here where he began to teach his principles of passive resistance and noncooperation. In 1914, the South African government finally conceded to Gandhi’s demands, and recognized Indian marriages and abolished their poll tax. After these concessions, Gandhi returned to India .

Gandhi claimed his major influences to be Leo Tolstoy, the teachings of Christ, and Henry David Thoreau’s famous essay “Civil Disobedience”. After World War I, Gandhi began the widespread advocacy of his passive resistance campaign against Britain . Following the Rowlatt Acts, he launched an organize force of noncooperation where Indians withdrew themselves from all government affiliated activities, positions, schools, and goods. Gandhi advocated the principles of self-reliance and the re-implementation of the cottage industries that were abolished with the uprising of the British factory. He used a spinning wheel, which he is often depicted with in paintings and photographs, as a symbol of his return to the simple village life he advocated. Gandhi received the name “Mahatma”, meaning great soul, from the people in response to his efforts of ahimsa, or noninjury. He became the international symbol for a liberated India .

In 1921, the Indian National Congress gave Gandhi complete executive authority of their organization. However, he was imprisoned by the British government in 1922, and was not released until 1924. In 1930, he launched a new civil disobedience campaign and encouraged Indians not to pay taxes, specifically salt tax. He later led the famous salt march where he led thousands to the Arabian Sea to make their own salt by evaporating the sea water.

In 1934, he formally resigned from politics and campaigned against the caste system and “untouchability”.

When World War II broke out, Gandhi joined the Congress party in their demands for a statement of intent and its effect on India from Britain . They did not receive a satisfactory response, and as a result declared that the country would not support their war efforts unless they were granted immediate independence. They were denied.

Even in the final stages of independence, Gandhi remained directly opposed to partition. In 1944 when Britain agreed to grant independence on the condition that the Congress Party and the Muslim League resolve their differences, Gandhi’s opinion remained unchanged. However, he ultimately had to agree in the hopes that peace would come with the satisfaction of the Muslim demand for a separate nation. However, riots ensued and Gandhi undertook a fast in order to bring peace.

On January 30 th, 1948 , 12 days following the successful completion of his last fast, he was assassinated by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu fanatic while he was on his way to evening prayer.

Jawaharlal Nehru(1889-1964)

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Nehru was born the son of a wealthy lawyer whose family originally came from Kashmir . He was completely educated in Britain where he received his law degree from the Inner Temple in London . He returned to India in 1912, where he practiced law without any zeal for the next several years.

In 1919, Nehru joined the Indian National Congress, where he became devoted to Gandhi and the cause and approach that he advocated. Gandhi recruited Nehru as one of his lieutenants; as a result his father was brought into an active interaction with Gandhi.

Under Gandhi’s guide, Nehru was a popular and well-respected speaker about independence from Britain to the well-versed people educated in Britain as well as the common Indian peasant.

Like Gandhi, Nehru was imprisoned several times for civil disobedience. By the end of the second World War, Nehru seemed to be the obvious choice to follow in Gandhi’s footsteps. As a result, when Britain was forming an interim government in 1946, Nehru was selected as prime minister, by Gandhi’s choice.

Nehru also opposed the division of India on religious grounds, and held the view that all Indians, regardless of religion, should be equal citizens in the newly freed nation. However, this dream was to remain unrealized as Lord Louis Mountbatten created a plan in order to expedite partition that would divide British India into India and Pakistan .

Nehru and Mountbatten became close allies. At Mountbatten’s recommendation, in order to establish a positive precedent for other former British colonies, Nehru maintained India ’s membership in the British Commonwealth of Nations.

He became independent India ’s first prime minister on August 15 th, 1947 , and remained in this position until his death in 1964.

Listen to his June 3rd, 1947 Speech

Louis Mountbatten(1900-1979)

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Mountbatten was born in Windsor , England . He was the son of Princess Victoria, a granddaughter of Britain ’s Queen Victoria, and a German Prince. He was educated at home for his first ten years, and later attended the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth in 1914.

In October 1943, he took the position of supreme allied commander in Southeast Asia . He was in charge of strategy for British, American, and Chinese forces, and prevented the Japanese advance into India .

He became the viceroy of India in 1947, where he was responsible for ending British rule and the initiation of partition. Gandhi, Nehru, and Mountbatten became close allies. He worked with these two leaders as well as Jinnah to create a fair plan for partition. On August 15 of the same year, India and Pakistan became independent nations as a result of his guidance. He remained the interim governor-general of India until June 1948.

He was killed in 1979 when an Irish Republican Army bomb exploded in a boat he was piloting.

Listen to his August 15th, 1947 Speech

Allama Iqbal(1877-1938)

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Iqbal was born in Sialkot , Punjab in 1977 into a family that had converted to Islam 300 years prior. He received his education close to home, receiving a Bachelors of Arts Degree from Government College , Lahore . Two years later, he earned his Masters Degree and became a lecturer of English, Philosophy, and History. He later went on to obtain a doctorate from Cambridge , and qualified to become a barrister.

He returned to India in 1908, and practiced and taught law. He later became a poet, and dedicated himself to the cause of promoting individual thinking in Muslim communities.

In 1930, Iqbal was invited to lead the open session of the Muslim League. It was here, that he presented his idea for an independent and sovereign Muslim state, which would later become Pakistan . On April 21, 1938 , Allama Iqbal passed away having planted the crucial idea of an independent Muslim state that would serve as an important guide for the Muslim people in years to come.