Azamgarh : Amit Shah Vs Firoz Shah

Come 29th September you should remember the Azamgarh district. Why ? Azamgarh is a district you know as a terrorist base after 2008 13 serial blasts in Delhi or for Dawood Ibrahim, Haji Mastan, Chhota Shakeel,  Abu Salem  and many other sharpshooters of Mumbai Underworld.Recently it has been linked to many terrorist groups like Indian Mujahidin.  The List is endless. But if tell you that Kaifi Azami, Shabana Azmi, maulana Shibli Numani, Ayodhya Singh Upadhyay Hariaudh and above all the great intellect Rahul Sankrityayan belonged to Azamgarh, You might want to give a second thought about the stereotypes, media creates and politicians encashes (Amit Shah Call Azamgarh as “Base of Terrorists” during BJP campaign in 2014). You should also consider the fact that Azamgarh was established by Azam, son of vikramjit a local Rajput raja and his Muslim wife.

At this point,  you should consider the famous Azamgarh Proclamation of 1857 ( Azamgarh Ishtahar), published in Delhi Gadget newspaper on 29th September 1857,  authored by Firoz Shah, Grand Son of the Last Mughal Emperor Bahadurshah Zafar. the Azamgarh Declaration shows an indigenous modernity , tying together the rebels of North India in a very “contemporary” struggle for social, economic and political freedom.

The ishtahār is secular and largely democratic in tone, appealing to “both Hindoos and Mahommedans” who are “being ruined under the tyranny and oppression of the treacherous and infidel and treacherous English”. Moreover, its main appeal is to economic sentiment, laying out in great details how the British had ruined each class of citizen—zamindār, merchant, civil servants, soldiers, artisans and even the clergy—and promising them a better deal after the revolution.

The original proclamation is now lost but the English translation which was published by the newspaper Dilli Gadget is available. You can read its summary in your NCERT 12th Book – .

You should also reflect on the questions that Why and How Azamgarh has become the Base of Terrorism when it was a pioneer in expressing the democratic values and communal harmony, more than 160 years ago. You should also wonder why our politician can label a whole district but they do not do anything to address the real problem i.e unemployment, illiteracy. Who is victorious – Amit Shah or Firoz Shah. Amit Shah won the election  and Firoz Shah Lost the revolt and his life. Communal hate is stronger than the Democratic Values but I think the fight is on.