Syed Abid Hasan Safrani, who fought against the British as a soldier of the Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fouj), was born on 11 April 1911 in Hyderabad of Andhra Pradesh. His father was Amir Hassan and his mother was Fakrul Hajia Begum. His original name was Zainulal-Abidin Hassan. His mother Farkrul Hajia was a freedom fighter. Abid Hasan Safrani continued the spirit of his mother and entered into the Indian National Movement.
He quit his college education to participate in the Civil Disobedience Movement and reached Sabarmati Ashram in 1931, where he spent a brief period. Later, he thought that only armed struggle could bring freedom to India. Thus, he worked with the revolutionaries.
As a member of the revolutionary association, he took part in the attempt to destroy the refinery in the Nasik Jail. This act resulted in one-year imprisonment for him. But, he was released prior to the completion of the sentence because of the ‘Gandhi-Irwin Pact’. He participated in the activities of the Indian National Congress for about a decade.
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Later, he went to Germany to study Engineering, where he met Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, the leader of the Indian National Army. He worked as the Secretary to Netaji for about two years from 1942 and traveled extensively around the world. Abid accompanied Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose during his adventurous journey in a Sub-Marine on 8 February 1943.
Abid Hasan Safrani created and popularised the slogan ‘Jai Hind’, which inspired the Nation, and also initiated the title ‘Netaji’ to Subhash Chandra Bose when he was in Germany. Subhash Chandra Bose, thereafter, was popularised and remembered as ‘Netaji’ by the whole Nation.
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Abid Hasan Safrani was later appointed as the Commander of the Gandhi Brigade of the Indian National Army by Netaji. Abid was also arrested by the British along with other commanders of the Indian National Army and he spent some time in prison.
When India gained Independence in 1947, Abid joined in the Ministry for External Affairs at the request of Jawaharlal Nehru. He worked as the first Secretary in Peking (now Beijing) and in Cairo. He also worked as the Consul-General in Damascus, Bagdad, and Denmark. Syed Abid Hassan Safrani, after retirement returned to his home city Hyderabad where he breathed his last in 1984.
