Dr. Khwaja Abdul Hamied was active in Indian political affairs throughout his life.
Syed Naseer Ahmad
Dr. Khwaja Abdul Hameed, who joined National Movement in response to the call given by Gandhiji and Ali brothers, was born on 31 October, 1998 in Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh. His father was K A Ali. He developed resentment against the colonial rule after witnessing the high handedness of the British officials and the police during the agitation against to Kanpur Masjid Demolition in 1913. When Khilafat and Non-cooperation movement commenced under the leadership of Ali brothers and Gandhiji, he was studying degree in a college.
In response to the call given by Gandhiji to boycott the colleges run with Government funds, he left the college and led the students of Allahabad University in the movement. Due to this act of defiance, the college management, on the orders of the British authorities, expelled him from the college. In 1921, he took active part in Khilafat and Non-cooperation movement as an activist of Indian National Congress. He supported the proposal of Ali Brothers and Gandhiji, to establish a Jamia Millia Islamia for those students who boycotted the Govt. colleges, in order to instill nationalist ideas in the Students.
Later, he worked in Jamia Millia Islamia as a lecturer in chemistry. He along with his colleague Dr. Zakir Hussain, played his role in the National Movement. When Non-cooperation movement was called off in 1924, he went to England to pursue higher education and later he moved to Germany as he disliked to study in the colonialist country. He did his doctorate in Chemistry from Berlin University and toured several other countries in 1927 to acquire deep
knowledge in establishing Pharmaceutical industry and manufacturing medicines. He settled in Bombay in 1931 and reached the pinnacle of his career in pharmaceutical Industry undertaking a variety of research projects successfully.
Though he made pharmaceutical industry his main career, he was not aloof from public life. He extended support to Jamia Millia Islamia running under guidance of Dr. Zakir Hussain. He contested as an independent candidate for Bombay’s Legislative Council in 1937 and won. Even though Mohammed Ali Jinnah fielded someone against him and campaigned personally, he could not thwart Hameed’s victory.
He vehemently opposed Muslim League’s reslution of partition of India. Dr. Khwaja Abdul Hameed, who served the country in the capacity of People’s representative from 1937 to 1962, passed away on 23 June, 1972.
