Syud Hossain: A forgotten ambassador brought back to life

Among the multitudes of tombs in the "City of the Dead" in Cairo, there lies buried a lone Indian -- an eminent scholar, writer, debonair statesman and a leader of the Indian freedom movement

Dec 30, 2020
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Among the multitudes of tombs in the "City of the Dead" in Cairo, there lies buried a lone Indian -- an eminent scholar, writer, debonair statesman and a leader of the Indian freedom movement. Who is he? How did he get there?

For a man who used both the lectern and the pen to devastating effect in the cause of the Indian Independence movement led by the likes of Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel and Jawaharlal Nehru, very little is known of Syud Hossain.

Born to an aristocratic family in Calcutta, he started a career in journalism early in life and became the editor of Motilal Nehru's nationalist newspaper, The Independent.

After a brief elopement with Nehru's sister, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, Hossain, under immense pressure from Motilal Nehru and Gandhi, annulled the marriage and was asked to stay away from the country for a few years.

Thus began several years of exile.

Eventually, he landed in the US where he imparted Gandhi's message far and wide across the country. Gathering a group of Indian freedom fighters around him, he fought for India's freedom from afar, decrying British oppression and garnering support in the US for his cause.

Flitting from one place to another, making homes of hotel rooms, Syud Hossain inspired and irked in equal measure.

With every speech he delivered and every editorial he penned, he sent a shiver down the spine of the colonial rulers.

Adding to his formidable list of causes, Hossain also took on the fight for Indian immigrant rights in the US, one that successfully culminated in President Harry Truman signing the Luce-Celler Bill into an Act in 1946. He returned to India to witness the triumph of her Independence, as well as the tragedy of Gandhi's assassination.

He was appointed the first-ever Indian ambassador to Egypt, where he died while in service and was laid to rest in Cairo.

"A Forgotten Ambassador in Cairo" (Simon & Schuster) offers an illuminating narrative of Hossain's life interspersed with historical details that landscape a vivid political picture of that era. Through primary sources that include Hossain's private papers, the British Intelligence files, letters of his friends and contemporary newspapers, N.S. Vinodh brilliantly brings to life a man who has been relegated far too long to the shadows of time.

Vinodh, is a civil engineering graduate from IIT, Madras, and an M.B.A. from IIM, Lucknow. In a corporate career spanning 25 years, he has held senior positions in corporate real estate with leading multi-national financial services companies such as ANZ Grindlays Bank, HSBC, and Fidelity Investments. He opted for early retirement to start his own boutique real estate company, as well as pursue his passion of travelling and history. He is married to Sheela and they have two sons, both based in the United States. He is based in Bangalore.

(IANS)

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मोहम्मा सलीम उद्दीन फारूकी
Tue, 11/01/2022 - 19:33
डॉक्टर सैय्युद हुसैन एक भूले बिसरे स्वतंत्रता सेनानी और आजाद भारत के मिस्र में प्रथम राजदूत के पद पर नियुक्त किया गया था ,जिस की सूचना मेरे परनाना श्री रियाज उद्दीन फाऊकी जिन होने काहिरा में भारतीयों को एकत्र कर के एक संस्था ,इंडिया यूनियन ( इत्तेहाद अल हिंद ) की स्थापनi की थी ।सैय्यद हुसैन की नियुक्ति की सूचना सरदार वल्लभ भाई पटेल ने तार द्वारा दीगई थी । रियाज उद्दीन फारूकी के द्वारा ही उनका किर्याकर्म काहिरा में किया गया था और जो मार्बल उनके मजार के भारत से भेजा गया था वो सारा करिए रियाज उद्दीन फारूकी की देख रिख में किया गया था।जिसके मेरे पास फोटो आदि आज भी मौजूद हैं ।