Misplaced Pages

#47952

39-773: He was the first president of the All India Conference of Indian Christians , which played an important role in the Indian independence movement , advocating for self-rule and opposing the partition of India . He was also a member of the Kapurthala Council of State and one of the founder trustees of the Tribune Newspaper. He also was one of the patrons of the New India Insurance company founded in 1906 in Calcutta under

78-615: A "massive expansion of the nationalist movement in India" with people from all segments of society participating in it. Composite nationalism was championed by the Islamic scholar and Principal of the Darul Uloom Deoband , Maulana Sayyid Hussain Ahmed Madani . Asgar Ali summarized a key point of Madni's 1938 text Muttahida Qaumiyat Aur Islam , which advocated for composite nationalism in

117-599: A Pashtun Indian independence activist , along with his Khudai Khidmatgar , heralded composite nationalism, emphasizing the fact that Muslims were natives of the Indian subcontinent as with their Hindu brethren. Saifuddin Kitchlew , a Kashmiri Indian independence activist and president of the Punjab Provincial Congress Committee supported a united Indian movement against British colonial rule and preached that

156-626: A divided India would weaken Muslims, both economically and politically. On 15 December 2018, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind gathered in the National Capital Territory of Delhi to affirm composite nationalism. The Islamic organisation launched one hundred meetings starting from that date "around the theme of freedom, nationalism and how the organisation can the minority community contribute to nation building." The concept of composite nationalism as advocated by Gandhi has parallels with

195-705: A historian of modern India, writes that prior to the arrival of the British in India , "there was no profound enmity between Hindus and Muslims; the British created divisions." Mahatma Gandhi taught that these "artificial divisions" could be overcome through Hindu-Muslim unity as "religions are different roads converging to the same point." Earlier, Sayyid Jamal al-Din al-Afghani Asadabadi advocated for Hindu-Muslim unity in India as opposed to unity between Indian Muslims and foreign Muslims, holding that Hindu-Muslim unity would be more effective in supporting anti-British movements, leading to an independent India. Annie Besant ,

234-524: A multi-cultural, multi-racial and multi-religious world. Fellow Deobandi scholar Mohammad Sajjad , along with Islamic historian Tufail Ahmad Manglori , campaigned for composite nationalism and opposed the Pakistan separatist movement in colonial India, with the latter authoring Rooh-e-Raushan Mustaqbil ( Hindustani : روحِ روشن مستقبل ( Nastaleeq ) , रूह-ए-रौशन मुस्तक़बिल ( Devanagari ) ) to convey these Indian nationalistic views. Abdul Ghaffar Khan ,

273-692: A part of the All Parties Conference , the All-India Conference of Indian Christians met in Lucknow with other Indian political organisations to draft the Nehru Report , which was an early version of the Constitution of India . E.C. Dewick, a Christian missionary from Great Britain, commented on the role of Indian Christians in the Indian independence movement: The old traditions of loyalty to

312-704: A result of their participation in the nationalist movement. In 1923, K. T. Paul from Salem became the president of the All India Conference of Indian Christians; he brought with him a rejection of racism, opposition to foreign missionary control, a service orientation, and a friendly approach towards people of other faiths. Paul represented Indian Christians in the First Round Table Conference in London. Following his death, Gandhi praised Paul for his nationalism; S. K. Datta of Lahore , who served as

351-507: A separate branch of the Ahluwalia dynasty. He was given the administration of his Awadh properties for his lifetime, a move which was objected by Jagatjit Singh but in vain. Harnam Singh died in 1930 at the age of 78, and was succeeded in his title by his eldest son, Raghubir Singh, who himself died two years later without issue. whereupon the title devolved upon his second surviving son, Raja Maharaj Singh . The line of Maharaj Singh maintains

390-522: A supporter of both Indian and Irish self-rule championed the concept in 1917, teaching that "Indian youths should be brought up so as 'to make the Mussalman a good Mussalman, the Hindu boy a good Hindu ... Only they must be taught a broad and liberal tolerance as well as enlightened love for their own religion, so that each may remain Hindu or Mussalman, but both be Indian." The All India Azad Muslim Conference

429-520: A united India: Maulana Madani, who wrote a book Muttahida Qaumiyat Aur Islam persuasively argued in favour of composite nationalism by profusely quoting from the Quran the prophets shared the same territory with the unbelievers and hence their Qaumiyal was not different from those who did not believe in their message. According to Maulana Madani, the very spirit of the Koran is to encourage harmonious co-existence in

SECTION 10

#1732895566048

468-656: The Coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra , as representatives of the Christian community in India. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) in 1885 and knighted as a Knight Commander of the order (KCIE) in 1898. In 1907, Harnam Singh was given the personal title of Raja (roughly equivalent to the modern British life peerage ), and he was made a hereditary Raja in 1911, thus enabling him to found

507-527: The Swaraj movement. It was later nationalised to become India's 4th largest Insurance Company National Insurance Company . Harnam Singh was the second son of Raja Sir Randhir Singh Ahluwalia , GCSI , Raja of Kapurthala , and younger brother of Raja Kharak Singh Ahluwalia . He left Kapurthala in 1878 after the premature death of his elder brother led to a struggle for the succession to the Kapurthala throne. Under

546-574: The arrival of the British into the subcontinent , no enmity between people of different religious faiths existed; and as such these artificial divisions can be overcome by Indian society. Bipin Chandra Pal put forward the idea of composite patriotism in colonial India in 1906, promulgating the idea that "Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and other religious minorities (including the 'animistic' tribals) should preserve their distinctive religious cultures while fighting together for freedom." David Hardiman ,

585-450: The ecumenical movement in India, which eventually resulted in the creation of united Protestant Churches after independence, such as the Church of South India . This is because Indian Christians were concerned more with "their economic survival, social status, or relations with non-Christian neighbours" rather than Christian denominational divisions. From 1953 to 1963, Y. Santram served as

624-559: The All India Conference of Indian Christians formed a joint committee with the Catholic Union of India to form a joint committee that passed a resolution in which, "in the future constitution of India, the profession, practice and propagation of religion should be guaranteed and that a change of religion should not involve any civil or political disability." This joint committee enabled the Christians in India to stand united, and in front of

663-588: The British Parliamentary Delegation "the committee members unanimously supported the move for independence and expressed complete confidence in the future of the community in India." The office for this joint committee was opened in Delhi , in which the Vice-Chancellor of Andhra University M. Rahnasamy served as President and B. L. Rallia Ram of Lahore served as General Secretary. Six members of

702-735: The British Raj, and the imitation of the West in dress and social customs have steadily been giving place to a much more nationalistic outlook, and to the expressions of this in national costume and national habits. A growing number of the younger Indian Christians have been gathering to raise their voices in criticism of the British Government, and have joined with their Hindu friends in the No-Cooperation and Civil Disobedience Movements. Indian Christians thus saw themselves as being able to contribute to

741-640: The Constitution of India. The All India Conference of Indian Christians opposed the partition of India and the creation of a separate Muslim state . On 24 March 1947 and 25 March 1947, the Honourable Dr. John Mathai , a member of the interim government, presided over the 27th session of the All India Conference of Indian Christians, with national leaders including Jawaharlal Nehru , Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit , Sarojini Naidu and B. G. Kher delivering speeches. The nationalist movement in India gave impetus to

780-776: The General Secretary of the All India Conference of Indian Christians. The subsequent General Secretary of the organisation was David Shaw, a former member of the Bombay Legislative Council . Composite nationalism Composite nationalism is a concept that argues that the Indian nation is made up of people of diverse ethnicities, cultures, tribes, castes, communities, and faiths. The idea teaches that "nationalism cannot be defined by religion in India." While Indian citizens maintain their distinctive religious traditions, they are members of one united Indian nation. Composite nationalism maintains that prior to

819-699: The Indian Christian community. The All India Conference of Indian Christians held its first meeting on 28 December 1914 and was led by Raja Sir Harnam Singh of Kapurthala , who was the president of the National Missionary Society (NMS); the first AICIC General Secretary was B. L. Rallia Ram of Lahore . Its creation united local and regional Indian Christian Associations, which existed in Bombay , Madras , Hyderabad , Punjab , United Provinces , Bengal and Burma , under one umbrella organisation. At

SECTION 20

#1732895566048

858-588: The Indian Federation or Commonwealth shall be free to profess and practise his religion, including the right to make conversions, and, subject to public order and morality, exercise acts of public worship." This was incorporated into the Indian Constitution in 1950. P. Chenchiah and other Indian Christian leaders saw the interests of Christians, Hindus and Muslims as being the same, holding that "a stronger sense of national identity, far from threatening

897-618: The Indian nation, not only in terms of educational and welfare projects, but to mediate disputes between different parties in the country. In 1932, Aloysius Soares promoted the concept in the Catholic journal Week that minority communities should be protected in the Constitution of India and bill of rights . Catholic and Protestant leaders met in Poona in October 1932 and endorsed this, approving Soares' Fundamental Rights , which began: "Every person in

936-868: The Self-realisation of a people and is consistent with the Christian religion and helpful to the Christian life." The meeting of the All India Conference of Indian Christians in Lahore in December 1922, which had a large attendance of Punjabis, resolved that the clergymen of the Church in India should be drawn from the ranks of Indians, rather than foreigners. The AICIC also stated that Indian Christians would not tolerate any discrimination based on race or skin colour. The All India Conference of Indian Christians met in 1922 in Lucknow , acknowledging those Christians who were imprisoned as

975-541: The evidence suggests that Indian Christians enthusiastically supported the National Congress and attended its annual meetings. For example, according to the official Congress report, there were 607 registered delegates at the Madras meeting of 1887; thirty-five were Christians and, of these, seven were Eurasians and fifteen were Indian Christians. Indian Christians alone made up 2.5 per cent of the total attendance, in spite of

1014-456: The fact that Christians accounted for less than 0.79 per cent of the population. The Indian Christian community was also well represented at the next four sessions of the Congress. The proportion of Indian Christian delegates remained very much higher than their proportion in the population, in spite of the fact that meetings were sometimes held in cities such as Allahabad and Nagpur, far removed from

1053-598: The ideas of Vladimir Lenin regarding socialist patriotism in a context of proletarian internationalism and the national question in the Soviet Union (as ideas such as those explored in Marxism and the National Question would shape national delimitation in the Soviet Union ). Both Gandhi and Lenin sought to unite various nations within a diverse empire to dethrone a ruler that was seen as oppressive, and both would need

1092-561: The influence of his English Tutor Rev. Woodside and aided by a Bengali Missionary Golaknath Chatterji, Harnam Singh converted to Christianity thus renouncing his rights for good. Raja Harnam Singh held many dignities in his life. He was a member of the Legislative Council for the Punjab from 1900 to 1902, a Member of the Kapurthala Council of State and an honorary Fellow of Panjab University . In 1902 he and his wife were in London to attend

1131-554: The joint committee were elected to the Minorities Committee of the Constituent Assembly of India . In its meeting on 16 April 1947 and 17 April 1947, the joint committee of the All India Conference of Indian Christians and All India Catholic Union prepared a 13 point memorandum that was sent to the Constituent Assembly, which asked for religious freedom for both organisations and individuals; this came to be reflected in

1170-575: The main centres of Christian population. In 1916, Indian Christians as a whole appreciated the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi , who placed an emphasis on nonviolence and communal harmony, which reassured Christians of a secure future in an independent India. In 1923, a large conference of Indian Christians assembled in Ranchi , located in the Bihar and Orissa Province of colonial India, where they resolved that "Swaraj [freedom], Nationalism, or self-determination helps

1209-538: The nationalist movement in colonial India, Indian Christians were heavily involved in the Indian National Congress and wider Indian independence movement : Indian Christian involvement in the early stages of the nationalist movement is also reflected in the high levels of participation in the activities of the Indian National Congress. During the period from its inception up until about 1892 all

Harnam Singh - Misplaced Pages Continue

1248-1420: The partition of India . During the era of the British Raj in India, the AICIC served as the mouthpiece for members of the Indian Christian community, conducting membership drives to boost its base, which included Protestant and Catholic Christians. As such, the presidents of the AICIC represented the Christians of undivided India at the Round Table Conferences . Saint Thomas Christian denominations Syro-Malabar Catholic , Syro-Malankara Catholic , Latin Catholic Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church , Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Malabar Independent Syrian Church Chaldean Syrian Mar Thoma Syrian , St. Thomas Evangelical Protestant denominations Andhra Evangelical Lutheran , Assemblies Jehovah Shammah , Christian Revival Church , Church of North India , Church of South India , Garo Baptist , Indian Brethren , Indian Pentecostal Church of God , Church of God (Full Gospel) , North Bank Baptist Christian , Northern Evangelical Lutheran , Methodist Church , Presbyterian , The Pentecostal Mission , Seventh-day Adventist , United Evangelical Lutheran In its early stages of

1287-436: The principal of Forman Christian College , replaced K. T. Paul and shared Mahatma Gandhi 's views on minorities and Depressed Classes. In 1927, leaders of the All India Conference of Indian Christians, including both Roman Catholics and Protestants, advocated the notion that Christians "should participate as common citizens in one common, national political system", rather than pressing for separate electorates. In 1928, as

1326-408: The relations of the several brothers of a joint family, various members of which are free to profess their faith as they like without any let or hindrance and of whom enjoy equal benefits of their joint property. After Gandhi returned to colonial India he expanded the idea of composite nationalism to include not only religious groups, but castes and other communities. Hardiman writes that this led to

1365-486: The sense of religious identity, could be seen as enriching and complementary, and as providing further outlets for good will and collaboration in the newly emerging and all-embracing nation state." The All India Conference of Indian Christians was praised by Kashmiri Indian freedom fighter H. N. Kunzru , who at its 1943 meeting, stated that: "it was heartening to find that the Christians are struggling for unity, when threats of division are overwhelming." On 30 October 1945,

1404-457: The shaping of unified nations in other countries whose peoples comprise subsets of multiple ethnic and religious nations. Especially diverse examples include the shaping of a unified American national identity in the United States centered on democracy and the U.S. Constitution (across many ethnicities and religions) and the shaping of a unified national identity in the Soviet Union according to

1443-431: The time of the Indian independence movement , the organisation allied itself with the Indian National Congress and the resolutions passed by All India Conference of Indian Christians advocated communal harmony , while also pressing for the rights of Christians in both colonial India and independent India . The India Conference of Indian Christians advocated for self-rule in a united and independent country, opposing

1482-449: The title to this day. In 1875, he married Rani Priscilla Kaur Sahiba (née Priscilla Golaknath), and had nine children, seven sons and two daughters: All India Conference of Indian Christians The All India Conference of Indian Christians ( AICIC ) is an ecumenical organisation founded in 1914 to represent the interests of Christians in India . It was founded to advocate for the moral, economic, and intellectual development of

1521-604: Was established in 1929, by the Chief Minister of Sind , Allah Bakhsh Soomro , who founded of the Sind Ittehad Party (Sind United Party), which opposed the partition of India . Allah Bakhsh Soomro, as well as the All India Azad Muslim Conference, advocated for composite nationalism: Whatever our faiths we must live together in our country in an atmosphere of perfect amity and our relations should be

#47952