Talha Abid for BeyondHeadlines
Seemanchal is one of the backward areas of India, which falls in the state of Bihar. In the tall claims of India making progress, Seemanchal area still lags behind in all the development parameters. Paying lip service for the development of the area has become a norm these days. People after getting education usually forget their roots and get busy in leading a cozy lives in the comforts of big cities. But Mohd. Aadil Hasan Azad is an exception to this. After getting higher education from the University of Pune, Aadil decided to serve his area through the capabilities and capacities he built through education. Mostly, poor, malnourished and unheard, Aadil’s influence on the people of his area has been considerable. Some were attracted by his emphasis on economic and political decentralisation while others praised him for acts like Scholarship distribution, Legal awareness and removing caste and gender barriers.
Aadil, still running in his late 20’s is young and dynamic lawyer, who started his practice in Supreme Court with Mr. Salman Khursheed. But soon he realized that besides, being a good lawyer, he has to be a good activist also. So, he moved to his roots and started working for the uplift of the people of his area. To help students excel in the field of education, Aadil started a campaign for scholarships. It was his sustained effort that resulted in the submission of 55,000 forms for various scholarships. He also negotiated with the ministry of minority affairs in New Delhi and was successful in getting increased the quota of scholarships for Bihar from 1 lakh 45 thousands to 2 lakh 80 thousand.
Mohd. Aadil Hasan Azad, aged 27 years has a strong educational background. He did his BSL LLB from University of Pune, Diploma in Cyber Law from Asian School of Cyber Law, Pune, Diploma in Criminology, Symbiosis International University, Pune. He has a good family background. His grandfather was Chief Justice Khalil Ahmad, who later became Governor of Odisha and Lokayukta of Jammu and Kashmir and also founder member of Commerce College Patna, Oriental Minority College Patna and Zakir Hussain +2 School, Patna. His Nana jaan Mr. Jamel Ahmad was congress MLA and chairman of Bihar State Small Scale Industry Corporation, who was also founder secretary of RPM Women’s College, Patna. Aadil’s maternal grandfathers’ father Mr. Shah Kamal was given the title of Khan Bahadur by Britishers in 1908. He belongs to the family of freedom fighters. Bismil Azeemabadi, who penned ‘sarfroshi ki tamanna ab hamare dil me hai… dekhna hai zor kitna bazuye qatil me hai’. Bismil, the poet, was Aadil’s maternal grandmother’s elder brother.
Aadil’s father Mr. Abul Hasan was CEO of Bihar Waqf Board and mother was the professor and HOD of Urdu Department in RPM Women’s College, Patna. Aadil started his social involvement in issues pertaining to the nation and soon became the general secretary of North Indian Students’ Association from 2005-08 and finally became its president from 2008-2010.
After leaving Pune finishing his studies, he got the assembly ticket from Lok Janshakhti Party of Shri Ramvilas Paswan from Balrampur in Kathiar district of Bihar. He and his family had contributed in more than one ways to improve the infrastructure of this constituency. Aadil’s father’s efforts bore fruits and Ajhrail, a place in this constituency got a railway station and a post office. He was also instrumental in bringing a post office to Madhepur. Not only this, he donated a land costing about 60 lakh rupee for the construction of a government hospital in Ajhrail. Aadil is also not behind from his father when it comes to the development of this particular constituency. It was because of the efforts of Aadil that Barsoi could get the speed post service. BSNL tower in Kurum also bears the stamp of his hard work. He also actively participated for AMU Kishanganj Campus Movement and AIIMS, Raiganj and even approach Prime Minister of India in this regard.
He organised various legal awareness camp and highlighted the negative aspects of petty cases. He made the rustic villagers understand that petty cases can be solved through negotiation and costly litigation only hampers their growth. It was not that he went unnoticed, the number of cases dropped and soon he was selected by the Bihar Government for Legal Awareness Camps in most backward Seemanchal region. The next task Aadil took was the empowerment of widow and divorced women. A large number of divorced women benefited from the scheme of the Government of Bihar wherein they got 10,000/- per head. With his unique ability to analyse a given crisis critically and constructively engage with multiple parties who may not necessarily agree with him, he was instrumental in getting his work done for the people of his region. Aadil, is a class apart with his insightful analysis, gentle advocacy and brilliant articulation.
Now a days campaign for special status for Seemanchal keeps Aadil busy. He keeps organizing demonstrations and seminars for the cause of Seemanchal. Educational advancement of his area is his priority. For this he regularly spreads awareness about Right to Education and has also filed a case in the Supreme Court regarding the implementation of RTE. Social justice is at the core of his heart. He favours reservation for Muslims and also is contesting a case in the Supreme Court for the 4.5 percent reservation for minorities.
In short span, Aadil has earned credibility and respect from wide spectrum of people. The vibrant environment he created and the support reaffirmed by numerous like-minded people has certainly boosted his confidence and we can expect more people joining the same league or genre.
