'Jai Hind' was coined by Abid Hasan Safrani, a Hyderabadi: Historians

Hyderabad: The contribution of Hyderabadis in the freedom struggle is in volumes, ‘Jai-Hind’, a greeting that instils every Indian with the patriotic spirit being one. This slogan was coined by a Hyderabadi, Abid Hasan Safrani, a close aide of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, a Major in Azad Hind Fauj or the Indian National Army, founded by Netaji.

Abid Hasan, while he was pursuing his final year of Engineering at Berlin, Germany, Netaji called all the Indian students for a meeting, during which Abid Hasan met Netaji, where he was asked to join the INA, Abid was reluctant, as it was his final year of engineering, he said to Netaji, since this is his final year, after completing his engineering he will join INA, hearing his words Netaji became angry, and said “I don’t have time for people like you. You are selfish, you think of your family before your country.” Young Abid returned and thought about the matter overnight and decided to join INA immediately.

Abid Hasan Safrani, who spent most of his childhood at Abids at his ancestral house Abid-Manzil, Abid did his schooling at St George’s Grammar School, Abids.

Soon Abid was liked by Netaji, and he was taken as his personal secretary and he was a translator for Netaji. In 1943, Netaji made his historic escape from Germany to Japan by submarine, he took Abid Hasan along with him. It was the longest submarine voyage in history till then.

Soon Abid Hasan, escalated as Major in INA, there was a growing concern by the Netaji over the integration of the soldiers in INA, as different community people greeting with their own salutation, such as the Hindu soldiers said Namaste, Ram Ram, the Muslims said Assalamualaikum and the Sikhs said Sat Sri Akaal. Netaji decided to replace these religions based greetings with a common salutation & this task was entrusted to his brilliant aide Abid Hasan.

Abid was also a scholar in poetry, this task was very exciting and challenging for him, Abid once heard two Rajputs greeting each other ‘Jai Ramji ki’ that ignited an idea of ‘Jai Hindustan Ki’ later altered as ‘Jai Hind’ a slogan which became a chant that driven away the dark colonial slavery rule from this nation.

Netaji adopted this formal greeting for all the INA members. Subsequently, it became the national patriotic salutation in independent India. On the midnight of independence day, Jawaharlal Nehru, used it in his speech addressed to the nation.

At the end of world war II, Hasan was imprisoned by the British. After trials, he was repatriated to India in 1946.

According to Prof Ismat Mehdi, (Abid Hasan’s niece), said, “The renowned researcher and writer Leonard Gordon in his book "Brothers against the Raj" has specifically mentioned that "Jai Hind" has been coined by Abid Hasan Safrani. In order to uplift the communal harmony, Abid Hasan adopted his title to 'Safrani ' after the holy Hindu colour.”