Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was the face of communal harmony in modern India. A renowned scholar and an active political leader, he had a charismatic personality right from the beginning. So deep embedded was the willingness to participate in the national struggle for independence that he gave up on his clergyman profession and took to serving in the Indian independence movement. Azad was profoundly inspired by Gandhi and was an active supporter of the latter’s non-violence, civil disobedience and non-cooperation movement. Unlike other Muslim leaders, he condemned communal separation advocated by Muhammad Ali Jinnah and other Muslim leaders and stressed on the fact that national freedom was of greater importance than communal freedom. He worked for religious harmony and became a staunch opponent of the partition. He lived long not just to witness Indian Independence and the subsequent Partition, but also served as free India’s first Education Minister.