Maulana Barkatullah Bhopali

About Maulana Barkatullah Bhopali

• Maulana Barkatullah Bhopali was a nationalist, renowned scholar, and the first Prime Minister of India’s first provisional government-in-exile. 
• Birth: He was born in Bhopal in 1854.
• Life: He was a meritorious student and went to Bombay and London for studies. 
  • He then started teaching in Liverpool, where he came into contact with Indian revolutionaries. 
  • His articles and speeches attracted the negative attention of the British government, after which he left for the U.S.A in 1899. 
  • In U.S.A, he corresponded with the freedom fighter Maulana Hasrat Mohani (who coined the slogan Inquilab Zindabad). 
  • He devoted his life to working for India’s freedom abroad. 
• Ideology: He believed that India could only be free if all its communities stood together.
  • He worked closely with Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, and people from every region.
• Activities: He travelled to various countries such as Japan, England, U.S.A, Germany, Russia and Afghanistan, creating awareness for and building alliances to usher in India’s independence.
  • During World War I, Barkatullah and his associates travelled to Germany and tried to convince Indian soldiers captured by the Germans to form an army to fight the British. 
  • He also worked prominently for the Ghadar Party, founded by Lala Har Dayal in 1913, which wanted to win India’s independence through armed struggle.
  • He, along with some associates, most notably Raja Mahendra Pratap, set up India’s first ‘government in exile’ in Kabul in 1915.
  • Four years later, the leaders of this ‘government’ travelled to Moscow to meet Vladimir Lenin, the head of government of Soviet Russia. 
  • After the British victory in the First World War, the Indian revolutionaries’ plans suffered major reverses. However, Barkatullah kept travelling to Brussels, Switzerland, France, etc., working for his cause.
• He spent most of his life in exile. He connected with anti‑colonial movements around the world and became one of the most well‑known Indian revolutionaries of his time. 
• Death: He died in 1927 in the U.S.A. 
• Legacy: In his recognition, Barkatullah University in Bhopal was named after him in 1988.