Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari (25 December 1880 – 10 May 1936) was an Indian nationalist and political leader, and former president of the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...

and the

Muslim League Muslim League may refer to: Political parties British India *All-India Muslim League, led the demand for the partition of India resulting in the creation of Pakistan ** Punjab Muslim League, a branch of the organization above **Unionist Muslim L ...

during the

Indian Independence Movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events in South Asia with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British colonial rule. It lasted until 1947, when the Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed. The first nationalistic ...

. He was one of the founders of

Jamia Millia Islamia Jamia Millia Islamia is a Public university, public and research university located in Delhi, India. Originally established at Aligarh, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, United Provinces (present-day Uttar Pradesh, India) during the British R ...

University. He remained it's chancellor from 1928 to 1936.

Early life and medical career

Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari was born on 25 December 1880 in

Yusufpur Yusufpur (युसुफपुर یوسف پور) and Mohammadabad is a Twin Town/Qasba in Mohammadabad Tahsil of the Ghazipur district of Uttar Pradesh, India.It belongs to Varanasi Division. Coordinates: 25°37′22″N 83°45′27″E It ...

- Mohammadabad town in eastern

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

). He hailed from an influential and famous family of Qazis' and

Zamindar A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous feudal lord of a ''zamindari'' (feudal estate). The term itself came into use during the Mughal Empire, when Persian was the official language; ''zamindar'' is the ...

s known as the Ansaris of Yusufpur. The family was descended from the

Sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

saint of

Herat Herāt (; Dari/Pashto: هرات) is an oasis city and the third-largest city in Afghanistan. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 574,276, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated south of the Paropamisus Mountains (''Se ...

Abdullah Ansari Abu Ismaïl Abdullah al-Harawi al-Ansari or Abdullah Ansari of Herat (1006–1089) () also known as ''Pir-i Herat'' () "Sage of Herat", was a Sufi saint, who lived in Herat (modern-day Afghanistan). Ansari was a commentator on the Qur'an, schola ...

, and had migrated to India with the Mughal emperor

Babur Babur (; 14 February 148326 December 1530; born Zahīr ud-Dīn Muhammad) was the founder of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. He was a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan through his father and mother respectively. He was also ...

in 1526. Educated at the Victoria School, Ansari and his family moved to

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

. Ansari obtained a medical degree from the

Madras Medical College Madras Medical College (MMC) is a public medical college located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1835, it is one of the oldest medical colleges in India, as well as in Asia. History The Government General Hospital was established ...

and went to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

on scholarship studies. He achieved the M.D. and M.S. degrees in 1905. In 1910 Ansari earned a

Master of Surgery The Master of Surgery (Latin: Magister Chirurgiae) is an advanced qualification in surgery. Depending upon the degree, it may be abbreviated ChM, MCh, MChir or MS. At a typical medical school the program lasts two to three years. The possessi ...

(ChM) from the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

for his thesis ''Treatment of syphilis by arylarsonates with special reference to recent research''. He was a top-class student and worked at the

London Lock Hospital The London Lock Hospital was the first voluntary hospital for venereal disease. It was also the most famous and first of the Lock Hospitals which were developed for the treatment of syphilis following the end of the use of lazar hospitals, as ...

and the Charing Cross Hospital in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. He was an Indian pioneer in surgery, and today there is an Ansari Ward in the

Charing Cross Hospital Charing Cross Hospital is district general hospital and teaching hospital located in Hammersmith in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. The present hospital was opened in 1973, although it was originally established in 1818, approxim ...

, London, in honour of his work. From 1921 to 1935, Ansari visited Vienna, Paris, Lucerne and London to meet with famed urologists, including Robert Lichtenstern,

Eugen Steinach Eugen Steinach (28 January 1861 – 14 May 1944) was an Austrian physiologist and pioneer in endocrinology. Steinach played a significant role in discovering the relationship between sex hormones (estrogen and testosterone) and human physical ide ...

and Serge Voronoff, some of the pioneers of grafting animal testicles onto humans. In the last decade of his life, Ansari performed over 700 such grafting operations, meticulously recording 440 of them. From these experiments he published his book ''Regeneration of Man'', which he shared with his close friend Mahatma Gandhi.

Nationalist activities

In 1898, being a student in Madras, Ansari attended his first All India Congress Session, which was presided over by

Ananda Mohan Bose Ananda Mohan Bose () (23 September 1847 – 20 August 1906) was an Indian politician, academic, social reformer, and lawyer during the British Raj. He co-founded the Indian National Association, one of the earliest Indian political organization ...

. In 1927, when the Sessions were held again in Madras, Ansari presided over the session.The Ansari connection
''The Hindu''. Updated 10 October 2016 Dr. Ansari became involved in the

during his stay in England. He moved back to

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

and joined both the

Indian Congress The Indian Congress occurred from August 4 to October 31, 1898 in Omaha, Nebraska, in conjunction with the Trans-Mississippi International Exposition. Occurring within a decade of the end of the Indian Wars, the Indian Congress was the largest ...

and the

. He played an important role in the negotiation of the

1916 Lucknow Pact The Lucknow Pact was an agreement reached between the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League (AIML) at a joint session of both the parties held in Lucknow in December 1916 . Through the pact, the two parties agreed to allow representation ...

and served as the Muslim League's president in 1918 and 1920. He was an outspoken supporter of the

Khilafat movement The Khilafat movement (1919–22) was a political campaign launched by Indian Muslims in British India over British policy against Turkey and the planned dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire after World War I by Allied forces. Leaders particip ...

, and led the Indian medical mission to treat the wounded Turkish soldiers during the

Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans, Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Kingdom of Greece (Glücksburg), Greece, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Montenegro, M ...

. In March 1920, he led a ''Khilafat Delegation'' that was sent to England. This delegation made speeches, met with cabinet ministers and the prime minister

Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. A Liberal Party (United Kingdom), Liberal Party politician from Wales, he was known for leadi ...

. Ansari served several terms as the general secretary of

All India Congress Committee The All India Congress Committee (AICC) is the presidium or the central decision-making assembly of the Indian National Congress. It is composed of members elected from States and union territories of India, state-level Pradesh Congress Commit ...

(AICC) and the President of the

during its 1927 session. As a result of in-fighting and political divisions within the League in the 1920s, and later the rise of

Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 187611 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the inception of Pa ...

and Muslim separatism, Ansari drew closer to

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...

and the

Congress Party The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement t ...

. When he became the President of the Indian National Congress in 1927 on the invitation of Mahatma Gandhi, he spent all of his wealth for the Indian National Congress activities, which left him almost bankrupt. He spent his later life in writing and developing the Jamia Milia Islamia. Ansari was one of the founders of

university and also served as the chancellor of the

university in

, soon after the death of its primary founder,

Hakim Ajmal Khan Mohammad Ajmal Khan (11 February 1868 – 29 December 1927), better known as Hakim Ajmal Khan, was a physician in Delhi, India, and one of the founders of the Jamia Millia Islamia university in Delhi, India. He also founded another institu ...

in 1927.History and profile of Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi (vice-chancellor Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari in 1927)
jmi.ac.in. Retrieved 24 August 2017

Personal life

Ansari lived in a palatial house, called the ''Darus Salaam'' or ''Abode of peace.''

was a frequent guest when he visited Delhi, and the house was a regular base for Congress political activities. Ansari died in 1936 en route from

Mussoorie Mussoorie () is a hill station and a municipal board, in Dehradun city in the Dehradun district of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is about from the state capital of Dehradun and north of the national capital of New Delhi. The hil ...

on a train due to a heart attack. He is buried within the premises of

, a university in

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

Progeny

Many members of Ansari's family remained in India after partition in 1947, while others moved to Pakistan. Those who remained in India received patronage from the

Nehru Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a prin ...

Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British ...

family and became prominent politicians and leading lights of the

Congress party The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement t ...

. They demonstrated pugnacious street fighter characteristics and flourished in the politics of

. Ansari's immediate progeny and family members include: *Daughter:

Zohra Ansari Zohra Ansari (, , 1915–1988) was an Indian activist and freedom fighter. Mahatma Gandhi affectionately called her Vasthad Bi. Early life Born in Delhi, originally form Yusufpur, Ghazipur, to Mohammad Asghar Ansari and Ayesha Bibi but, was ...

, Freedom fighter *Qazi

Faridul Haq Ansari Faridul Haq Ansari (Urdu:فرید الحق انصاری)(1 July 1895 – 4 April 1966), popularly known as Farid Ansari, was a lawyer and politician who actively participated in Indian independence movement. He was a prominent socialist leader wh ...

Rajya Sabha Rajya Sabha (Council of States) is the upper house of the Parliament of India and functions as the institutional representation of India’s federal units — the states and union territories.https://rajyasabha.nic.in/ It is a key component o ...

. *

Shaukatullah Shah Ansari Dr. Shaukatullah Shah Ansari (12 May 1908 – 29 December 1972) was an Indian politician, physician, diplomat, and physician who was elected to the Indian Parliament from the Bidar parliamentary constituency for the first Lok Sabha of India. E ...

Former MP And Governor of Odisa. *Abdul Aziz Ansari Freedom Fighter and Founder of Ansari Memorial Society. *Grandson:

Afzal Ansari Afzal Ansari (born 14 August 1953) is an Indian politician of the Samajwadi Party and currently an incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) of India for Ghazipur constituency, Uttar Pradesh. He has been MLA for five consecutive term and MP for th ...

, a former MLA and MP *Grandson:

Mukhtar Ansari Mukhtar Ansari (30 June 1963 – 28 March 2024) was an Indian gangster, convicted murderer, and politician, based in Uttar Pradesh. He was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly from the Mau constituency five times, including twice ...

, Gangster turned Politician from Uttar Pradesh Ansari's other relatives include: *

Mohammad Hamid Ansari Mohammad Hamid Ansari (; born 1 April 1937) is an Indian bureaucrat and retired Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer who was the vice president of India from 2007 to 2017. Ansari joined the IFS in 1961. In a diplomatic career spanning 38 year ...

, former

Vice President of India The vice president of India (ISO: ) is the deputy to the head of state of the Republic of India, i.e. the president of India. The office of vice president is the second-highest constitutional office after the president and ranks second in t ...

, who is Ansari's grand-nephew.

Honours

Ansari Road in

Daryaganj Daryaganj (literally "A market near a river") is a neighbourhood of Delhi inside the walled city of Old Delhi. The "darya" (lit. "River") refers to the river Yamuna which was just outside the walled city. Daryaganj is one of the three sub-divisi ...

, old

is named after him. Ansari Nagar near

AIIMS The All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is a group of autonomous government public medical universities of higher education under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. These institutes ha ...

has also been named after him. The auditorium and the hospital of

has named after him as well.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ansari, Mukhtar Ahmed Indian independence activists from Uttar Pradesh Presidents of the Indian National Congress Jamia Millia Islamia People from Ghazipur 1880 births 20th-century Indian Muslims 1936 deaths All-India Muslim League politicians Madras Medical College alumni Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Founders of Indian schools and colleges Indian independence movement in Uttar Pradesh Indian revolutionaries 19th-century Indian philanthropists Founders of Jamia Millia Islamia Indian National Congress politicians