Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Birth Anniversary Marked in Parliament

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla placed flowers before the portrait of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan on 11 November 2026, the birth anniversary of the freedom fighter and educationist who became independent India's first Education Minister and was honoured with the Bharat Ratna.

Who joined the tribute

The Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Minister of Minority Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, offered flowers at the portrait, as did sitting Members of Parliament and former Members who came for the function. Utpal Kumar Singh, Secretary-General of the Lok Sabha, and P. C. Mody, Secretary-General of the Rajya Sabha, also paid their respects. The presence of the presiding officer of the Lower House alongside the two Secretaries-General makes the occasion an annual fixture of the parliamentary calendar rather than a ministry event.

A booklet for the occasion

The Lok Sabha Secretariat brought out a booklet carrying the profile of Maulana Azad in Hindi and English, and copies were given to the dignitaries who attended.

The portrait itself

The portrait before which the tributes are offered has hung in the Central Hall since 16 December 1959, when it was unveiled by the then President of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad. The building, which the Speaker's function used, is now called Samvidhan Sadan and was earlier known as Parliament House, so questions may give either name for the same structure.

In the Speaker's words on the occasion, Maulana Azad was a spirited soldier of the freedom struggle, a great educationist and the first Education Minister of independent India, and the tribute recalled his contribution to nation building, to education and to social harmony. For aspirants the pairing worth memorising is the name of the leader with the date 11 November, and separately the portrait's unveiling by Dr Rajendra Prasad in 1959, which is a different date and a different office-holder altogether.