MIR GHULAM MOHAMMAD KHAN TALPUR
A Crusader against Ignorance
Zarar Rustmani
Human beings in this world come, live and pass away; but some of them, though lying buried under the heaps of mud, remain alive for their immortal deeds and envaluable services. They leave behind them on the sand of time the marks of their greatness, which survive the roaring winds of opposition of all ages and go on reminding the coming generations of their excellence. Their illustrious lives and dedicated works always serve as a beacon of light for others, leading them towards their destination. Their examplary services ever shine like an spectrum on the horizon of history and shed lustre on its golden leaves. These are the men who live, work, earn and die for their people and uplift them from the mire of deprivation to the heights of satisfaction. In the galaxy of such persons, prominent are those who sounded a sacred call of “IQRA” in the world of ignorance, adorned the human society with the ornament of education, and enlightened the minds of masses with the light of literature; thus replaced ignorance with knowledge, evil with good, tyranny with justice, and darkness with light. Mir Ghulam Mohammad Khan Talpur is also one of the luminous stars of this Milky-way, who in the days of British rule, when people of sub-continent were wilfully thrown into the grave of ignorance, resolved to awaken the nation, and in order to obliterate this victimization, gave mighty pen, instead of sword, in the hands of little children of poor and down- trodden people.
Mir Ghulam Mohammad belonged to MANKANI branch of Talpur family and was born in 1876 A.D. at Tando Bago town. His father, Mir Mohammad Khan, was a renowned feudal lord of lower Sindh. But his lands due to his boundless generosity and huge expenditure became indebted, hence went under the superintendence of government. This was the reason that Ghulam Mohammad had to see, even in his childhood, the hard days of his life and was deprived of the facilities to get higher education. He, to earn his livelihood, became farmer and had to plough the land with his own hands. He also joined police department as a constable and was soon promoted to the post of head constable by dint of merit and honesty. He could not continue his service in police for one or the other reason and became stamp-vendor after resigning from the above job.
In 1909 A.D the JAGIR, when freed from debt, was restored to Mir Mohammad Khan, who gave its administration in the hands of his beloved and the only son, Mir Ghulam Mohammad. Mir sahib proved himself worthy of assignment. He borrowed four thousand rupees from a neighbouring landlord and started working day and night to enrich his patrimony. Now the days of hardship were over and that of happiness began. Mir sahib's angelic attitude and mild despositon won the love of his peasants, who began to toil in his JAGIR with heart and soul. With the result, the soil bared its treasures, fortune smiled on him, and the money rolled to kiss his feet. He was conferred with the title of “KHAN BAHADUR" after he lent one lac rupees to British Government in the war-fund of the First World War. He was also made an honorary magistrate by the government in recognition of his services.
Mir Sahib was unique in his living style among all his contemporary feudal lords. Though having substantial means to achieve every kind of luxury, he led simple and saintly life. He was not a man to be hoodwinked by the hallow glamour of the world and merged into its momentary pleasures, possessing towering personality and wearing indigenous dress with turban on head, he stood like a model of simplicity and paragon of modesty. He was the helper of poor and guardian of infirm and disabled persons. The orphans and the widows found in him a benevolent man with full of mercy, drawing bliss in humanitarian works. His generosity like that of a shower of rain was general for all, satisfying the needs of every needy, irrespective of caste, colour and creed. He like most of the JAGIRDARS did not squander money on wine and women or on dog and cock-fighting, but spent each and every pie for the wellbeing of people living around him. His public works stand till today as great monuments, testifying to his love for mankind.
Mir sahib devoted his whole life to alleviate the sufferings and sorrows of poor men and did a lot for their good. Considering the miseries of villagers, he in 1922 A.D opened a charitable hospital, which was named as "Bollis Clinic”. In 1931 A.D., he built a lady hospital in Tando Bago, Where provisions of free lodging and boarding were made for female patients of this backward area. In every season of autumn, special mobile dispensaries at the expense of Mir Sahib would move to villages of Lower Sindh and provide ailing people with free medicines. Mir Sahib also built in his town a nursing centre with a view to impart necessary training to females about the care of child.
Mir Sahib's great services, which keep his memory ever green in the minds of people, are in the field of education. The lower Sindh, nay the whole Sindhi nation is beholden to this kind man, for he gave them a thing at their home, for which the prophet of Islam (Peace be upon him) is reported to have said, “Pursue knowledge, though it be in China”. Moved deeply by the plight of peasants, who were subjected to every kind of humiliation by the WADERAS, he firmly determined to bring end to this lordship of a man over a man; and he found in education the only way to enfranchise men from such slavery. Now he concentrated all his efforts for the fulfillment of this sacred objective. Primarily, he opened small boys and girls schools in different parts of his Jagir, which imparted education to children in their native language. But with a view to transform the medieval outlook of people into modern one, Mir Sahib, at the advice of Mohammad Siddique Musafir, a famous Sindhi scholar, laid the foundation of an English educational institution in 1920 A D. at Tando Bago and named it "The Lawrence Madrassah” only to gain the support of British Government of India. In 1923 A.D., he built a magnificent building for the school along with a hostel named "Gibson” (called after the name of then British Commissioner), where students of remote areas were provided with facilities of free lodging and boarding. He also deposited with the government a huge amount of Rs. 387,000 in “Benevolent Fund”, of which interest is still utilised to meet the expenses of the same hostel. In 1930 A.D., this institution was given the status of high school; and now-a-days it is functioning with the name of “Government Mir Ghulam Mohammad Higher Secondary School”.
The Tando Bago School claims the honour of having been the first educational institution of Sub-continent to be built with the resources of only one man, whom people of this area remember with the name of “Larr Jo Abo” or “the father of Lower Sindh”. Although Mir Sahib had no issue, yet he was destined to be called father by the countless people of Sindh. And why not people call him father, because he did all that for them, which a real father can hardly do for his children. He spent lac of rupees for people’s welfare in that days, when the gold was sold at a rate of Rs. 10 per tola. He considered the students of this school to be his sons and loved them from the core of heart. His affection for school boys can be judged from the fact, that he built for them a beautiful dinning-hall resembling that of British viceroy in Simla, of which shape had greatly impressed Mir Sahib when he visited the above British officer in that city. Not only this, but the meal served in the mess of school during Mir’s time was in no way less than that of a princely mess. Mir Sahib bore the expenses of all deserving and poor students from his own pocket and provided them with all necessaries of life. To him, rich and poor, high and low, black and White, and Muslim and non-Muslims were all alike and enjoyed even-handed favour of the great Mir. His philanthropic institution was open to all, where children of Talpur family and that of cowherds and shepherds studied under the same roof and on the same desk.
Mir Sahib's noble works in the domain of education are unparalleled in the history of Sindh. His services in this regard were not only confined to males, however he left no stone unturned for the diffusion of knowledge also in female circles. He got rected a building in Mir Mohalla, Tando Bago, and handed it over to Local Board with a view to open a school for girls. Eventually, with his personal efforts, a girls school was established on the 1st August, 1928 A.D., wherein female students, besides the study of books, would also receive vocational training like weaving, sewing, embroidery etc. He also used to give special allowances to lady teachers and grant scholarships to intelligent and deserving girls students with intention to create in them an interest for knowledge.
Mir Sahib was a great patron of education, the Sindh has ever produced. He generously helped almost all educational institutions of LARR and THAR. Besides funding English and Sindhi schools, he would give annual grants to prominent religious MADRASSAHS of this area and send to them bags of corn in time of need. He also extended financial help to individuals who kept in them a thirst for knowledge but having no means to achieve their destination. He gave enough money to Allama Umar Daudpota, when the latter was going to England for doing Ph.D from the Cambridge University. When young Daudpota returned to homeland with the degree of Ph.D in hand, Mir Sahib kissed his cheeks out of love, as if his own son had done that remarkable job. He also afforded the expenses of Mir Bandah Ali (the former Chief Minister of Sindh in Pre-partition era) and sent him to England for getting higher education.
Mir Sahib's such favour was not only reserved for the students belonging to his Mir family, however he showered same bounties on the non-Mirs also. He sent, at his own expense, Qadir Bux Khaskheli, a son of his poor servant named Juma to Aligarh, who did his graduation from Mohammadan Anglo Oriental University and afterwards became the head master of Mir sahib's Madrassah.
Mir Ghulam Mohammad Khan Talpur is the name of a crusade against tyranny and ignorance. He raised the standard of knowledge in the days, when on the one hand, people hated English learning, and on the other, the government of time wished to push them into the trench of ignorance. But the obstinacy of people and the unjust attitude of the government could not break the iron will of this tender-hearted turbaned-man. He went ahead with his sacred plan, irrespective of the non-co-operation from all sides. The candle of knowledge, he lit at Tando Bago, is still illuminating every nook and corner of this area with its gentle light and the storms of opposition failed miserably in blowing it out. It was no doubt the result of his untiring efforts and great sacrifices, that this backward nation became acquainted with the modern and scientific knowledge. With the blessing of education, light came and the darkness vanished, prolonged night of ignorance gave a way to the lasting dawn of knowledge, and the burning winds of hatred and prejudice turned into the breezes of love and sympathy. Mir Sahib bestowed this land a heavenly colour with his angelic deeds and noble works. It was he who enabled the sons of shepherds and cowherds to attain paramount status in the society. Verily it was he who with the might of knowledge elevated the low-lying oppressed and depressed men and inflicted a heavy blow on the obnoxious face of victimization. He visualised a bright future for his nation and wanted to lead it to the peaks of glory. It was also his strong desire to make his grand institution the Aligharh of Sindh and to convey the message of "IQRA” far and wide. But before he translated his sweet dreams into reality, the death kept its icy hands on his eyes and made him sleep for ever. Thus on 12th February, 1932 A.D. our beloved benefactor and the shining sun of education, having illumined this area with the rays of knowledge, finally set into the lap of grave.
The pre-partition phase of Indo-Pak history produced many persons, who with the diffusion of education played a significant role in bringing about a renaissance among the people. In this regard, the names of Syed Ahmed Khan Hassan Ali Affandi, Syed Allahando Shah etc deserve special mention and are worthy to be paid a glowing tribute. But Mir Ghulam Mohammad, if seen thoroughly, stands head and shoulder above all such men of the sub-continent, for he excels them in many respects. Firstly, he founded educational and other institutions from his personal money and had never collected a farthing from others; while the schools established by the above persons were erected out of the money of public funds and depended entirely on the same for functioning. Secondly, he provided students of distant area with free lodging and boarding in his Madarssah and bore their all expenses from his own pocket. Such financial sacrifice we find in none of his contemporaries. Thirdly, he at his own expense sent a good number of students in and out of the country to get higher education- the service only he did among the patrons of education of that period. Lastly, Mir Sahib's personality was multi-dimensional, for his services were not only confined to education sector, however, his other humanitarian works also stand matchless in the history of recent past. His charitable hospitals, mobile dispensaries, nursing centers, maternity homes, inns, grants to other institutions, and generous help to poor, orphans, widows, weak and disabled persons speak highly of his greatness and humane temperament. Moreover, he played no less role in maintaining law and order in his jurisdiction and did his best in holding the court as an honorary magistrate of the government. The man, who did such a lot for people’s good, deserves to be regarded as one of the heroes of nation. But the matter of great sorrow is that, on the one hand, our history is devoid of the mention of the great services of this great man, and on the other, his legacy i.e. the grand educational institution, has been left unprotected in every age at the mercy of disasters. The site, where he had visualised a beautiful university, presents today a very sad spectacle of neglect with ruins from all of its sides. How misfortune is this: that an august man like him was destined to live in such a backward area, where all his monumental works miserably fell victim to the injustice and the prejudice of time. Had he been in any big city of Indo-Pakistan, his established institution, which has attained the status of higher secondary school after a prolonged period of about 70 years, would have been functioning today as a magnificent campus like Aligarh.