A commemorative postage stamp on Masih ul Mulk, Hakeem Ajmal Khan, a Unani physician from Delhi, one of founders of Jamia Millia Islamia University and Tibbia College :

Issued by India

Issued on Feb 13, 1987

Issued for : The Department of Posts is privileged to issue a commemorative stamp on Hakim Ajmal Khan in the series ‘Freedom struggle of India’.

Type : Stamp, Mint Condition

Colour : Multicolour

Denomination : 60 Paise

Overall size : 4.06 x 2.73 cms.

Printing size : 3.71 x 2.38 cms.

Perforation : 13 x 13

Paper : Imported unwatermarked P.G. Matt coated stamp paper

Number printed : 10,00,000

Number per issue sheet : 40

Printing Process : Photogravure

Printed at : India Security Press

Name : Mohammad Ajmal Khan

Born on Feb 11, 1868 at Delhi, India

Died on Dec 29, 1927 at Delhi, India

About : 

• Hakim Ajmal Khan, born in 1864, is generally acknowledged to be the most significant name among the twentieth century Indian scholars and physicians of the Unani system of medicine. Not merely an able physician, he was distinguished litterateur, a true patriot, a thorough democrat, a veteran statesman and a great humanitarian.
  
• Ajmal Khan came from the famous Sharif Khani family of Delhi – known after his great grandfather who made immense contribution in keeping alive the two age-old native medical systems – Unani Tibb and Ayurveda – in the country at a time when these systems were getting a serious blow from the British rulers.
  
• He established the Hindustani Dawakhana at Delhi in 1905 to manufacture Unani and Ayurvedic medicines. Three years later he started a Unani Medical School for Women. But his cherished dream was realised with the setting up of Ayurvedic and Unani Tibbia College, Delhi, which was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi on 13^th February, 1921.
  
• Ajmal Khan played a positive role in the national freedom struggle, and worked in close association with such national leaders as Mahatma Gandhi, Motilal Nehru, Lala Lajpat Rai, Swami Shraddhanand, Ali Brothers, Annie Besant and many others. He emerged to be a symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity. His involvement in the Independence struggle and Khilafat movement was total.
• Although his services as a physician were recognised by the British Government as early as 1908, when he was honoured with the title of ‘Haziq-ul-Mulk’ and the gold medal of ‘Qaiser-e-Hind’, Ajmal Khan returned both his title and the gold medal to the Government when he was at the zenith of his political activity in 1920. Mahatma Gandhi commended this courageous act of Ajmal Khan and in one of his editorials in his paper ‘Young India’ observed: “It is the prelude to a general withdrawal of cooperation from the Government and its consequent paralysis”. Some days later at the Jamiat-Ul-Ulema Conference at Kanpur, the national leaders conferred upon Ajmal Khan the title of Masih-ul-Mulk. In 1921 he rose to become the President of Indian National Congress.
  
• Ajmal Khan breathed his last on 29^th December 1927 after having lived a life of great feats. On his death Mahatma Gandhi wrote in ‘Young India’: He was a great Mussalman and an equally great Indian. He led Hindus and Mussalmans equally and was in turn equally respected and loved by both.
  
• Ajmal Khan left the Indian people a truly immortal legacy in his deeds and became the guiding light for the coming generations.

Related posts:

Bidhan Chandra Roy Asaf Ali Mukut Behari Lal Bhargava Dr. Sampurnanand Sheel Bhadra Yajee Dr. Kailas Nath Katju