National Education Day 2018 | PM Modi, Suresh Raina, Emraan Hashmi Among Others Pay Tributes To Maulana Abul Kalam Azad On His Birth Anniversary

India celebrates National Education Day on Sunday, November 11, on the occasion of the birth anniversary of first education minister of independent India, freedom fighter and nationalist Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.  

Azad, who believed that education is a must for all, had a huge contribution in laying the foundation of the country's education system. He has not only focused on strengthening primary education but also has set up apex bodies of education such as AICTE and UGC. In fact, the IITs, IISc and School of Architecture and Planning were also his brainchild. Moreover, Azad has also established several cultural and literary academies like the Lalit Kala Academy and the Sahitya Academy. 

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People from different walks of life commemorated the day. Several eminent personalities including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cricketer Suresh Raina and actor Emraan Hashmi, among others, remembered the social reformer on his birth anniversary. They took to social media to pay tribute to the man who worked to achieve equal opportunities in education for every citizen.

Here are the posts:

PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to remember the great Indian leader. In the post, he wrote, "Remembering Acharya JB Kripalani and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad on their birth anniversaries. Two exemplary personalities, their notable role during the freedom struggle and emphasis on public welfare, equality, education and justice will never be forgotten."

Suresh Raina

Indian cricketer Suresh Raina also took to Twitter to pay tribute to Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. He said, "Education can change the world! Remembering India's First education minister, freedom fighter and educationist #MaulanaAbdulKalamAzad on this #NationalEducationDay!"

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Emraan Hashmi

Bollywood actor  Emraan Hashmi, who is prepping for his education-based film 'Cheat India', also took to Twitter to commemorate the day. In his post, the actor said, "A country's education system is its backbone. Team 'Cheat India' celebrates #Nationaleducationday. #CheatIndia #NakalMeinHiAkalHai @itsbhushankumar @tseries @emraanhfilms @ellipsisentt @tanuj_garg @atulkasbekar"

Several other politicians, political organisations and educational institutions also marked the day. As per media reports, CBSE had asked all its affiliated schools to hold events to focus on the importance of education and the nation's commitments to all aspects of education.

Azad served as the education minister of the country from August 15, 1947, to February 2, 1958. National Education Day of India is celebrated every year on the same day every year since then. Being a journalist and social reformer, Azad has also worked to unite the Hindu and Muslim communities through the Al-Hilal newspaper.