Mohammad Shakeel

Mohammad Shakeel
Member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly for Lucknow West
In office 1974–1979
Preceded by	Syed Ali Zaheer
Succeeded by	Zafar Ali Naqvi
Personal details
Born	21 July 1927 Lucknow
Died	24 December 2007[1] Lucknow
Resting place	Lucknow
Nationality	Indian
Political party	Indian National Congress
Other political affiliations	Revolutionary Communist Party of India, Praja Socialist Party
Spouse(s)	Begum Akhtar Jehan
Relations	son of Hakim Abdul Aziz
Children	3
Residence	Akbari Gate, Lucknow
Occupation	Trade Union Activist
Profession	Labour Lawyer
Committees	Executive Committee, Lucknow Municipal Corporation
Religion	Islam

M Shakeel (full name: Mohammad Shakeel, alt: M Shakil) was an Indian freedom fighter, politician, Urdu novelist, trade union activist and labour lawyer from the city of Lucknow, India.^[2][3] Born in the famous Azizi family of physicians, he was the grandson of Hakim Abdul Aziz.^[4]

Early life

Born in 1927, M Shakeel joined the Indian national movement in his youth,^[5][6] and was imprisoned by the British at the young age of 14 years.^[7] Though released after 21 days, he was arrested several times again over the yeaars, for delivering inflammatory speeches. After the independence of India, M Shakeel joined the Praja Socialist Party, and remained a companion of Jayaprakash Narayan, Ram Manohar Lohia and Acharya Kriplani. His wife, Begum Akhtar Jehan was herself a renowned educationist and principal of the Kashmiri Mohalla Girls' School.

Political career

In 1960, M Shakeel was elected to the first Lucknow Municipal Corporation, and undertook social work in establishing the Nakhas and Pratap Markets in Lucknow. After the dissolution of the Praja Socialist Party, M Shakeel joined the Indian National Congress and won the 1974 Assembly elections from the densely populated Lucknow West constituency.^[8][9]

M Shakeel continued to argue labour cases for farmers, and trade unions throughout his career. He also served as President of Bhartiya Khadya Nigam Mazdooor Sangh. In 1976, he was instrumental in getting the practice of contractual labour for public cooperatives being abolished by the courts in Uttar Pradesh.

Legacy

M Shakeel (1st left) leading a procession in Old Lucknow with the then Chief Minister ND Tiwari

M Shakeel's works in Urdu poetry and literature have been published by Kitabi Duniya. In 2011, recognizing the immense contributions of M Shakeel towards Lucknow, a road was named after him in the Old City.^[10] Incidentally, this road lies next to another one named after his illustrious grandfather Hakim Abdul Aziz.

See also

• Hakim Abdul Aziz
• Lucknow
• Indian National Congress
• Indian National Movement

References

1. ^ Dainik Jagran. 28 December 2007. 
2. ^ Details from the DNA newspaper
3. ^ Rashtriya Sahara. 31 October 2006. 
4. ^ Hakim Syed Zillur Rahman (1978). Tazkerah Khandan Azizi (2009 revised 2nd ed.). Aligarh/India: Ibn Sina Academy of Medieval Medicine and Sciences. pp. 228–229. ISBN 978-81-906070-6-3. 
5. ^ Dainik Jagran. 11 November 2006. 
6. ^ Dainik Jagran. 2.11.2006. 
7. ^ Rahman, Hakim Syed Zillur (August 1978). "Tahreek Azadi Main khandan Azizi Ka Hissa". Naya Daur 35 (5): 28–32. 
8. ^ Highlights of 1974 elections Govt. of India
9. ^ Hindustan. 8.4.2007. 
10. ^ M Shakeel's contributions reported by Dainik Jagran newspaper

Persondata
Name
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	21 July 1927
Place of birth	Lucknow
Date of death	24 December 2007
Place of death	Lucknow