The purpose of these online lessons is to prepare a team of experts on the book How Jinnah Liberated India. The lessons will be conducted on Zoom by the author Khurram Ali Shafique and a panel of experts. If you are interested in attending them, please send an email to [email protected]
1. The Sideshow of Gandhi
Sunday, 12 February 2023 at 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm, PKST
This lesson is a critique of some of the most common theories about how India gained independence, such as the efforts of Gandhi, the impact of the Second World War on the British power to control the empire, the likelihood of a British conspiracy to partition India, the role of the Indian Liberation Army and the mutiny in the Royal Indian Navy, etc. The lesson is based on the first chapter of the book How Jinnah Liberated India, and it is strongly recommended that the participants should have read that chapter in advance (although this is not mandatory).
2. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Sunday, 19 February 2023 at 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm, PKST
In this lesson, we learn to differentiate between the conflicting ideals of imperialism ad Commonwealth – the desire to rule over India as long as possible, versus a genuine wish to see India become capable of achieving and maintaining its independence. The evolution of the second ideal through seven stages spanning from 1887 to 2026 is also discussed. The lesson is based on the second chapter of the book How Jinnah Liberated India, and it is strongly recommended that the participants should have read that chapter in advance (although this is not mandatory).
3. The Soul of All Human Beings
Sunday, 26 February 2023 at 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm, PKST
This lesson outlines the ideals and aspirations of the Muslim community of the Indian Subcontinent through its Renaissance and its national organization, All-India Muslim League – the organization that was eventually headed by Jinnah and became the creator of Pakistan. The evolution of this community, especially the ideal embodied by the League, is also traced through seven stages from 1887 to 2026. Through a comparison between these stages and the stages discussed in the previous lesson, we seek to discover an inherent unity of humankind that seems to be playing a decisive role in the history of nations. The lesson is based on the third chapter of the book How Jinnah Liberated India, and it is strongly recommended that the participants should have read that chapter in advance (although this is not mandatory).
4. Mistaken Identities
Sunday, 5 March 2023 at 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm, PKST
In this lesson, we learn to differentiate between the Indian National Congress founded in 1885, and its namesake that has been existing since 1918 – the original Congress versus the Gandhian Congress. The evolution of the ideal embodied by the original Congress is traced through stages parallel to the stages discussed in the previous chapter, and it is seen that the All-India Muslim League had ironically become the heir of the original Congress as well as after 1926, when the ideals of the original Congress had been discarded by the majority of the Hindu leadership due to various reasons. The lesson is based on the fourth chapter of the book How Jinnah Liberated India, and it is strongly recommended that the participants should have read that chapter in advance (although this is not mandatory).
5. How India Was Liberated
Sunday, 12 March 2023 at 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm, PKST
This lesson is a straightforward account of the key events from 1939 to 1947, which led to the independence of India. The account is based on solid evidence that has been unfortunately ignored by the post-colonial academic wisdom. The lesson is based on the last chapter of the book How Jinnah Liberated India, and it is strongly recommended that the participants should have read that chapter in advance (although this is not mandatory).
6. Conclusions
Sunday, 19 March 2023 at 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm, PKST
In the concluding lesson, we discuss some practical implications for the present and the future, especially in light of the last section of the last chapter of the book How Jinnah Liberated India, and it is strongly recommended that the participants should have read that section in advance (although this is not mandatory).