Number 8. Mr. r vpr- ത്തു his intimate knowledge of the people of his province gathered during his extensive practice :at the Bar extending over a quarter of a century will surely be brought to bear on all problems that are likely to come up before the Behar Government during the next five years. Mr.
- and his supreme ignorance of and utter dis
Sharfuddin's unostentatious manners regard to the art of self-advertisement may sometime cause misapprehension in some quarters but to the careful student of Indian IHistory his many-sided activities are not unknown. He began his public life as a Municipal Commissioner of Patna, and for three successive terms, i. e. for nine years altogether, he was the Vice-Chairman of the IDistrict Board of Patna. on the Administration Report of the working Many a Government, Resolution of the local Self-Government Act in Bengal during that period testifies to his solid work in that capacity. When the Indian National Congress was started Mr. Sharfuddin along with his friend Mr. Hamid Ali Khan, Bar-at-Iuaw, of Lucknow, )ined the movement and threw himself heart and soul into it. For four years he worked for the Congress very hard attending all the mectings held during those years and did his utmost to induce his co-religionists to join the But the late Sir Syed himself against the movement in a body. Ahmad had movement. Mr. Sharfuddin saw that backward declared ness in education of his co-religionists and the influence of Sir Syed Ahmad openly backed :as it was by the authorities, were too much to contend against and that he could render much greater service to the cause of the national movement from within the pale of his community than as an outcaste by actively participating in it. He therefore ceased attending the meeting of the Congress but he has never stopped working for it. Unosten tatiously, silently but steadily he has gone JUSTICE SYED SHARFUI)l) N. حســــــــس سحسحSسم ვ8ვ on preaching the aims and objects of the National Congress among his co-religionists aflirming always that the Congress is his religion. He never missed an opportunity of the (ongress. In 1902 the All-India Muslim at a meeting held at advocating the cause of when the starting of Iueague was discussed Lucknow, Mr. Sharfuddin delivered a remark able speech there urging the Mussalmans not to fritter away their energies by starting a separate political organization, but to join in a body the existing institution which would meet all their necessities and pointed out that if they insisted upon having a separato political propoganda of their own they were bound, in the long run, to join the sister movement. IIis prophecy has been fulfilled und to-day we find the Indian National Congress and the All-India Muslim Ileague joining hands in presenting their demands to the Government. The speech was delivered in industani and a substance of it was published in the “ lengulee.' 1) ()3 Mr. Surendra. N:th Banerji accompanied by Mr. J. Chowdhury, Again, in when Bar-at-Law, went to Patna in connection with Congress work, an anti-Congress movement of un precedented volume and strength was set up under the leadership of Mr. (now Sir) Syed Ali Imam and a largely attended meeting of Mr. It was purely a Mahomedan meet was hell at the (Showhat ta llouse Sharfudldin. ing and except the writer of the present article, no non-mahonedan was allowed to be present at it. the towns of Behar and Balhadur l)elegates had come from all Khan Syed Fazal Imam was almost dragged from the late what proved to be his death-bed to preside over the meeting. Mr. Sharfuddin was called upon to explain to the meeting the aims and objects of the (ongress. He spoke in Hindustani for over an hour clearly and lucidly explaining After summarizing all the resolutions adopted by the what the Congress was striving for. Congress, he pointed out that there was nothing
