Khan's Triumph of Will

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY

Badshah Khan was born in 1890 in Utmanzai, near Peshawar, a prosperous village in colonial India's Northwest Frontier Province. He was a peace loving Pushtun leader who dedicated his life to reforming the people of his Pushtun community who were branded violent and savage during the final years to the British rule in the Indian subcontinent. Khan was educated in Edwardes Missionary School run by Reverand Wigram. Although a devout Muslim his entire life, his life was in sharp contrast to his contemporaries. Education as a means of social advancement remained a dominant theme throughout his life.

As a young man, Khan started a school for Pashtun children. Later, he came under the influence of Haji Abdul Wahid Sahib, a social reformer. He also established contacts with other progressive Muslim leaders who urged him to work for the education and upliftment of the Pushtuns.

Khan's goal was a united, independent and secular India. To achieve that end, he founded the Khudai Khidmatgars (Servants of God) in 1929. The Khudai Khidmatgars was based on the belief in the power of complete nonviolence. Also known as the "Red Shirts", the organization recruited over 100,000 members and became legendary in opposing at the hands of the British police and army. He worked tirelessly for the rights of his people without ever raising arms because he honestly believed that the upliftment of his people was essential preparation for independence.

Khan's calls for social change, fair land distribution, and religious harmony threatened some religious leaders and big landlords. But he didn't let that come in the way of traveling 25 miles in a day, walking village to village, and speaking about social reform and having his Khudai Khidmagars members stage dramas depicting the value of nonviolence. Through strikes, political organization and nonviolent opposition, the Khudai Khidmatgars was able to achieve some success and came to dominate the politics of the Province (now a part of Pakistan) from 1930 until 1947.

Khan was a champion of woman's rights and nonviolence and became a hero in a society dominated by violence and machismo. For almost 80 years, Khan never lost faith in his nonviolent methods; in fact he derived the strength and commitment toward nonviolence from Islam. He viewed his struggle as a Jihad but the enemy was holding the swords.

Khan escaped two assassination attempts, survived three decades in prison, and died at the age of 98 and was buried in Afghanistan. Although he had been repeatedly imprisoned and persecuted, tens of thousands of mourners attended his funeral. A cease-fire was announced in the Afghan war to allow the funeral to take place. He was buried in Afghanistan

Till the end, Badshah Khan firmly believed that, "Nonviolence is love and it stirs courage in people...No peace or tranquility can descend upon the people of the world until nonviolence is practiced."

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