Yakub Hasan Sait

fighter, politician, and businessman. He completed his schooling and early education in Nagpur and had his higher education at Aligarh University. In 1901, Yakub Hasan Sait shifted to Madras (present-day Chennai), where he was elected a member of the Madras Corporation. He was one of the founders of the Muslim League in the Madras Province. In 1916, he was elected to the Legislative Council of Madras. In 1919, he was jailed for six months for participating in the Khilafat Movement. His courage and impassioned speeches were inspiring and awakened the patriotic spirit of his audience. In 1921, he was arrested and imprisoned again for being part of the Non-Cooperation Movement. Before the 1937 elections, he left the Madras Provincial Muslim League and joined the Indian National Congress. He condemned the two-nation theory and supported a ‘united’ India. After winning the 1937 elections to the Madras Assembly, he was made a minister in the Madras cabinet and assigned the portfolio of the Public Works Department (PWD). With his phenomenal intellect, deep convictions, and politically savviness Yakub Hasan Sait was a great leader and an integral part of the freedom movement. He passed away in March 1940.