Jai Hind: the Indian national greeting

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Zain-ul Abideen Hasan

Who coined the slogan 'Jai Hind'?

PTI | Feb 24, 2014

Many believe that Subhash Chandra Bose coined the slogan 'Jai Hind' but a book on legends and anecdotes of Hyderabad says it was first used by a man from that city who gave up his engineering studies in Germany to become Netaji's secretary and interpreter.

In his book " Lengendotes of Hyderabad", former civil servant Narendra Luther presents a number of interesting articles, based on documentary evidence, interviews and personal experiences, on the city that is much celebrated for its romantic origin and composite culture.

One interesting titbit is on the origin of the slogan 'Jai Hind'. According to the author, it was coined by Zain-ul Abideen Hasan, son of a collector from Hyderabad, who went to Germany to study engineering.

During World War II, Netaji had escaped to Germany to canvass support for an armed struggle to liberate India, Luther says.

"He addressed meetings of Indian prisoners of war and other Indians exhorting them to join him in his struggle. Hasan met him and inspired by his patriotism and spirit of sacrifice, he told him that he would join him after finishing his studies.

"Netaji taunted him that if he was worried about small things like these, he could not take up big causes. Stung by that rebuke, Hasan gave up his studies and became Netaji's secretary and interpreter," the book, published by Niyogi, says.

Hasan became a major in the INA and participated in the march from Burma (now Myanmar) across the Indian frontier. The army reached Imphal. It was severely handicapped in supplies and armaments and so had to retreat, the author says.

"Netaji wanted to introduce an Indian form of greeting for his army, and for independent India. Various suggestions came. Hasan suggested 'Hello'. Netaji snubbed him. Then he suggested 'Jai Hind'. Netaji liked it and it became the official form of greeting in INA and the revolutionary Indians. Later it was adopted as the official slogan of the country," he says.