Abul Kalam Muhiyuddin Ahmed Azad (Bengali: আবুল কালাম মুহিয়ুদ্দিন আহমেদ আজাদ, About this sound pronunciation ; Urdu: ابو الکلام محی الدین احمد آزاد‎ Abul Kalam Azad; 11 November 1888 – 22 February 1958) was an Indian scholar and a senior political leader of the Indian independence movement. Following India's independence, he became the first [Minister of Education] in the Indian government. In 1992 he was posthumously awarded India's highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna.