• New regime in Türkiye may be a harbinger of peace and prosperity and means to the realization of hopes of other Muslim lands outside Türkiye, another daily said in 1923

- The author is a journalist.

ISTANBUL

Oct. 29, 1923 – India was still under British colonial rule, its people deeply engaged in the struggle for independence. Mahatma Gandhi had already spent 598 days behind bars. Just two days earlier, Maulana Shaukat Ali had been released after serving 19 months in prison. In this charged atmosphere – where Indian leaders and citizens were enduring relentless imprisonment and trials – the news of Türkiye proclaiming itself a republic was received with remarkable joy and hope across India. Indian newspapers of the time frequently reported Türkiye’s achievements at the Lausanne Conference and welcomed the birth of its new republic with overwhelming enthusiasm. Records from the Home Department of the colonial Government of India reveal how frequently such stories appeared, reflecting a shared sense of triumph and inspiration among those still yearning for freedom.

Earlier, in the second week of August 1923, the newspaper Lakshman declared: "The victory of the Turks is a victory for Asia, which will be infused with a new life and Europe will have to realize that the day of 'mandates' and of special interests will soon come to an end. When will India too like Türkiye shake off the chains of slavery and stand erect before the world?"

Joy across the subcontinent

When Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was elected president of Türkiye and the republic was declared, the news was warmly welcomed in India. Celebrations broke out across several Indian cities, and newspapers marked the occasion with editorials hailing it as a historic milestone. They expressed hope, stating: "The prospect is gratifying to both Indian Muslims and those in England and India who supported the struggle for Turkish liberation."

The Government of India's Political Department reported on the internal political situation in India for October 1923, stating, “The news of the peace concluded with Türkiye has been well received, and Congress leaders joined with Muhammadans (Muslims) in Calcutta in celebrating the event. In Nagpur, the signature of peace with Türkiye was celebrated peacefully.”

Archival documents show that Indian newspapers welcomed Türkiye’s new political system with great enthusiasm. Newspaper The Leader extended "good wishes for the success of the new Turkish Republic." The newspaper Hamdam expressed a prayer that "the new regime in Türkiye may be a harbinger of peace and prosperity to it and the means of the realization of the hopes of other Muslim lands outside Türkiye."

In a Nov. 30, 1923 editorial, The Times of India remarked on Mustafa Kemal being the first President, stating, "Indian Mahomedans (Muslims) will now feel that their labours, with the wholehearted support of the Viceroy, in the Turkish cause have reached a satisfactory conclusion. Türkiye is now a self-sufficient state organized on modern democratic lines."

On Sept. 15, 1923, a special session of the Indian National Congress was held in Delhi. In his presidential address, Maulana Azad made a special reference to Türkiye and extended heartfelt congratulations. He declared: "India, however proud it may be, offers its warmest and most sincere congratulations on this great victory. I congratulate the National Assembly of Ankara on the triumphs of its new democratic era. And finally, all our eyes are involuntarily drawn to the greatest personality of the present age, the foremost recipient of these congratulations – I offer India’s felicitations to Gazi Mustafa Kemal Pasha,” meaning the leader the world now knows as Ataturk.

A republic that inspired the Muslim world

The same session also passed a resolution that stated: "This Congress congratulates the Turkish people and their great leader, Gazi Mustafa Kamal Pasha, on the successful termination of war for freedom and regards this victory as a presage of the removal of all alien control from the Arabian Peninsula and the freedom of all nations of the east."

It is worth noting that Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was regarded as a hero in India, particularly among Indian Muslims, who had even planned to honor him with two airplanes. According to a Oct. 20, 1922 report in The Times of India, the Central Khilafat Committee resolved in one of its meetings to present Ghazi Kemal Pasha with a special sword and two airplanes as a tribute to his leadership and achievements.

It is a matter of great pride for me to have been a student at a university that was founded as part of the boycott movement against British colonial rule in India, and that was created to express intellectual solidarity with Türkiye's struggle for freedom and survival.

It is no mere coincidence, but a powerful symbol, that the foundation day of Jamia Millia Islamia (a central university in India) falls on the same date as Türkiye's Republic Day, symbolizing a shared spirit of independence. Even more remarkable, a letter dated March 7, 1928 from Mahadev Desai to G.D. Birla reveals that, at that time, the walls of the university were adorned with portraits of Enver Pasha and Mustafa Kemal Pasha. These portraits were more than decorative, they symbolized freedom, self-determination, and universal solidarity.

I was also delighted when the president of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, visited my university in 2017 and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa) during a special convocation – a historic moment I had the privilege of witnessing firsthand.

*Opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Anadolu's editorial policy