Word of the Day: INQUILAB

Pronunciation: UK /ɪn.kɪˈlɑːb/ US /ɪn.kɪˈlɑːb/

Meaning

'Inquilab' means revolution, a major change, upheaval or transformation. In South Asian political language, it is especially associated with a movement to challenge an established order and bring about fundamental change.

Examples for daily usage

  • The movement called for an inquilab in the country's political system.
  • The slogan of Inquilab Zindabad became closely associated with India's struggle for freedom.

Origin and history

"Inquilab" comes from the Arabic inqilāb (انقلاب). Its older sense is connected to the idea of turning, changing, reversing or being transformed. The Arabic root q-l-b carries the idea of turning or changing, and the word later developed meanings including change, reversal and revolution.

The word entered Persian and then became an established part of Urdu vocabulary. Urdu dictionaries list inqilāb with meanings including change, alteration, turn, revolution, inversion and upheaval.

In India, the word acquired a particularly powerful political meaning during the freedom movement. Maulana Hasrat Mohani is credited with first using the slogan "Inquilab Zindabad" in 1921. It was later popularised by Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt, turning it into one of the most recognisable slogans of the anti-colonial movement.

Also Read: Word of the Day, July 01: ‘Boyar’ 

Cultural significance and modern usage

For Indians, "Inquilab" is closely linked with the revolutionary strand of the independence movement. The word did not simply refer to replacing one government with another. For revolutionaries such as Bhagat Singh, it also represented a wider desire for social and political change.

This distinction is important because Bhagat Singh himself later explained what he and his comrades meant when they shouted "Inquilab Zindabad."

In a response to criticism of the slogan, he described revolution as a longing for change for the better, rather than simply a call for violence.

The slogan became especially famous after Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt raised it in the Central Legislative Assembly in Delhi on 8 April 1929. They were arrested after throwing bombs into the Assembly and subsequently repeated the slogan during their trial.

Today, "Inquilab Zindabad" continues to be used in India and elsewhere in South Asia in political movements, protests and public demonstrations. Its meaning can vary depending on the movement using it, but the central idea remains one of demanding significant change.

Interesting facts

"Inquilab" is an Arabic-origin word, even though it became deeply embedded in Persian and Urdu and later in Indian political vocabulary.

The original idea behind the word was not exclusively political. Its Arabic root is associated with turning or changing, which helps explain how it came to mean revolution or upheaval.

The phrase "Inquilab Zindabad" literally conveys the idea of the revolution living on or being kept alive. Its established English translation is "Long Live the Revolution."

Examples from literature 

  • “Inquilab Zindabad!” — Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things 
  • “Who knew what ‘inquilab’ meant?”— Zakia Mashhadi, “The Revolution”, included in Urdu: The Best Stories of Our Times, edited by Rakhshanda Jalil
  • The phrase also appears prominently in the 2002 Hindi film ‘The Legend of Bhagat Singh’, directed by Rajkumar Santoshi. In the film's final sequence, Bhagat Singh's mother tells him to remember to say "Inquilab Zindabad".

Synonyms

  • Revolution
  • Uprising
  • Revolt
  • Upheaval
  • Transformation
  • Change
  • Rebellion
  • Insurrection

Antonyms

  • Stability
  • Continuity
  • Stagnation
  • Inertia
  • Conservatism
  • Status quo
  • Preservation
  • Stillness

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