But this was an opinion of a section of the Muslim elite which had intensely suffered during the 1857 war of independence and wanted to make up with the British rulers. If at all, they focus only on Sir Syed's attitude towards Congress and his advice to Muslims not to join it. This has never been emphasised by Indian historians. When the Indian National Congress was formed the Muslims too responded enthusiastically. One of the slogans of the activists was “Deen dharam hamara mazhab, yeh isai (meaning the British) kahan se aye (Islam and Hinduism are our religions, where these British came from?). When Indians began to challenge the British Raj, their leaders realised the importance of unity of the people, especially of Hindus and Muslims. Pluralism of all kinds - religious, linguistic and cultural - has been its hallmark. But India was never mono-religious, mono-cultural and mono-lingual. The nations in the West were founded on the basis of one language and one culture. India has never been a nation in the classical sense of the word as used in the West. However, due to the majoritarian attitude of Indian leaders and the narrow outlook of those who devise the educational curriculum, minorities' contribution has been totally forgotten. Many people in India, irrespective of their religious belief, richly contributed to the freedom movement by working in the Indian National Congress. THIS year marks the 125th anniversary of the founding of Indian National Congress.