– M Rafi Ahmed
Jamal Mohamed College (JMC), a Muslim minority institution catering to the education needs of students belonging to lower strata of the society cutting across communal lines, has been doing yeomen services for the past over seven and a half decades. Undoubtedly, JMC stands tall in the heart of Tiruchi known as Rockfort City, making a niche for itself in offering a plethora of courses thereby making the students employable or turning entrepreneurs.
Incidentally, Tamil Nadu has a handful of Muslim minorities institutions like Chennai New College, Quaide Millath College for Men, Justice Basheer Ahmed Sayeed College for Women formerly known as SIET College, Tirunelveli Sadakathullah Appa College, Vaniyambadi Islamiah College, Ilayangudi Dr Zakir Hussain College, Ramnad Syed Ammal Arts and Science College, Nagercoil Noorul Islam College, Vellore Islamiah Women’s Arts and Science College, Ramnad Syed Hameeda Arts and Science College besides Mohamed Sathak education group of institutions in Kilakarai and Chennai, Chennai B S Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology (a Deemed University).
It may be noted that those who are studying and left JMC are really gifted as the great institution has earned name and fame across the globe since major chunk of JMC alumni are spread across different nations right from the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Dubai, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia serving in top positions in reputed companies besides manning their own ventures as successful entrepreneurs.
Worth mentioning that JMC has produced a number of IAS, IPS officers and scores of chartered accountants besides Tamil Nadu ministers like K N Nehru and MRK Panneerselvam who brought glory to their alma mater. K Allauddin, retired IAS who was the special officer for Classical Tamil conference in Coimbatore is an alumnus of this institution. Joining the bandwagon, this scribe is also an alumnus of JMC who did his Pre-University Course during 1973-74.
In his address, Chief Minister M K Stalin praised the JMC legacy of promoting unity and brotherhood and urged students to follow the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi, B.R. Ambedkar, and Periyar, and to reject the ideology of Nathuram Godse’s supporters. Earlier, college management executives welcomed Stalin.
He noted that the founders of JMC were both ardent followers of Gandhian principles. “Jamal Mohamed participated in the Second Round Table Conference alongside Gandhi and even offered a blank cheque to support the freedom struggle,” Stalin said. He added that Rowther ran a khadi mill and distributed cloth free of cost.
Founded in 1951, Jamal Mohamed College, Tiruchirappalli, began as an affiliated institution of the University of Madras and later joined Bharathidasan University in 1982. Established as a minority institution, its mission has been to provide quality education to the underprivileged. Spanning 87 acres, the college over the decades has earned prestigious recognitions, including: 1957: Ranked among India’s top 30 colleges by the Danforth Foundation, USA. 1972: Recognised by UGC under Sections 2(F) & 12(B).1977: Named a “Lead College” by the UGC, 2002-2023: Accredited with top NAAC grades, achieving A++ (CGPA 3.69) in the 2023 cycle, 2023: Ranked 56th in NIRF Rankings among top institutions.
[The author is former Indian Express and Deccan Chronicle chief]
