Aligarh: “Sir Syed’s multi-faceted vision of serving British, and at the same time giving a direction to Muslims to strive to attain education and stand alongside other developed communities and be compassionate to them, makes him a true leader whose relevance today is all the more felt to address the challenges of our times,” said Muzaffar Ali, the noted filmmaker, writer, author and celebrated painter, while addressing the students and faculty members of the Aligarh Muslim University as chief guest at the grand Sir Syed Day commemorative function held at the Gulistan-e-Syed, AMU to mark the 207th birth anniversary of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, the founder of the university and one of the architects of modern India.
Ali pointed out that if Sir Syed had not written the Causes of Revolt of 1857 (Asbab-e-Baghavat-e-Hind), the relationship between Indians and the British government would have remained dark, and an understanding would have remained a distant dream.
He said that Sir Syed opened the channel of dialogue between India and the British Empire, which, in spite of many upheavals, brought both parties to a discussion table and decided India’s independence.
“Sir Syed very well understood the trajectory of his times, from leaving the noble court of Mughals and joining British services, and then working to paving the way for the educational and social uplift of his coreligionists in particular, and the people of India in general, and this is what gives his personality a different angle to ponder over,” added Ali.
The guest of honour, Ms Snehlata Shrivastava (Retd. IAS Officer and Former Secretary, Ministry of Law and Justice and Secretary General, Lok Sabha) said it is amazing to see that Sir Syed had such a great vision to revolutionize the educational portals of the country, from female education to the spread of scientific and technological knowledge, which is still relevant after more than hundred years of the establishment of this historic institution.
She exhorted the university to modernize its various systems, which is relevant and complementary not only to the needs and requirements of our times but also has futuristic elements to cope with the forthcoming issues.
Ms Shrivastava urged the students to come out of their comfort zone, work hard and make a habit of early rising, which gives immense spiritual power to make a person strong enough to fulfil his or her dreams and make his or her life useful to mankind.
Ms Jaya Varma Sinha (Retd IRTS and Former Chairperson, Railway Board of India), who also spoke as a guest of honour, stated that Sir Syed was committed to social reforms, promoting the importance of social justice, women’s education and eradication of illiteracy. Today we are celebrating Sir Syed’s contribution to education, reflecting on his ideas and hoping that they can guide us to cope with the contemporary challenges.
She said, “As I look at the students here, I am filled with the hope that you are the future leaders, changemakers and the torchbearers of Sir Syed’s legacy. Your education at AMU will shape your success and empower you to be an agent of change in society. I encourage you to embrace this responsibility with courage and humility”.
She remarked that true success lies not only in our professional achievement but also in our contribution to the betterment of society and the uplift of those around us. The students of AMU, with their diversity of thought, culture and experience represent the future of India, a vikasit Bharat.
Another guest of honour, Mr Ajay Chaudhry, an IPS Officer, Special Commissioner (Traffic), Delhi Police and an author and an alumnus of the University, said that AMU is not merely a structure of brick and mortar, and we cannot compare it with any other institution in the world. Every brick and every layer of the mortar of its structure embeds a passion for social and community uplift and embodies the vision of a person who stood apart as an educational revolutionary of his times.
He said that if Hindu mythology was allowed to be employed, Sir Syed would have been termed as an Avatar who brought positive changes in society reforming it in significant ways.
Mr Chaudhry passionately remembered his days at AMU as a student and gave all the credit for what he is now to his father, mother, elder brother and the AMU, where, he claimed, he learned the art of living compassionately with a wider hue of cultural identities. Even during the troubled times in the 1990s, he recalled, he remained in the university and felt completely safe and secure.
In her presidential remarks, Vice-Chancellor Prof Naima Khatoon lauded Sir Syed’s vision and mission and his constant quest for knowledge production, which she related to the university’s present focus on research and development.
She paid tribute to Sir Syed’s emphasis on developing a critical mind and related it to AMU upgrading its infrastructure and enhancing technological support. She said that the University has embraced 31 new courses under the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) programme.
Prof Khatoon also praised Sir Syed’s democratic functioning and related it to AMU’s commitment to providing quality education, promoting innovation, entrepreneurship and incubation support.
She thanked the university students, teachers and others for their dedication, hard work, and their efforts to make the University an institution of national importance in the true sense.
She said that the University has introduced the recommendations of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, and it is a matter of joy that we have got an A+ certification from the NAAC and an improved ranking of 8 under the NIRF, among the universities in India.
Joining the programme online from New York, USA, Prof Frances W. Pritchett, the winner of the Sir Syed Excellence Award (International) for this year, thanked AMU for her selection for the prestigious award.
Referring to a couplet of Ghalib, she said that Sir Syed was able to blend in his temperament the qualities of first being a keen observer of the incidents that happened around him and then responding to these incidents in the most constructive way. She urged the students to embrace this quality of always being positive in life and doing their best to make society a cradle of peace and compassion.
Speaking on behalf of the Ghalib Institute, New Delhi, the recipient of the Sir Syed Excellence Award (National), its Director, Dr Idrees Ahmad said that it is a historic moment for his organization to receive the prestigious award from an institution of national importance.
Paying rich tributes to Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, Prof Zehra Mohsin (Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology) said that Sir Syed was much ahead of his times and he realized the importance of education and health and worked all through his life to promote these among the common people of India.
She said that education is the best legacy that parents can leave for their children, and the onus lies on us to take forward this legacy of Sir Syed.
Expressing his views crisply on the relevance of Sir Syed’s vision and mission, Prof Shafey Kidwai said that Sir Syed’s personality can be explained with reference to two qualities – A man of benevolence and, according to the noted writer, Qurratul Ain Haider, as Khwaja Khizr, who, according to a belief, shows path to the lost.
He said Sir Syed took up the tremendous job of showing the path to a community that had lost its way and vision to sustain the tough times after the Revolt of 1857. Sir Syed chose to empower the community and the country with education which remains the best tool for all kinds of development and empowerment.
The University students, Zunera Habib Alvi and Sarim Ayyubi also delivered speeches on the philosophy, work and mission of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan.
Mr Muzaffar Ali and Prof Naima Khatoon felicitated the winners of the All India Essay Writing competition on “Sir Syed’s Influence on Language and Literature” organized by the Public Relations Office in English, Hindi and Urdu. The first, second and third prize winners in all three languages received a cash prize of Rs. 25,000/-, Rs 15,000/- and Rs. 10,000/-, respectively, with a memento and certificate of appreciation.
Mehvish Khan, a postgraduate student at the Aligarh Muslim University, won the first prize in the All India Essay Writing Competition in English, while Sahiba Meher, a BALLB student at the Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Patiala, Punjab, and Ashutosh Kumar, a B.Tech. student from Sastra Deemed-to-be University, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, were selected for the second and third prizes, respectively.
In the Hindi language essay, all three prizes went to the AMU girl students, with Firdaus, a PhD scholar, standing first, and Samiya Akram (BA) and Shaista Sana (PhD) grasping the second and third positions, respectively.
On the other hand, Nighat, a PhD scholar at AMU won the first prize in the Urdu language, while a PhD scholar from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, Shahid Jamal won the second prize, and the third prize went to Musafe-ur-Rehman Siddiqui, a postgraduate student at AMU.
Mr Mujib Ullah Zuberi (Controller), Prof Mohd Mohsin Khan (Finance Officer), Prof Mohd Wasim Ali (Proctor), along with other dignitaries were present on the occasion.
Earlier, AMU Registrar, Mr Mohammad Imran delivered the welcome speech.
The Dean, Students’ Welfare, Prof Rafiuddin extended the vote of thanks. Dr Faiza Abbasi and Dr Shariq Aqil conducted the programme.
The proceedings of the day began with a Quranic Recitation after the Fajr prayer at the University Mosque and the paying of floral tribute at Sir Syed’s grave.
The Vice-Chancellor Prof Naima Khatoon, along with Mr Muzaffar Ali, Prof M. Shafey Kidwai, Director, Sir Syed Academy and other dignitaries released fully annotated editions of Hayat-e-Javed by Altaf Husain Hali, Aap beeti ya MAO College ki Kahaani Mir Wilayat Husain ki Zubani, by Mir Wilayat Husain, Sir Syed ka Qayam-e-Meerut by Mr Masoom Moradabadi, Sir Syed ka Qayam-e-Moradabad by Dr Rahat Abrar, Sir Syed ka Qayam-e-Banares by Dr Asad Faisal Farooqui, Sir Syed ki Bainul-Aqwami Baseerat by Prof Saud Alam Qasmi, and Sir Seyd special number of Tahzeebul-Akhlaq at Syed Academy.
She also inaugurated a book exhibition on Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, jointly organized by Maulana Azad Library and Sir Syed Academy.
