New Delhi: Jamia Hamdard organized a function on Saturday to observe the birth centenary of its founder Hakim Abdul Hameed. Vice President Hamid Ansari, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit participated in the programme.
Hakim Abdul Hameed Award was given for outstanding contribution in the field of Unani and Ayurveda. Started this year, it will be given annually to encourage research in natural medicines. The award consists of a certificate and cash of Rs. 3 lakh. Two runners-up will be given Rs. 2 lakh and Rs. 1 lakh.
Hakim Abdul Hameed
Hakim Abdul Hameed inherited Hamdard unani clinic from his father, Hakeem Hafiz Abdul Majeed. Hameed converted this into a waqf in 1948. He purchased land in Tughlaqabad area of Delhi and established several institutes for education and research.
Hamdard Tibbi College was set up in 1963 in Old Delhi which later shifted to the present campus of Jamia Hamdard in 1980.
Hamdard College of Pharmacy was set up in 1972. In 1989 all colleges and institutes were combined to give the shape of Jamia Hamdard, a Deemed University.
For his work in education, health and social services Abdul Hameed was awarded Padma Shri in 1965 and Padma Bhushan in 1991.
Speaking on the occasion of birth centenary function, Hamdard (Wakf) Laboratories Chairman A. Mueed said that Hakeem Abdul Hameed was a visionary who used scientific research to provide quality and affordable health products using natural medicines.
Sheila Dixit released a biography of Hakim Abdul Hameed.
Speaking on the occasion Vice President Hamid Ansari said that in our recent history Hakim Abdul Hameed is probably the first, and the most successful, to resurrect the Waqf concept in innovative ways so that a modern company was registered as a Waqf institution whose income was to be used for public good in the areas of education, medical relief and the advancement of knowledge.
Delivering inaugural address, he said that it was an important signal in the immediate aftermath of the painful partition of India to thread together the religious element with socio-economic progress and alleviation of poverty.
The Vice President said that the decades back, and realizing the growing dimensions of the city of Delhi, his decision to host Id-Milan and Holi-Milan receptions at his residence provided the opportunity on these festive occasions for all sections of the public to get together. As with everything in life, there are gradations of leadership. The pinnacle of this pyramid belongs to those leaders who not only propel themselves individually to starring heights of excellence but who manage in their lifetimes to create and establish institutions that can facilitate others to do likewise.
Full text of the Vice President’s inaugural address:
“I deem it a privilege to be the Chief Guest today to inaugurate the Birth Centenary Celebrations of Hakim Abdul Hameed Sahib. This distinguished gathering of friends and admirers of Hakim Sahib testify to his enduring legacy to the nation and to his multifarious fields of interest – Unani medicine and therapeutics, education and research, Islamic culture and civilization, promotion of Urdu and public service for the needy and the downtrodden.
Narm dam-e-guftugu, garm dam-e-justujoo
Razm ho ya bazm ho, paak dil o paak-baaz
Modesty, practical common sense, and precision of expression characterized the personality of Hakim sahib. In 1997, he was persuaded to chair an international seminar on the fiftieth anniversary of 1947. At one point in the inaugural session, he was requested to address the audience. He declined, saying that he had agreed to chair the session, not to address it!
Decades back, and realising the growing dimensions of the city of Delhi, his decision to host Id-Milan and Holi-Milan receptions at his residence provided the opportunity on these festive occasions for all sections of the public to get together. As with everything in life, there are gradations of leadership. The pinnacle of this pyramid belongs to those leaders who not only propel themselves individually to starring heights of excellence but who manage in their lifetimes to create and establish institutions that can facilitate others to do likewise.
The Hamdard story begins over a century ago when Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed sahib established the Hamdard Dawakhana in 1906. The vision was implicit in the name. ‘The sharing of pain’ and willingness to mitigate it was to be the motto of the future generations as well. It was a vision to break the exclusivity of the medicinal preparation of each Unani Hakim and make it available to the masses through modern laboratories along scientific lines. A traditional system of medicine was thus modernised with a nationalist inspiration and an indigenous base. For this reason, Hakim sahib can rightly be called a Mujaddid of Unani medicine.
Assuming the leadership of the institution at an unusually young age he, as all great men, led by example. His simple lifestyle bereft of any luxury, his walking to his office and his empathy for the poor are almost Gandhian relics from a bygone era. It was his love for education and the welfare of humanity that led him to focus on the Wakf.
In our recent history he is probably the first, and the most successful, to resurrect the Wakf concept in innovative ways so that a modern company was registered as a Wakf institution whose income was to be used for public good in the areas of education, medical relief and the advancement of knowledge. It was an important signal in the immediate aftermath of the painful partition of India to thread together the religious element with socio-economic progress and alleviation of poverty.
In the decades since, over 25 educational research institutions were established culminating in the Jamia Hamdard. The range is astounding – ranging from primary education to post doctoral research, from Unani Medicine to Information Technology, from Islamic Studies to Business Management.
Besides the university, the colleges and hospitals established for service to society, there are a set of institutions that bear testimony to his scholarly interests. I refer to the Institute of History of Medicine, the Institute of Islamic Studies, the Ghalib Academy and the Institute of Federal Studies. Each of these has rendered significant service to scholarship.
These achievements hold a mirror to the potential of what public minded personalities can achieve through the institution of Auqaf for the socio-economic, educational and cultural betterment of the community. Future generations would behold Jamia Hamdard and Talimabad and wonder at the capacity, vision and dedication of an individual.
The Centenary Celebrations thus also serve as a reminder, hopefully as an inspiration, to others to follow in Hakim sahib’s footsteps”.
Link:
http://www.jamiahamdard.edu