By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: On National Anthem ended today the seven-day long Talimi Mela of Jamia Millia Islamia – true to its history of patriotism and demolishing the propaganda that one of the premier educational institutions in the country has become breeding ground of terrorists (read antinational).
The colourful educational festival packed with cultural, educational and scholarly programmes was organized in the backdrop of Batla House encounter in which two suspected terrorists – one of them Jamia student – were killed on September 19. After the encounter a dozen people including two of Jamia students were arrested from its neighbourhood. The development suddenly pushed the students, teachers and locals into shock and fear.
But Jamia VC Prof. Mushirul Hasan’s timely announcement of extending legal aid to the arrested Jamia students helped immensely in restoring courage in the students as well as the locals. Yet fear could still be seen in the faces of many students.
Addressing the valedictory function today, S. Jaipal Reddy, Minister of Urban Development & Poverty Alleviation, said Jamia is more morally qualified for giving call of peace and patriotism.
Peace is more important today than any time in history and for it no one can be more ideal than Gandhiji who was nonviolent Alexander of the world, he said.
The mela was inaugurated on October 29.
The mela has successfully helped the Jamia Nagar to turn to normal. Students feel relaxed and out of tension, say Afzal and Akhlaque, Jamia’s M Tech students.
Uzma, also a Jamia student, is also happy and ready to offer thanks to Jamia authorities for holding the events. In the last seven days she visited the mela thrice. She visited stalls of books and food items. She also attended several dramas played by Jamia students.
Shuja, Hamid and Aquib, teenagers and also Jamia students, are standing in the middle of the ground talking about the mela. Happiness is just pouring out of their faces.
Entry into the mela area was open to all. According to a Jamia official around 50,000-60,000 people visited the mela.
Lectures on different issues were held. Some of them were: Revisiting the History of Indian Muslims, Socio-cultural empowerment of Muslim women and Arts Education or Education through the Arts.
Some competitions including poster competition, Qirat competition, English quiz competition and Quiz on earth quake disaster management were also conducted.
The mela also featured mushairas, street plays, films screening and puppet shows.
What added good taste to the mela were stalls of Muslim dishes – biryani, qorma, kabab…
During the mela M.F. Husain Art Gallery was inaugurated. The gallery has paintings of eminent artists including M F Husain, Satish Gujral, Nand Lal Bose, J. Sultan Ali and Francis Newton Souza. Pakistani artist Sadquain’s artworks have also been put on exhibition.