By TwoCircles.net News Desk
Aligarh: The Governor of West Bengal, Mr. Gopalkrishna Gandhi today urged the Aligarh Muslim University to play an important role in ‘exploring the deprived sections of society including women who suffered from lack of education’.
Mr. Gandhi was addressing the 59th Annual Convocation of the Aligarh Muslim University. He observed that the common man and woman continue to face inflation with poverty, extravagance with squalor, corruption with defeat. The man of the street is constantly harassed whether it is a phone connection or a change of name in the electric meter bill or a birth certificate or a land – mutation or a driving license. Men in the authority delay and deny what is done. The common man and woman face cheats and conman posing as facilitators in their everyday existence, he noted.
Mr. Gopalkrishna Gandhi said that AMU has to its credit its amazing alumni who have influenced history. Its present and future generations, have a clear and positive role to play. He hoped that AMU will enable, enrich and strengthen India and the India can give to the world a unique lead that can save environment, including the endangered ice-cap that sustains both India and Pakistan.
The Aligarh Muslim University conferred honorary doctorate degree upon world fame Indian musician, A.R. Rahman and noted Urdu writer, Professor Gopichand Narang for their outstanding contributions in their respective field of art and literature.
Accepting the honorary degree, A.R. Rahman said that AMU is not only one of the oldest Universities of India, but also a major center of quality education. It is the quality education that matters in the present day world, he added.
Mr. Rahman disclosed that Indian tradition and philosophy have always given him direction in life and it is only with these values and the people who support him that he achieved success both nationally and internationally.
Professor Gopichand Narang while delivering his acceptance speech described AMU as a shining chapter of the history of Urdu language and literature. To consider Urdu merely a language and limit it to the VIII schedule amount to gross injustice as Urdu is a way of life, a way of thinking and a way of living, he added.
AMU Vice Chancellor, Professor P.K. Abdul Azis said that Rahman’s music is a unique fusion of East and West and eloquently reflect the composite culture of India. Professor Azis mentioned that Rahman was a role model for young India and his success in blending music and technology is a remarkable fiat that is cutting across international barrier. He described Professor Gopichand Narang as an outstanding scholar, critic, writer and master of one of the most beautiful language of the world.
Presenting the Annual Report, Professor P.K. Abdul Azis has appealed to the Muslim community to observe a ‘Decade of Education’ so that every Muslim should get educated and can participate in nation building activities in a meaningful manner.
Professor Azis pointed out that AMU has a rare distinction and privilege of offering education to boys and girls starting from nursery to post doctoral research its educational spectrum is vast as it offers 325 courses.
Professor Azis has mentioned that as part of creating a global branding for the AMU, the University has undertaken a special drive to enlist the support of its alumni spread across the world for creating partnership with prestigious universities and research institutions.
For the first time in the history of the University admission test centers were setup at Bhopal, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Lucknow and Hyderabad to regain the national character of AMU.
Justice A.M. Ahmadi former Chief Justice of India, Chancellor, Aligarh Muslim University, presided over the Convocation.
Mr. Gopalkrishna Gandhi, A.R. Rahman, Professor Gopichand Narang, Justice A.M. Ahmadi and AMU Vice Chancellor paid a floral tribute at Sir Syed’s mazar and laid chadar soon after the Convocation was over.