Mahmood Asim, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: A celebration of anniversary of great educationist and scholar Sir Syed Ahmad khan was held here at the Jawaharlal University. Many alumni of Aligarh Muslim University – most of whom are now studying at JNU – had gathered to give a tribute to Sir Syed Ahmad on his 197th birth anniversary.
Prof Mushirul Hassan and Syed Zafar Mahmood (Courtesy: Abdul Matin)
“He was a visionary person and a true tribute to him is to carry forward the legacy of him and vibrancy of his thought,” Prof Mushirul Hasan, a noted historian and AMU alumnus told his fellow alumni from his alma mater. When asked whether the concept of exclusive institutions like AMU and BHU add fuel to the idea of communalism Mushirul Hasan replied, “We cannot compare AMU with BHU because Sir Syed vision was not an exclusive institution rather an inclusive to accommodate all caste and creed”.
He added but “Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, on other hand was a member of Hindu Mahasabha and had a political agenda but Sir Syed case was different”. He also referred Sir Syed anecdote about Hindus and Muslims as two eyes of one bride i.e. India. In a response of another question, he said “I must say that today’s AMU is not what Sir Syed dreamt of.”
Courtesy: Abdul Matin
“Sir Syed was a name of paradigm, he was not only a historical personality,” Akhlaque Ahmad who teaches at JNU declared.
Zafar Mahmood of Zakat Foundation, who too is an AMU alumnus, also addressed the gathering and expressed his views on the occasion.
Comments from audience showed a positive sign of this celebration. “This time the celebration was comparatively good, discussions were having scholarly approach,” Said Akbar Choudhri, an alumnus of AMU and Ex-President of JNUSU.
It is to note that AMU students have always had a considerable presence in JNU Students Politics. “This opportunity should be used to help AMU students coming to JNU for admission and utilize the association to deal with all sorts of problems of AMU community round the year,” added Babar Rais, an alumnus and staff in JNU library.
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan: Lighthouse of the Society