By TCN News,
San Francisco: Hundreds of thousands of students, alumni, and well-wishers of Aligarh Muslim University (one of the oldest and famous seats of learning in Asia) around the world will celebrate Founder’s Day, popularly known as ‘Sir Syed Day’ around this time of the year. In Bay area this event is organized by Aligarh Alumni Association of Northern California on September 20th at India Community Center in Milpitas, CA
Ambassador Islam A. Siddiqui, Senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (Former Chief Agriculture Negotiator in the office of the U.S Trade Representative in Obama Administration) will give keynote addresses at the 17th annual Sir Syed Day.
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, the founder of AMU was born on October 17, 1817. Sir Syed, the famous 19th century scholar, historian and social reformer spent most of his time on promotion of social, economic and educational conditions of Indian Muslims.
Today, AMU symbolizes on the one hand the secular ideals of the Republic of India and on the other the aspirations of more than 150 million Muslims in India. The AMU, which Sir Syed planted as a sapling in British India, has now grown into a blossoming tree.
The Aligarh alumni are spread in large numbers all over the world with the majority being in the sub-continent. Prominent personalities in all walks of life including statesmen such as Dr. Zakir Husain – former president of India, Ayub Khan – former president of Pakistan, and M. Hamid Ansari – current vice president of India.
Dr. Shaheer Khan, one of the organizers of the event said, “The Aligarh alumni and present students are proud inheritors of Sir Syed’s legacy of open hearted tolerance, modern enlightened thinking, a love for scholarship, peaceful coexistence and above all a rational approach to our beliefs and our problems.” More than ever, it is time that the ‘Sir Syed Model’ gains wider currency in the Muslim World, Dr. Khan added.
This year’s event will also include the Annual International Mushaira. Many famous Urdu poets from India and Pakistan, along with poets from North America are expected to participate. AMUAA’s annual Mushairas are well recognized and widely acclaimed as the most sophisticated and popular in North America and attract almost 400-500 enthusiasts and admirers of Urdu poetry in the Bay Area.
For more information, visit: http://www.amualumni.org