ALIGARH: “The journey that an institution begins with, may be a journey of an individual institution but the direction of the journey must be towards a collective goal because it is not the beginning that determines the success or a failure, but it is the objective that tends to determine its success or the failure,” said Justice Attau Rahman Masoodi, the eminent jurist and senior judge, Lucknow Bench, High Court of Judicature, Allahabad, while addressing the students and faculty members of the Aligarh Muslim University as chief guest at the grand Sir Syed Day commemorative function held at the Gulistan-e-Syed, AMU to mark the 206^th birth anniversary of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, the founder of the university.

Justice Masoodi, while drawing a reference to his idea from the Indian Constitution, remarked that the very opening words of the Preamble call upon the people of India to shed the self-attributing notions denoted by ‘I’ and move towards the goals set by and for the ‘We’.

“Today it is important to gauge the fact that whether every one of us as an individual or an institution could be able to become part and partial of a large collective self”, he added

Justice Masoodi, while remembering his earlier visit to AMU in 1985 as an admission seeker, termed it as a big impetus for him to choose legal studies as a career and attributed his success to his short stay on the AMU campus when he got the best of advice and hospitality from senior students.

The guest of honour, Retired IAS officer, Former Vice Chancellor, Jamia Millia Islamia, Mr Syed Shahid Mahdi, who also happens to be an AMU alumnus, vehemently denounced the allegations on Sir Syed of being a creator of the two-nation theory or a separatist, by quoting a news story printed in a newspaper published February 1884 from Lahore, that an Arya Samaj Deputation under the leadership of Lala Sangam Lal met Sir Syed and thanked him for raising his voice for all Indians and not only for Muslims. Lala Sangam Lal said it was a matter of great pride and happiness for him that such a great reformer like Sir Syed lived in India.

Mr Mahdi stressed that this aspect of Sir Syed’s personality needs to be studied and brought to light for public knowledge.

Another guest of honour, Mr Sanjiv Saraf (Founder, Rekhta Foundation) said Aligarh and Urdu are synonymous to him and when he first thought of working for the promotion of Urdu language and literature, it was the Aligarh that came to his mind simultaneously as a centre of the best and most resources to rely upon.

He stated that Aligarh’s hallowed columns tell stories of many Urdu poets and writers and many Urdu masterpieces have originated from this place.

Mr Saraf pointed out that the progressive poetry had already begun in Aligarh, much earlier than the launch of the progressive movement, and it was in fact Sir Syed’s grappling efforts with the Urdu prose that the seeds of purposeful poetry had germinated in his time.

Dr Laurence Gautier (Centre De Sciences Humaines, New Delhi), the guest of honour, remembered Sir Syed as one of the most prolific personalities that she had come to know about. She said that Sir Syed’s influence has been momentous not only for the Muslims but for the entire country as one of India’s most important reformers.

Ms Gautier remarked that the hallmark of a great reformer is that he or she leaves a body of works that does not remain frozen in time, but that spurs debates and that their successors can build upon. This is how Sheikh Abdullah, along with his wife, by way of established a school for girls, which later became the famous Women’s College, did not merely reproduce what Sir Syed had done but they in fact carried his legacy in the light of changing circumstances.

In his presidential remarks, Vice-Chancellor Prof Mohammad Gulrez congratulated the AMU fraternity all over the world on this auspicious occasion, adding that this day is certainly a day of celebration of a man, his vision, his resolve, his commitment, his efforts and contributions.

“To Sir Syed, hope was in strategy and strategy was strength, strategy of no confrontation but of dialogue and dialogue that is built on a wealth of knowledge and art of articulation”, he added.

Prof Gulrez stated that the educational purpose of Aligarh differed from other colleges of the time, as it stressed collective consciousness, a democratic point of view and a drastic intellectual awakening. Sir Syed wished for his students to build a thought process, question blind obedience, differentiate between right and wrong, be fearless, carry a deep sense of morality and tolerance, and have a personality whose mere appearance is commanding.

He said Sir Syed wanted Aligarh to be an intellectual and cultural centre that preserved the whole of Indian heritage. Sir Syed’s commitment to social harmony, composite culture, inclusiveness and collective growth has continued to guide AMU’s institutional conduct.

Prof Gulrez counted on the achievements of the university in recent years, mentioning that the AMU has been ranked 9^th best university in the country in the NIRF ranking, 3^rd best in the India Today ranking and has secured 6^th position in the Times Higher Education ranking for the year 2023. The Mathematics department of AMU has been ranked the best in the country and has secured 137th position in the world, in the US News and World Report 2023.

He further said that the university has made a big stride in implementing the National Education Policy – 2020 and introduced some new programmes to make the learning process more innovative and industry-oriented, including M.Sc. Cyber Security, M.Sc. Data Science, B.Tech. and M.Tech. Artificial Intelligence, Bachelor and Master in Visual Arts, Four Year Integrated Teaching Programme, ITEP, etc.
The Vice-Chancellor urged the students to spend their days in the classroom and library, their evenings in games and sports, and healthy debates get a good sleep at night and refrain from wasting their precious time on dhabas.

The Vice-Chancellor also announced that teaching will remain suspended on Wednesday.

Earlier, AMU Registrar, Mr Mohammad Imran delivered the welcome speech.

The Chief Guest, Justice Masoodi and the Vice Chancellor, Prof Gulrez felicitated the winners of the All India Essay Writing competition on “Sir Syed’s Influence on Language and Literature” organized by the Public Relations Office in English, Hindi and Urdu. The first, second and third prize winners in all three languages received a cash prize of Rs. 25,000/-, Rs 15,000/- and Rs. 10,000/-, respectively, with a memento and certificate of appreciation.

The winners of the In-House Students’ Research Convention organized by the Innovation Council and University Incubation Centre were also felicitated on this occasion for their innovative presentations.

Faculty members, Prof Aysha Munira Rasheed (Department of English) and Prof Towqueer Alam, Dean, Faculty of Theology, and students, Sumrana Muzaffar and Syed Faheem Ahmad delivered speeches on the teachings, philosophy, works and mission of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan.

Mr Mujib Ullah Zuberi (Controller), Prof Mohd Mohsin Khan (Finance Officer) and Prof Mohd Wasim Ali (Proctor) with other dignitaries were present on the occasion.

The Dean, Students’ Welfare, Prof Abdul Alim extended the vote of thanks.

Dr Faiza Abbasi and Dr Shariq Aqil conducted the programme.

The proceedings of the day began with a Quran Khwani (Quranic Recitation) after the Fajr (Day Break) prayer at the University Mosque. The Vice-Chancellor, Prof Gulrez with faculty members and officers of the University paid floral tribute at the Mazaar (grave) of Sir Syed.

The Vice-Chancellor also inaugurated the ‘Exhibition of Books and Photographs’ pertaining to Sir Syed Ahmad Khan at the Sir Syed House. The exhibition was jointly organised by Maulana Azad Library and Sir Syed Academy.