The Vice Chancellor
Aligarh Muslim University

Honourable Sir

This is in response to today’s news items, with reference to earmarking the purpose of the targeted corpus fund of Rs 100 crores through the alumni.

I was wondering as to why not the AMU emphasized on the explicit objective of the target fund. I raised this issue, few days back on various alumni networks.  Thankfully, you have now made it explicit in the media today. It would have been better if this particular objective of raising the fund should have been spelled out categorically much earlier than today.

Through the alumni networks, kindly allow me to submit before you a proposal on the said issue:

I would propose to revise the objective of the corpus fund and would like it to be invested to raise a 12th standard residential cum day scholar English medium quality public school (to begin with), preferably in eastern part of India . About 20% of the students should be enrolled from the economically weaker sections while rest 80% should pay the commercial rate of fee.

I put emphasis on it also because of the fact that even the campaign for raising the MAO College to the level of AMU was launched (1898-1920) by the alumni. In October 1899, the Old Boys’ Association (OBA) under the leadership of Sahibzada Aftab Ahmad Khan, decided to raise a corpus of fund to organize the political mobilization for the purpose.

Observing on this corporate effort, the historians Gail Minault and David Lelyveld said that the campaign for a Muslim university (1898-1920) was a ‘good example of the confluence of education and politics’, [modern] ‘education was a pre-requisite to enfranchisement. This campaign was an effort to create an all India Muslim constituency and to carve out for it a decisive piece of political power, an attempt to consolidated influence upon specific govt. policies, regardless of the conceptual and personal conflicts involved in the movement’. Aftab, Mohsinul Mulk and T. Beck also formed the Sir Syed Memorial Fund (SSMF) for upgrading the college to University. [I have elaborated upon it in my essay on historical roots of the minority character of AMU circulated on the alumni networks in Oct./Nov.’05 and also published in the Milli Gazette, 1-15 December 2005]. 

In my understanding of the things, by way of creatively re-defining the Aligarh Movement in our times, we should learn from the history of AMU (1898-1920) and in order to achieve the educational uplift of the community [the whole exercise of raising a corpus fund through the Old Boys (alumni) of AMU], we should try to start a quality school which may gradually develop/expand to have employable courses subsequently. Of course, it must work out the management principles and personnel as well.

[So far as investing the fund in developing AMU is concerned, we should ask the UGC for such fund. Already we are not always able to consume the UGC funds].

Ham ke haiN kab se dar-e-ummeed ke daryuza gar
Yeh gharhi guzri to phir dast-e-talab phailaaengey
Kooch wa bazaar se phir chunk e rezah rezah khwab
Ham yuNhi pehley ki surat jorhney lag jaayengey  (Faiz)

Looking forward for your kind response,

Utmost Regards,

Mohammad Sajjad,
Lecturer,
Centre of Advanced Study in History,
AMU, Aligarh

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mohammad allam - please think about these. Unregistered | Oct-15-08 1 There are some major decisions that need to be finalized in the best interest of the Aligarh Movement.These are 1 The question of minority character of University.The changing nature of Indian political system and coming of the power of communal parties,there is need to clear the status of university once for all.other wise we have to be ready for every time to see turmoil in the university. 2.It is said that what Aligarh University thinks today,indian muslims think tomorrow.so,the need of time is to establsih a powerfull electronic media to protect the image of university and the muslim.See how a case of Times Of India put the University on defensive and took so much time to falsify the report. 3.The need of time is to make this university technological oriented learning centre.We are using the same old system of tool of transmitting of learning.See the American and European system of Education and their march towards technological oriented institution.Compare our university with these and see where are we?Can with the same existing infrastructure of university compete with other institution in this Globalised world? We have thousands and thousand of Schools, but none figure into even top hundred schools of India.we are more than 130 million of total population but we have not even a wolrd class school.why? The christian ,they are only 1.9 % of total population but have the best institution of India.why? Its our mentality.We all want to be head but none of us want to be a follower.the construction of future of community largely depends upon the best follower.we come together and strenthen the existing one before expanding.In principle of management,the expanding is not so difficult as controlling the existing and expanding one. And in my opinion,this fund can be utilise at the time of need of solving these persisting problems. Reply 1   0

Mohammad Sajjad - Yes, we Must Ponder Unregistered | Oct-17-08 Dear Allam Despite much of hue and cry, the AMU Teachers' association did not dare filing case in the court of law against he Times of India. It does not dare spelling out its stand on the illegal recruitments.Ohter bodies like the Executive Council and the AMU-Court are just not able to deliver the goods. The AMUTA refuses to have an informed debate through the General Body Meetings on the burning issues like that of communally inspired terrorism across the country, including against the minorities. You can contrast its character with that of the Jamia Teachers on this issue. What did the AMU Teachers do with the Bihar Flood is even more well known to all of us. What to expect from the AMUTA, it can't even protect the basic ordinary issues of its own constituency- teachers. Things are disgusting, roads ahead are bumpy.You have well said, all of us need to ponder. Sajjad Reply 0   0

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