Colors of Rainbow: Blogs of Engr Maqbool Akram: Sir Syed Bicentenary Alumni Meet of AMU. Aligarh-2017-2018

It was a nostalgia occasion for hundreds of Aligarh Muslim University alumni, to attend the Sir Syed Bicentenary AMU Alumni Meet—2017.They assembled again in Kennedy Auditorium of Chaman-E-Syed to connect with each other to refresh their old memories.

Inauguration of Sir Sayed Bicentenary Alumni Meet of AMU Aligarh (2017-2018) in Kennedy Auditorium

The Function: Sir Syed Bicentenary Alumni Meet of AMU Aligarh, was started with recitation from Holy QURAN. It was two days meet: 15^th and 16th October 2017. Followed by High Tea, Lunch breaks and a grand dinner at Lawn of Sir Syed House. The seed which Sir Syed sowed in 1877, had grown up into a mighty tree: that is now Aligarh Muslim University.

Audience :Sir Syed Bicentenary Alumni meet of AMU Aligarh (2017-2018) in Kennedy Auditorium

Audience:Sir Syed Bicentenary Alumni meet of AMU Aligarh (2017-2018) in Kennedy Auditorium

The 17^TH October 2017 makes the 200^th birth anniversary. Of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan (17 October-27 March 1898). Any mention of Sir Syed is incomplete without a mention of his enduring belief in education as a Panacea for over coming difficulties.Like many reformers of his time,he believed in rational thought and science to solve problems.

Audience:Sir Syed Bicentenary Alumni meet of AMU Aligarh (2017-2018) in Kennedy Auditorium

Audience :Sir Syed Bicentenary Alumni meet of AMU Aligarh (2017-2018) in Kennedy Auditorium

The 17^TH October 2017 maks the 200^th birth anniversary. Of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan (17October-27March 1898). Any mention of Sir Syed is incomplete without a mention of his enduring belief in education as a Pnacea for over coming difficulties.Like many reformers of his time,he believed in rational thought and science to solve problems.

Sir Syed wanted the Muslims of his period to embrace change and move forward.He felt that there could be no conflict between the work of God(i,e the natural word) and the the words of God (i,e Quran).

Inaugural function was presided by Dr Tariq Mansoor,AMU Vice Chancellor.Chief Guest was Prof. Tahir Mahmood (Former chairman,National Commission of Minorities,GOI).Guest of Honours were :Mr Dawood Bin Ozair,(CEO,Blue Star Dubai),Mr Ambrish Kenghe(Vice President,Myntra)and Mr Manoj Yadav IPS(Joint Director,IB,Ministary of Home Affairs,GOI).

Prof O P Kalra (Vice Chancellor, Pt H L Sharma University of Health Sciences), who attended the function said that he came to Aligarh to appear in the MBBS entrance exam with hardly any money and a place to stay.

“I stayed in a Gurudwara and was selected in the waiting list for admission in MBBS,” said Prof Kalra adding that my candidature for admission was selected in AMU’s Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Banaras Hindu University’s Medical College at the same time.

“My father advised me to attend AMU and taught me Urdu,” recalled Mr Kalra pointing out that a few years ago he visited his hostel room and found a research scholar of Sanskrit from a Muslim background residing in his room.

“This is exactly what Sir Syed’s vision was,” he said adding that a student from a Hindu background like him learnt Urdu in AMU, while a Muslim boy becomes a researcher scholar of Sanskrit in the same University.

A special attraction of the meet was a session of AMU’s women achievers in which Prof Yasmin Saikia (Arizona State University), Mrs Arifa Khanam (Senior journalist), Mrs Sabiha Saeed (Vice President, KPMG), Mrs Tasneem Rasol Boaz (Indian Railway Traffic Services), Prof Nuzhat Parveen Khan (Dean, Faculty of Law, Jamia Milia Islamia), Mrs Ghazala Kohkan Shamsi (New York, USA) and Mrs Taab Siddiqui (Owner, Harvest Gold Food India) were the panelists.

Meanwhile a session on Aligarh Open University, a platform through which AMU alumni spread all over the world share knowledge and experiences with current university students was also organised.This session was chaired by Prominent Scientist Dr Shahid Jameel CEO, Welcome Trust (India DBT Alliance).