AMU Celebrates The 205th Birth Anniversary Of The Founder Sir Syed Ahmad Khan

In the welcome address, AMU Vice Chancellor, Professor Tariq Mansoor said, "Sir Syed's ideas of secularism and inclusiveness are reflective in the way AMU operates. The University is a monument of large-hearted tolerance and communal harmony and its portals are open to the students of all communities from its very inception. We have maintained Peace and Harmony on the campus and successfully overcome challenges, problems and crisis by exercising restraint and stressing on unity and consensus", the Vice Chancellor pointed out. Recollecting history, he pointed out: "At a gathering in Gurdaspur on January 27, 1884, Sir Syed famously said, 'O Hindus and Muslims! Do you belong to a country other than India? Don't you live on this soil and are you not buried under it or cremated on its Ghats? If you live and die on this land, then bear in mind, that 'Hindu' and 'Muslim' is but a religious word; all the Hindus, Muslims and Christians who live in this country are one nation".

Delivering the Sir Syed Day commemoration address, the Chief Guest, Prof Tahir Mahmood (Former Chairman, National Commission for Minorities) called the AMU community to spread Sir Syed's rationality, modernity, manners and amity to corners of the Nation and the world. Preservation and propagation of Urdu is also an integral part of Sir Syed's legacy that needs our attention. He called for spreading the message of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan for education, free enquiry, tolerance, interfaith understanding and national unity.

Attending the Commemorative Ceremony as the Guest of Honour, Mr Chandan Sinha (IAS Officer and Director General, National Archives of India) remarked: "This annual function is not just a commemoration of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan and his contributions, it is an occasion to look back at where Aligarh Muslim University has come from and where it is headed, it is a time to check our bearings, and to ensure that not only are time honoured traditions not abandoned but the demands of the onrushing future are not ignored. It is remarkable that throughout his pursuit of improvements in the education system, Sir Syed spoke of the needs of the whole of India.

The Vice Chancellor also inaugurated '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.