AMU ALUMNI MEET 2015

Its quite difficult to sum up the recently concluded AMU Alumni meet 2015 in words . In my whole life I have never witnessed such enthusiasm, dedication, hard work and professionalism in any meet . More than 600 delegates ( AMU Alumni) across the globe gathered to pay tribute to the founder of AMU , the great Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and also pledged to take his mission forward by investing time, talent and treasure. The three day event started with SS day celebrations on 17th October 2015 , The chief guest of the event was Mr. PK Abdu Rabb, Minister for Education and Culture, Government of Kerala , who himself is a proud alumnus of AMU. In the evening each and every hall of AMU hosted its annual SS day dinner and eminent alumni of AMU presided those functions as chief guests.

On 18th October 2015, AMU Alumni meet commenced at Kennedy auditorium and the dais was full of eminent alumni consists of Chief guest Mr. Javed Usmani ( CIC, Uttar Pradesh Govt), Prof. Habib Zuberi ( Emeritus professor of economics , University of Michigan, USA), Dr. Ashok Seth ( Padam Bhushan, Chairman , Fortis-Escorts Heart Institute, New Delhi),Mr. Ameer Ahmad ( Chairman & Group MD of Manappat group of companies, Dubai, UAE), Mr. Nasir uddin Shah ( Padambhushan, Renowned actor, Mumbai) , Vice Chancellor Lt. General Zamir Uddin Shah, Pro Vice Chancellor Brigadier Ahmad Ali & Dr. Suhail Sabir ( Chairman of Alumni Affairs committee, AMU ), who made not only the alma mater but also the country proud through their work and talent.

After inspirational speeches from distinguished guests , an alumni Dr. Afshan Hashmi donated her wedding jewellery for the cause of alma mater , which was auctioned on the stage and the total money collected through this auction was in excess of Rs 70 Lakhs . Highest bidder was a proud alumni from Mumbai Mr. Rais Ahmad , who gave the jewellery back to AMU to be preserved in AMU museum.

After the inaugural session , various other sessions took place which emphasised on AMU & Alumni Interface , Alumni role in Infrastructure development & Alumni & Student Interaction. The sessions were addressed by alumni from USA, Middle East, Canada & India and they gave detailed presentations inline with the theme of sessions and promised to take AMU to new heights through their continuos support & experience . The speakers include the likes of Dr. Shaheer Khan, Mr. Syed Ali Rizvi, Mr. Masood Akhtar, Mr. Nausha Asrar, Mr. Rais Ahmad, Mr. Nadim Tarin, Mr. Mohammad Ahmad Badshah, Mr. Sayed Mohammad Naved, Mr. Syed Hasan Kamaal, Mr. Mohammad Zaigham Khan, Mr. Faisal Saleem, Mr. Ameer Ahmad , Mr Umar Farooq, Mr. Md Mudassir Alam, Mr. Mubarak Raza Naqvi & Zartab Haider Jafri...There were three presentations by Students as well which showcased various innovations and projects undertaken by them .

The day ended with a play " Karbal Katha" & Dinner .

On the second day of the meet , Alumni visited & witnessed the infrastructure projects like extension of B.R. Ambedkar Hall & a new manufacturing unit for Unani medicines . In the afternoon the foundation stone of new residence hall " Riyadh Hall" was laid by The Vice Chancellor Mr. Zamirduddin Shah & Mr. Nadim Tarin . This hall is being built by the efforts of Alumni from Saudi Arabia.

Alumni also visited the new art gallery , a smart classroom , Bridge course ( Ambitious initiative by VC to bridge Madrassa education & modern education ) & convention centre in Engineering department .

The day ended with Valedictory session in which the chief guest was another proud alumnus and recipient of coveted Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar award,Dr. Rajeev Kumar Varshney . The session was presided by one of the illustrious alumnus and recipient of Nishan-E-Imtiyaz , Brigadier Mohd Shafi Sb, who despite of his fragile health and old age (88 Years) , came all the way from Pakistan , to be a part of this event. He also donated Rs 7.5 lakhs to the alma mater.

To sum it up, these were the most enthralling three days of my life where I have witnessed the zeal and enthusiasm of Alumni and their urge to contribute in every way possible towards the growth and development of Alma mater . I was also moved with the benevolent and kind hearted gesture of the students , teachers and other faculty members who also pledged and donated whatever they can for the cause of alma mater .

It will be gross injustice If I will not appreciate the untiring and selfless efforts of whole Alumni affairs committee , who made this event possible and also left no stone unturned in making it one of the most successful event ever organised in the annals of alma mater history . Chairman of Alumni Affairs committee, Dr. Suhail Sabir, deserves special mention , as without his engagement and zeal this would not have been possible . He was duly supported by Dr. Ali Jafar Abedi, Prof. Syed Ziaur Rahman, Prof. Asad .U.Khan, Prof Akram Javed & Dr. Mohammad Zain Khan . The unsung heroes of this event , the volunteers , worth kudos and salutes and they sacrificed their sleep to make alumni comfortable at all times.

Few questions like the building of AMU centres at Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, though remain to be answered and I am pretty sure that under the dedicated aegis of Vice Chancellor Zamir Uddin Shah , those will also be able to see the light of the day .

I can proudly say that university is in safe and sound hands and the dedicated duo of VC and Pro VC along with their teams will ascertain that the growth of AMU will go unabated.

I end with these lines of Majaz

" Zarraat Ka Bosa lene ko Sau baar Jhuka Aakash Yahan,

Khud Aankh se hamne dekhi hai Baatil ki Shikaste Faash Yahan"

Yeh Mera Chaman hai mera Chaman, Main Apne Chaman ka Bulbul hoon "

"Sir Syed Zindabad----- AMU Paindabad "

Kalam-The Legacy lives on

“If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are the father, the mother and the teacher”- Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam

WE all know Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam as a great scientist and visionary, but today I am going to touch upon his role as a teacher. It is in this role that he transformed many lives and became a role model of millions.

Years back when he visited Jamia Millia Islamia, he took questions from the students. The first question was, “Which role do you prefer – the president or the scientist?” He promptly replied, “A teacher.”

From very early in his life, he understood that the greatest impact on a person’s life is either from parents or from a teacher, and if a person gets the right teacher then no one can stop him or her in achieving success and contributing in country’s growth.

Whenever he use to visits the institutions, he emphasised on taking questions from students first and then adults or faculty members.

Another notable incident of his life which highlights his seriousness on being a teacher happened in 2002. He was in a classroom in Anna University, Chennai, when he got a call from the then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, whom he knew in his capacity as the country’s Chief Scientific Advisor. “I was teaching so I couldn’t take the call,” he later told. When he did call the PM back, Vajpayee made his offer – Would he consider being the President of India?

Youth defines the future of any country. If youth are envisioned with humanity, success, humility, discipline, dedication, determination, fore-sightedness, equality, development, honesty and leadership, then they can contribute constructively in the growth of society in general and country at large. Kalam through his speeches and workshops always instilled these virtues among the audience and his words always left a mesmerising impact on the youth.

He was a person with a vision, a vision to empower the most valuable asset of any country – its youth. He dedicated his life to realise this vision .

His message to educationists was very simple, “Educationists should build the capacities of the spirit of inquiry, creativity, entrepreneurial and moral leadership among students and become their role model.”

It is not only difficult but impossible to sum up his vision or deeds in an article, it can never do justice to his cause. He touched upon almost all issues plaguing our country, and creating road blocks in its endeavour to become a prosperous and peaceful nation. His thoughts on gender equality, religious freedom, economic development, cultural growth, scientific evolution , youth transformation, rural progress and empowerment of the underprivileged, are guidelines for society and government to implement, in order to make India a better place to live in.

Dr Kalam was not an individual, he was an institution in himself. There was always so much for everyone, right from individuals to institutions to organisations and to governments. His demise has left a void which is never going to be filled in but he will keep inspiring every soul with the legacy he has left behind.

I hope this message from him will remain the motto of our lives forever-

“We will be remembered only if we give to our younger generation a prosperous and safe India, resulting out of economic prosperity coupled with civilisational heritage.”