Aligarh Muslim University - History

History

The university grew out of the work of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan who in the aftermath of the Indian War of Independence of 1857 felt that it was important for Muslims to gain education and become involved in the public life and government services in India. Raja Jai Kishan helped Sir Syed in establishing the university.

The British decision to replace the use of Persian in 1842 for government employment and as the language of Courts of Law caused deep anxiety among Muslims of the sub-continent. Sir Syed saw a need for Muslims to acquire proficiency in the English language and Western sciences if the community were to maintain its social and political clout, particularly in Northern India. He began to prepare foundation for the formation of a Muslim university by starting schools. In 1864, the Scientific Society of Aligarh was set up to translate Western works into Indian languages as a prelude to prepare the community to accept Western education. Sir Sultan Mahommed Shah, The Aga Khan III has contributed greatly to Aligarh Muslim University with financial support.

In 1875, Sir Syed founded the Muhammadan Anglo Oriental College in Aligarh and patterned the college after Oxford and Cambridge universities that he had visited on a trip to England. His objective was to build a college in tune with the British education system but without compromising its Islamic values. Sir Syed's son, Syed Mahmood, had studied at Cambridge and contributed a proposal for an independent university to the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College Fund Committee upon his return from England in 1872. This proposal was adopted and subsequently modified. Mahmood continued to work alongside his father in founding the college.

It was one of the first purely residential educational institution set up either by the government or the public in India. Over the years it gave rise to a new educated class of Indian Muslims who were active in the political system of the British Raj. When viceroy to India Lord Curzon visited the college in 1901, he praised the work which was carried on and called it of "sovereign importance".

The college was originally affiliated with the University of Calcutta and was transferred to the Allahabad University in 1885. Near the turn of the century it began publishing its own magazine, The Aligarian, and established a law school.

It was also around this time that a movement began to have it develop into a university. To achieve this goal, expansions were made and more programs added to the curriculum. A school for girls was established in 1907. By 1920 the college was transformed into Muslim University.

The first chancellor of the university was Sultan Shah Jahan Begum. In 1927, a school for the blind was established and, the following year, a medical school was attached to the university. By the end of the 1930s, the university had developed an Engineering faculty. Syed Zafarul Hasan, joined the Aligarh Muslim University in early 1900s as head of Philosophy Department, dean Faculty of Arts. He was a pro-vice chancellor before his retirement.

The university held its 58th annual convocation on June 18, 2008. Its chief guest was the former president of India, A PJ Abdul Kalam and business tycoon Azim Hashim Premji, the chairman of Wipro Technologies Limited. They were conferred with an honorary degree of Doctor of Science. Former chief justice of India AM Ahmadi was present. 55 gold and 135 silver medals were awarded and more than 4500 degrees were conferred.