AMU VC Prof Naima Khatoon conducting the National Integration and Swachhhata Pledge at a commemorative programme on Gandhi Jayanti AMU celebrates Gandhi Jayanti with great zealALIGARH, October 2: Very few people in the world have impacted the course of civilization as widely as Mahatma Gandhi, who stands much taller amongst the leaders who dominated this world over the last several centuries. The Aligarh Muslim University today celebrated his 155th birth anniversary with greater zeal as the International Day of Non-Violence at the University's Maulana Azad (MA) Library.
Addressing a gathering of AMU teachers, students and University staff at the Cultural Hall of the Library, AMU Vice Chancellor, Professor Naima Khatoon discussed how Gandhi Ji’s life as a teacher, author, friend and administrator continues to shape the way we think about leadership and social responsibility today.
She said that Mahatma Gandhi’s commitment to national unity and cleanliness was at the heart of his mission, and today, by taking these oaths, we honour his memory and reaffirm our own commitment to these vital causes.
Prof Khatoon stated that Gandhi was a friend to all, transcending barriers of religion, caste, or class. His understanding of human nature was deep, and he knew that real change came not through force but through empathy and compassion. This is why Gandhi Ji invited people to engage in self-examination, reflect on their actions, and align themselves with higher ideals of love and peace.
She said that Gandhi Ji’s calm persona, underlined by an unwavering belief in the strength of non-violent resistance, led to one of the most successful civil disobedience movements in history, and he successfully demonstrated that it is possible to lead with integrity, to act with courage, and to live in harmony with others, regardless of the circumstances.
The Vice-Chancellor highlighted Gandhi Ji’s idea of education that combined intellectual development with manual labour and spiritual reflection.
“He believed that learning should not just be a matter of acquiring knowledge but a holistic experience that shaped character and inculcated values,” she added.
Prof Khatoon emphasized that as we move forward into an increasingly complex and interconnected world, Gandhi’s ideals acquire even greater significance. In a time when technology and social media shape our realities, often blurring the lines between truth and illusion, Gandhi’s unwavering commitment to truth stands as a beacon of hope.
Prof Khatoon also conducted a National Integration and Swachhata pledge on this occasion urging people to never resort to violence and settle all disputes, whatsoever, by peaceful and constitutional means.
She also urged all to embrace the cleanliest way of life which makes the nation and the world clean and healthy, which is the best way to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi, who dreamt of a country where people are self-inclined to keep their houses, their surroundings and their workplace clean in every respect.
Prof Meraj Ahmad from the Department of Hindi spoke on Gandhi Ji’s relevance in the present-day world. He stated that Gandhi Ji’s life and his principles encompassed the wider aspects of human life and they resonate today with greater emphasis on various counts, including world peace, human sufferings, growing social and political ills and selfless service to human kind.
Delivering a speech in English, Prof Arshi Khan, Department of Political Science, analysed Gandhi Ji’s role in fostering global peace and suggested ways to present day conflict situations in the light of his ideas of non-violence and Satyagraha.
AMU students, Syed Faheem Ahmad (B.Tech.) and Madiha Naaz (BA English) spoke on Mahatma Gandhi’s worth in today’s world and how he embodied compassion and courage.
While conducting the programme, Prof Vibha Sharma (Department of English) said that Gandhi Ji’s influence did not end with the fall of the British empire but reverberated across the world, touching every corner where justice was sought, where the oppressed yearned for dignity and justice and where humanity struggled to rise above its basest instincts.
AMU Registrar, Mr Mohammad Imran (IPS), other officials and guests were present on the occasion.
Earlier in the morning, the Vice Chancellor Prof Naima Khatoon inaugurated a big exhibition of books, monographs and photographs on various aspects of Mahatma Gandhi’s life and time which has been organized by the Maulana Azad Library and which is open for all till October 3 from 9.45 am to 5 pm.
Extending a vote of thanks, Prof Nishat Fatima, the University Librarian said that more than 600 books and documents in several languages have been put on display covering the various aspects of Mahatma Gandhi’s life. The most prominent documents include the books authored by Gandhiji, his collected works in 100 volumes and three issues of the newspaper “Harijan” (1939, 1940, and 1946).
She said that the handwritten letters by Mahatma Gandhi, especially a letter to Lady Ummat-ul-Islam, the daughter of Colonel Mohammad Hameed Khan, Finance Minister of the princely state of Patiala written on 20 July 1937, the letter written on 29 July 1942 to Abdul Bari, an old boy of AMU and a letter written to the AMU Student Union’s General Secretary on 7 January 1937 are of great interest to the visitors.
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