Sunday, December 19, 2010

Jamia holds its Annual Convocation, confers D. Lit. on His Holiness the Dalai Lama.



The Jamia Millia Islamia held its Annual Convocation on November 23, 2010 at 3.30 PM in the Lawns of Dr. M.A. Ansari Auditorium, Jamia Millia Islamia.
On this occasion, the University conferred the Degree ofDoctor of Letters (Honoris Causa) on His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet.
The Citation presented on the occasion to the Dalai Lama stated that “Jamia Millia Islamia honours His Holiness the fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet, one of the most respected figures and teachers of our times, who stands for rationality, humanism, non-violence, peace and universal benevolence.”
On receiving the degree, the Dalai Lama congratulated the students and said that he has committed his life to spreading the message about two principles: one of harmony and peace and the other of developing human values.
Mr. Kapil Sibal, Hon'ble Union Minister of Human Resource Development was the Chief Guest on this occasion. In hisConvocation Address, referring to the Dalai Lama, Mr. Sibal said that “In keeping with the secular traditions of Jamia, we have chosen to honour a noble soul.”
In his Convocation Address, Mr Sibal also said, “Jamia is the crème de la crème of our Central Universities.” Adding further, “The Distinctive spirit that guides the education at Jamia, I believe was best captured by Dr. Zakir Husain as the fusion of “quami tahzeeb and the insaani tahzeeb.”
Mr. Najeeb Jung, Vice Chancellor, Jamia Millia Islamiapresided over the Annual Convocation. Hailing the students, the Viceh Chancellor in his Address said, “I call upon all students here to understand the gravity of this moment. It is a moment that they step out in the World blessed by true Holiness, by an individual who embodies the best in humanism within the modern mind. So take in the event, enjoy your good fortune in being here today and may His Holiness' blessings keep you on a path that you will make this University proud of you.”
In the Annual Convocation 2010, a total of 3529 Degrees/Diplomas were awarded to students who have successfully completed Post-graduation, Graduation, and Diploma from different Faculties/Departments/Centres of the University in the Academic Session 2008-09.
The University also handed out 147 Gold Medals to the Toppers of different courses as also awarded 127 Ph.D. degrees to Research Scholars.


Introduction
Jamia Millia Islamia, an institution originally established at Aligarh in United Provinces, India in 1920 became a Central University by an act of the Indian Parliament in 1988. In Urdu language, Jamia means 'University', and Millia means 'National'.
The story of its growth from a small institution in the pre-independence India to a central university located in New Delhioffering integrated education from nursery to research in specialized areasis a saga of dedication, conviction and vision of a people who worked against all odds and saw it growing step by step. They “built up the Jamia Millia stone by stone and sacrifice by sacrifice,” said Sarojini Naidu, the nightingale of India.
Conception
Under the colonial British rule, two dominant trends joined hands and contributed towards in the birth of Jamia. One was the anti-colonial Islamic activism and the other was the pro-independence aspiration of the politically radical section of western educated Indian Muslim intelligentsia. In the political climate of 1920, the two trends gravitated together with Mahatma Gandhi as a catalyst. The anti-colonial activism signified by the Khilafat and the pro-independence aspirations symbolised by the non-cooperation movement of the Indian National Congress helped to harness creative energies and the subsequent making of Jamia Millia Islamia. Rabindranath Tagore called it “one of the most progressive educational institutions of India”.
Responding to Gandhiji's call to boycott all educational institutions supported or run by the colonial regime, a group of nationalist teachers and students quit Aligarh Muslim University, protesting against its pro-British inclinations. The prominent members of this movement were Maulana Mehmud Hasan, Maulana Mohamed Ali, Hakim Ajmal Khan, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmad Ansari, and Abdul Majid Khwaja.


Salute to Vice-Chancellors of Jamia Millia Islamia


Foundation
The Foundation Committee met on 29 October 1920. It comprised of the following members:
Dr. Mukhtar Ahmad Ansari (Delhi)
Mufti Kafayattullah (Delhi)
Maulana Abdul Bari Farang Mahali (UP)
Maulana Sulaiman Nadvi (Bihar)
Maulana Shabbir Ahmed Usmani (UP)
Maulana Husain Ahmad Madni (UP)
Chaudhury Khaleeq-uz-zaman (UP)
Nawab Mohammad Ismail Khan
Tasadduq Husain Khan (UP)
Dr. Mohammad Iqbal (Punjab)
Maulana Sanaullah Khan Amritsari (Punjab)
Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew (Punjab)
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (Bengal and Bihar)
Dr. Syed Mehmood (Bengal and Bihar)
Saith Abdullah Haroon Karachiwale (Sindh, Bombay and Hyderabad)
Abbas Tyabiji (Sindh, Bombay and Hyderabad)
Sait Miyan Mohammad Haji Jaam Chhotani (Sindh, Bombay and Hyderabad)
Maulavi Abdul Haq (Sindh, Bombay and Hyderabad)

On 22 November 1920, Hakim Ajmal Khan was elected the first chancellor of Jamia. Mohamed Ali Jauhar became Jamia's first Vice Chancellor, as Allama Iqbal could not accept the offer made through Gandhiji. It also elected a syndicate and created a syllabus subcommittee.
The known freedom fighter and Muslim theologian, Maulana Mehmud Hasan, laid the foundation stone of Jamia Millia Islamia at Aligarh on Friday, 29 October 1920. Considering the difficult circumstances under which it started, the list of its first teachers is very impressive.






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