Introduction
Jamia was established in
1920 by a group of nationalist Muslim intelligentsia at Aligarh (Uttar Pradesh). Its campus shifted from Aligarh to Delhi in 1925
and the foundation stone of the present campus was laid on 1 March 1930. Since then, the
university has expanded and become known as a premier educational institution of the country.
Recognising its contributions in the field of teaching, research and extension
work, the University Grants Commission (UGC) bestowed the “deemed university” status to it in
1962, and it was designated a Central University in 1988. The journey from Aligarh
to Okhla (Delhi), not only presents the physical expansion of Jamia, but also presents a
lesson for those who want to build educational institutions for the nation. It is therefore not
surprising that Rabindranath
Tagore once called the University “one of the most progressive
educational institutions of the country”.
Jamia and the Nationalist Alternative
Jamia was conceived as the National Muslim University in October
1920 on the campus of the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College set up by Sir Syed Ahmed
Khan at Aligarh. Since its inception in 1892, the Aligarh College had produced an elite
and middle class leadership that was actively involved with the nationalist movement in one
manner or the other. The landed gentry connected with the Aligarh College had helped to form
the All India Muslim League in 1906. At the same time, the educated and secular Muslim
intelligentsia from the college was associated with the khilafat and non-cooperation
movements led by Gandhiji and whose main plank of political mobilisation was Hindu-Muslim unity.
The changing character of the nationalist movement in the Gandhian leadership had its
impact on those connected with the Aligarh College. The syndicate of the college proclaimed
that it had been founded to turn out “worthy and useful subjects of the British Crown”. In contrast, freedom fighters like, Mohammed Ali (the khilafat leader and the first vice-chancellor)
and Hakim Ajmal Khan wanted to build an educational institution which would serve to
inculcate both, modern education and nationalist ideals in students from all communities,
particularly the Muslims. They also actively opposed the “two nation theory” propagated by
the Muslim League. This stand brought about a split between the Muslim intelligentsia and
the Jamia was born out of this ideological conflict. The formation of Jamia was supported by
Gandhiji and Tagore who had himself initiated such an effort in Shanti Niketan. The start,
which was made in Krishna Ashram of the Aligarh College campus, was also a difficult one
with lack of funds and infrastructure. The new university demonstrated that a society
with diverse cultures could be groomed into a modern nation on the basis of a shared culture and
perspective. In Jamia, Hindu, Muslim and other students not only studied together, they
also ate and lived together in a Spartan lifestyle. Teachers came from all over the country
and lived the same simple lifestyles. The use of ‘khaddar’ for uniforms epitomised the
nationalist principle that was to follow throughout its development. In 1924, after the withdrawal of khilafat, the institution faced a
serious threat of closure. It then moved to Delhi and its reins were handed over to Dr Zakir
Husain who aptly remarked: “The biggest objective of Jamia is to prepare a roadmap for the
future of Indian Muslims with the religion of Islam at its core and to fill that roadmap with
the colour of the civilisation of India in such a way that it merges with the colours of the life of
the common man.” Jamia survived this transitional phase with the active support and
involvement of leaders like Hakim Ajmal Khan, M.A. Ansari, Abid Husain and Mohammad Mujeeb who
shared Zakir Husain’s vision for the institution. This phase of Jamia’s
development was characterised by the equal sacrifices
that were made by the staff and students of the university, and were ably aided
by Gandhiji in their fund collection.
Jamia:: A reflection of a self
reliant modern and secular nation
From
its inception, the Jamia had catered to students from disadvantaged backgrounds
(in contrast
to the elite Aligarh College) and its course curriculum was suited to meet the
needs of
such students. The medium of instruction and learning was Hindi, Urdu and
English, and by
1937, when the Jamia campus had already shifted to Okhla, the university was an active participant
in spreading Gandhiji’s idea of nai
talim which was popularly known as the ‘Wardha
Scheme’. Under the leadership of Zakir Husain, the chief architect of Wardha Scheme,
Jamia started the “Book Bank” project, the “Village (dehat) Project”, and “Subzi Mandi
Project”. They also started programmes on sehat
aur safai (health and hygiene), kapda (weaving),
carpentry and soap making where students learnt the merits of combining manual labour
along with broadening their intellectual horizons. Vocational training and
school education
became one of the cornerstones of Jamia education and models for innovative teaching.
At
the threshold of independence, Jamia was emerging as a dynamic and unique
institution that
aspired for support from the independent Indian government. The trials and
tribulations of
a newly formed nation were also reflected in Jamia, which faced enormous
financial difficulties
in this period. However, the coping strategies used by the administration,
staff and students
themselves reflected the values of self-reliance and democratic functioning
that were to
form the core principles of Nehruvian India. Nehru assigned many roles to the
founders of Jamia:
both Zakir Husain and Mujeeb were inducted into the Planning Commission to develop
a plan for integrated education. But despite these contributions to national development,
they were forced to fight hard for a university status.
Contemporary
Jamia
It
was in 1962 that Jamia became a deemed university recognised by the University
Act, 1956 under
the leadership of Mohammad Mujeeb, “At last Jamia employees were able to draw regular
salaries”. By 1963, regular teaching programmes like masters in history and education,
and undergraduate programmes in the sciences were started. Thereafter, in 1969 doctoral
programmes were started. The emergence of university as a premier institution
of learning
was recognised in 1988 when it was accorded the status of a Central University. Today,
Jamia Millia Islamia is an ensemble of a multi-layered educational system which covers
all aspects of schooling, undergraduate and postgraduate education. The
university recognises
that teaching and research are complementary activities that can advance its
longterm interest.
It has large Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, Engineering & Technology, Education,
Humanities & Languages, Architecture & Ekistics, Fine Arts, Law and
Dentistry Faculties;
it has well known Centre of Mass Communication. Jamia Millia Islamia has also started
several research centres that have given an edge to Jamia in terms of critical
research in
various areas. Obviously, these initiatives aim to promote new and emerging
areas of research
and programmes that can offer opportunities to its students and teachers to
expand their
horizons.
The
Jamia Millia Islamia conducts Undergraduate, Postgraduate, M.Phil. and Ph.D. as
well as Diploma
and Certificate courses. The number of students in the university is 14,729 of
which 7,407
are enrolled in undergraduate courses, 2,661 in postgraduate, 1,501 in
M.Phil/Ph.D and 3,160
in Diploma/Certificate courses. Jamia Millia Islamia, as before, continues to
cater to the
interests of students from all communities, but also aims to meet the particular
needs of the disadvantaged sections of the Muslim
society. True to the legacy of its founders, it continues to
support measures for affirmative action and foster the goals of building a
secular and modern
system of integrated education. Thus, Jamia Millia Islamia is constantly
learning from its
history to negotiate the new and emerging challenges facing a nation of the
twenty first
century.
SOME OTHER INFORMATION
The Founders
- 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)
The Life Members
In 1928 the Staff members of Jamia Millia Islamia under the aspiring
leadership of Dr. Zakir Husain resolved to form the
Anjuman-e-Talimi-Milli (later to be known as Anjuman-e-Jamia Millia
Islamia) whose members signed a pledge to serve Jamia for at least 20
years on a salary of not more than Rs. 150 per month. The following
signed the pledge in the first instance.
Notable Alumni
- Virender Sehwag (Cricketer)
- Anwar Jamal ( Film Maker)
- Shahrukh Khan (Actor / Producer)
- Kiran Rao (Film Director / Producer)
- Rahimuddin Khan
- Barkha Dutt (Journalist, NDTV)
- Gagan Ajit Singh (Hockey Player)
- Prabhjot Singh
- Mouni Roy
- Kabir Khan (Film Director)
- Niharika Acharya
- Saad Aqueel
- Haseeb Ahmad Shadab
- Saheb Reza Khan
- Roshan Abbas (RJ, Film Director)
- Danish Aslam (Film Director)
- Loveleen Tandan (Film Director)
- Habib Faisal (Film Director)
- Muzammil Ibrahim (Actor / Model)
Course Offered by Jamia
- Faculty of Humanities and Languages
- Faculty of Social Science
- Faculty of Education
- Faculty of Natural Science
- Faculty of Engineering and Technology
- Faculty of Polytechnic
- Faculty of Law
- Faculty of Architecture & Ekitics
- Faculty of Fine Arts
- Faculty of Dentistry
- Faculty of Mass Communication Research Center
- Faculty of Third World Studies
- Course for Management Studies
- Center for Physiotherapy & Rehabilitation Sciences
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences
- Nelson Mandela Center for Peace & conflict Resolution
- Center for the study of Comparative Religions and Civilizations
- Dr. K.R Narayanan Center for Dalits and Minorities Studies
- Center for Spanish & Latin American Studies
- Center for West Asian studies
- Center for Jawahar Lal Nehru Studies
- center for Culture, Media and Governance
- India Arab Culture Center
- Center for Early Childhood Development & Research.
References.
Jamia's Prospectus
Some Jamia's Students
Self Visit
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