Aligarh Muslim University

Aligarh Muslim University

Motto	(Arabic)علم الانسان ما لم يعلم 'Allama al-insān mā lam y'alam
Motto in English	Taught man what he did not know (Qur'an 96:5)
Established	1875
Type	Public
Chancellor	Justice (Retd.) A. M. Ahmadi
Vice-Chancellor	P. K. Abdul Aziz
Academic staff	2,000
Students	60,000
Location	Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India
Campus	Aligarh
Affiliations	UGC
Website	http://www.amu.ac.in/

Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) ,is a residential academic university, established in 1875 by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan as Mohammedan Angelo-Oriental College and later granted the status of Central University by an Act of the Indian Parliament in 1920. Spread over 468 hectares in the city of Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, it is one of the first institutions established during the British Raj. It has played a pioneering role in the independence of India. The university is one of the two in India to have earned the epithet Oxford of the East in its past.

Aligarh Muslim University offers more than 300 courses in the traditional and modern branches of education. Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, a social reformer, felt the need for education and started a school in 1875 which later became the Mohammedan Anglo Oriental College and finally Aligarh Muslim University in 1920. It draws students from all corners of the world, especially Africa, West Asia and South East Asia. In some courses, places are reserved for students from SAARC and Commonwealth countries. The university is open to all irrespective of caste, creed, religion or gender. It ranks 8th among the top 20 research universities in India. Alumna of the university are popularly known as 'Aligarians'. This is to be distinguished from the more generic 'Aligarhiya' which is to be used exclusively to refer to those who are inhabitants of Aligarh, but have not, indeed, studied at AMU.

About Aligarh Muslim University

The establishment of Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College(MAO College) in 1875 marks one of the most important events in the educational and social history of modern India. Its establishment is considered as the first significant response of the Indian Muslims to the challenges of post Indian Mutiny of 1857 era. It was an important catalyst in a process of social change among Muslims. "An epoch in the social progress of India" - with these words on his lips Lord Lytton laid the foundation stone of the Mohammadan Anglo Oriental College on January 8, 1877. Nearly eight years later, when the noted Orientalist Sir Hamilton Gibb looked back at the history of Muslim Transition from the medieval to the modern way of life, he characterized this College as "the first modernist institution in Islam".

The M.A.O. College was originally affiliated with Calcutta University, and was transferred to the Allahabad University in 1885.It was also around this time that a movement began to have it develop into a university to stand on its own. In 1920, the Act of Indian Legislative Council elevated the Mohammedan Anglo Oriental College to the status of a Central University and it became the principal Muslim Institution in India. Section 2(1) of the AMU Act says the university means "the educational institution of their choice established by the Muslims of India".

AMU occupies an exalted position among Indian Universities and its contribution to nation building is in no way inferior to the best among the lot. AMU is perhaps the only University in the country, which has high schools in its domain. It has as many as five high schools including one for the visually handicapped, and two senior secondary schools for boys and girls. With more than 30000, students, about 1400 teachers and some 6000 non-teaching staff on its rolls, it has 12 faculties comprising a wide spectrum of academic disciplines (95 departments, 5 institution and 13 centres) and 18 halls of residence with 73 hostels. The University offers 325 courses.

The University has the Zakir Hussain College of Engineering and Technology, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Dr. Ziauddin Dental College, Institute of Ophthalmology and Food Craft Institute, Interdisciplinary Biotechnology Unit, Centre of Advance Study in History, Centre of West Asian Studies, Centre of Wildlife, Academic Staff College, Women's College, Ajmal Khan Tibbiya College, University Polytechnic for boys and girls, separately and Computer Centre. The University has a campus spread over 467.6 hectares of land.

It attracts students from all over the world, especially Africa, West Asia and South East Asia. The language taught here includes English, Urdu, Hindi, Arabic, Persian, Sanskrit, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Kashmiri, French, Turkish, German and Russian. The medium of instruction is primarily English.

Sir Syed Ahmad Khan

Victoria gate, a prominent building at the university

Maulana Azad Library (viewed from Kennedy Lawns)

Kennedy House, museum (left); auditorium (right)

Bab-e-syed, the gateway to AMU

University Canteen

SS Masjid Beside Strachey hall,AMU Aligarh

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 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 native 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 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 by the College 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, 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 a female, 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 prior to his retirement.

Important Landmarks

24 May 1875 : Inauguration of the School (Madarsatul Uloom) at Sami Manzil, Jail Road, Aligarh presided by Maulvi Mohd. Karim, President of the Managing Committee. Maulvi Samiullah's son Mr. Hamidullah Khan admitted as the first student.

1 June 1875 : Boarding House started with seven students on the roll with a budget of Rs. 989/- per month. Managing Committee consisted of Maulvi Samiullah, Chiragh Ali, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, Syed Mahmud, Raja Jaikishan Das, Nawab Ziauddin Khan and Maulvi Ahsan Nanotavi etc.

28 June 1875 : Mr. H.G.I. Siddons took over as Head Master of the School on a salary of Rs. 400/- per month. Mr. Baijnath Prasad was appointed as Second Master along with Maulvi Abul Hasan, Maulana Mohd. Akbar, Syed Jafer Ali, Maulvi Najaf Ali etc.

12 November 1875 : Sir William Muir, Lt. Governor of U.P. visited the institution. He was presented with an address of welcome on behalf of the School in which the scheme of the College was described in detail.

6 December 1875 : H.H. Mahindra Singh, the Maharaja of Patiala, accompanied by his Chief Minister Khalifa Muhammed Hasan, paid a visit to the School and announced a grant of Rs. 1,800/- per annum. He was appointed the first Visitor of the institution.

8 November 1877 : Syed Ahmed Khulusi Effendi, the Ambassador of Turkey visited the College.

8 January 1877 : Lord Lytton, the Viceroy and Governor General of India laid the foundation stone of the M.A.O. College. Raja Shambhu Narayan Singh, Raja Jai Kishan Das, Rao Kishan Kumar and others, were also present.

1 January 1878 : Intermediate classes started and the college affiliated to the Calcutta University for F.A. Examination.

12 January 1878 : Sir Richard Temple, Governor of Bombay paid a visit to the college.

10 December 1880 : Sir John Strachey, the Lt. Governor of U.P. paid a visit on the eve of his retirement from ICS.

1 January 1881 : Four students appeared in the B.A. Examination. Mr. Ishwari Prasad was the first student to pass the examination.

5 February 1883 : Sir Alfred Lyall, Lt. Governor of U.P. visited the College and declared open the newly constructed classrooms.

26 August 1884 : Students' Union (Siddons Union Club) was inaugurated under the presidentship of Theodore Beck. Khwaja Sajjad Husain was declared Vice President and Syed Mohammed Ali Secretary of the Union.

1884 : Foundation Stone of the Victoria Gate was laid.

22 December 1886 : All India Mohammedan Educational Conference was inaugurated.
3 January 1887 : A deputation of the College Fund Committee called upon the Nizam of Hyderabad, Mr. Mehboob Ali Khan, to seek the permission to dedicate the College Museum to him.
16 November 1887 : The College was affiliated to Allahabad University.
1 January 1888 : Sir John Edge, the first Vice Chancellor of the Allahabad University visited the College on the occasion of the anniversary of the Siddons Union Club.

24 July 1888 : Sir Asman Jah Bahadur, Prime Minister of Hyderabad visited the College.
6 February 1889 : Sir Syed along with his friends staged a drama in Aligarh Exhibition to raise funds for the College.
21 December 1889 : Trustee Bill passed and Board of Trustees replaced the College Fund Committee. Sir Syed was elected life Honorary Secretary and Syed Mahmud life Joint Secretary.
November 1890 : Duty Society was inaugurated at the initiative of Sahibzada Aftab Ahmad Khan.
1891 : Aligarh Magazine started its publication under the editorship of Maulana Shibli Nomani.
25June 1891 : The brotherhood or 'The Ikhwanussafa' was set up. Its membership was open to the present and past AMU students and teachers. It was later on converted into Old Boys' Association.
29 December 1891 : The Chief Justice of Allahabad Mr. Douglas Straight visited to inaugurate the Law Classes.
12 November 1894: The Lt. Governor, Sir Charles Crosthwait, performed the opening ceremony of the Strachey Hall.
7 August 1895 : Sir Allen Cadell, Governor of U.P. visited the College and presided over the Annual Prize distribution function. (Sir) Ziauddin received the Strachey Gold Medal for securing Honours in Mathematics.
27 March 1898 : Sir Syed breathed his last at 10 P.M. His funeral prayer was performed in the Cricket ground on 28 March.
31 March 1898 : Efforts started to make the College a Muslim University by Sahabzada Aftab Ahmad Khan.
31 January 1899 : Mohsinul Mulk appointed Secretary of M.A.O. College and Syed Mahmud was granted Life Presidentship.
2 July 1901 : H. H. Siyaji Rao Gaikwad of Baroda visited the College.
10 August 1903 : A deputation headed by Mir Wilayat Husain was sent to Iran, on whose persuasion 12 students from the Royal family came to study at Aligarh.
7 March 1906 : Prince of Wales visited the College and Science Section was established. Sir Adamji Peer Bhoi of Bombay donated Rs. One Lakh ten thousand. H.H. Agha Khan and Raja Saheb of Mahmoodabad gave Rs. 36 thousand cash and a grant of Rs. 64,611 per annum to the College.
1 October 1906 : A delegation headed by Agha Khan called upon Lord Minto, the Viceroy and Governor General of India in Shimla to seek help in establishing a Muslim University.
16 January 1907 : His Majesty Habeebullah Khan, Shah of Afghanistan visited the College and announced a grant of Rs. 20,000.
10 February 1907 : Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah established Girls' School, which in 1921 became a High School and was recognized as Undergraduate College in 1937.
1907 : Students strike against European Staff.
1 December 1907 : Nawab Viqarul Mulk was appointed Secretary of the College.
20 July 1908 : Government handed over General Peron's residence, Sahib Bagh, built in 1803 to the College, which after some alteration became Sulaiman Hall.
13 November 1909 : Mir Imam Baksh of Talpur, ruler of Khairpur Sindh visited the College and donated a property of Rs 500 per month. So impressed was he by the high standard of the College that he decided to admit his son to this college.
15 December 1909 : Mr J. C. Gupta, Member of the Indian Council visited and was highly impressed by the secular character of the College.
1 January 1910 : Sir Pratap Singh Inder Mahendra Bahadur, Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir donated Rs 2,000 to the college during his visit.
18 March 1910 : Mr. Chirol, Foreign Editor of The Times visited the College.
10 January 1911 : A Committee constituted to establish Muslim University with Sir Agha Khan as the President and Nawab Viqarul Mulk as Hony. Secretary. Nawab Muzammilullah Khan, Haji Mohd. Musa Khan, Shaikh Mohd. Abdullah and Mr. Shaukat Ali were appointed Joint Secretaries.
16 February 1911 : University Constitution Committee was formed and held its first meeting at Lucknow.
9 June 1912 : Sir Rameshwar Singh, Maharaja of Darbhanga, who was the President of B.H.U. Committee, visited the College.
21 July 1912 : The Trustees accepted Nawab Viqarul Mulk's resignation and unanimously elected Nawab Ishaq Khan as Secretary.
27 February 1914 : Begum Sultan Jahan of Bhopal laid the foundation stone of the Educational Conference Building which she declared open on *19.2.1916.
25 July 1914 : The main gate of the College was named as Victoria Gate.
Feb 1915 : The Mosque was formally declared open.
6 January 1917 : Mrs. Sarojni Naidu delivered a lecture on 'the glories of Islam and the Hindu-Muslim amity' at Strachey Hall.
29 January 1918 : The Nizam of Hyderabad Mir Usman Ali Khan, visited the College and donated Rs one lakh for Arabic teaching and Rs five thousand for renovating rooms of the hostel named later as Osmania hostel.
25 October 1920 : Mahatma Gandhi visited the College and was made the first Honorary Life Member of the Students' Union.
29 October 1920 : Inauguration of Jamia Millia Islamia at University Mosque. Shaikh-ul-Hind Maulana Mahmoodul Hasan presided over the function.

16 November 1926 : His Highness Nawab Hamidullah Khan of Bhopal laid the foundation stone of Science College. Government of India donated Rs. 15 Lakh and Nizam of Hyderabad also donated Rs. 10 Lakh to the University.
27 October 1927 : The Chancellor appointed an Enquiry Commission on the University affairs headed by Sir Ibrahim Rehmatullah on the recommendation of PVC. Sir Ziauddin resigned on 27 April 1928.
27 November 1927 : William Marris, Governor of U.P. inaugurated Ahmadi School for the Blind.
24 November 1928 : Allama Iqbal conferred with the life membership of the AMU Students' Union.
20 September 1931 : Dr. C.V.Raman, noted scientist conferred with the D.Sc. (Honoris causa)
14 November 1933 : At its 12th Annual Convocation the University awarded its first Doctorate to Dr. Omar Farooq in Chemistry.
1934 : Frontier Leader Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan, an alumnus, visited his alma mater.
1934 : Jawahar Lal Nehru visited Aligarh Muslim University.
30 April 1934 : Sir Ross Masood resigned from the post of Vice Chancellor.
1935 : The Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Usman Ali Khan elected Chancellor of the University.
1936 : The university acquired Aligarh Fort.
5 February 1938 : Mr. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, President, All India Muslim League visited AMU.
23 January 1938 : Sir Agha Khan laid the foundation stone of Technical Laboratories.
8 March 1941 : Nawab Kamal Yar Jung inaugurated Agha Khan Workshop. B.Sc.(Engineering) classes started.
15 December 1948 : C. Rajgopalacharya, Governor General of India visited the University.
11 October 1951 : The Parliament passed the AMU Amendment Act.
8 December 1951 : The President of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad delivered the Convocation Address.
3 January 1952 : The Health Minister, Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur, laid the foundation stone of the Institute of Ophthalmology.
6 November 1955 : Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru laid the foundation stone of Maulana Azad Library, which was inaugurated by him on 6 December 1960.
3 December 1955 : His Majesty Shah Saud Bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia visited the University. The University conferred upon him the degree of Doctorate of law (Honoris Causa).
25 February 1956 : In a special Convocation, the University conferred the degree of Doctor of Law (Honoris Causa) upon Shah of Iran, Raza Shah Pehalvi.
21 May 1956 : A delegation led by Dr. Zakir Husain visited Saudi Arabia and Shah Saud donated Rs. one million for the establishment of Medical College.
17 February 1958 : His Majesty Zahir Shah of Afghanistan was conferred with LL.D. (Honoris Causa).
1 April 1960 : Jamal Abdul Nasser, President of United Arab Republic visited the institution.
8 November 1960 : Mr. C.D. Deshmukh, Chairman, University Grants Commission laid the foundation stone of General Education Centre (Kennedy House) with a donation of Rs. 22 Lakhs by Ford Foundation, U.S.A.

Today :

Aligarh Muslim University is a residential academic institution offering 280 courses in traditional and modern branches of education . It has almost thirty thousand students, and over two thousand faculty members with over eighty departments of study. It draws students from a number of countries, especially countries in Africa, West Asia and South East Asia. In some courses, seats are reserved for students from SAARC and Commonwealth countries.

The 12 faculties are:

Faculty of Agricultural Sciences
Faculty of Arts
Faculty of Commerce
Faculty of Engineering and Technology
Faculty of Law
Faculty of Life Sciences
Faculty of Management Studies and Research
Faculty of Medicine
Faculty of Science
Faculty of Social Sciences
Faculty of Theology
Faculty of Unani Medicine
Faculty of Sports

The university maintains interdepartmental research centres such as:

Interdisciplinary Unit of Biotechnology
Centre of Excellence in Material Science/Nanotechnology
Centre for Comparative Study of Indian Languages and Culture
Centre of West Asian Studies
Centre of Woman Studies
Centre of Nehru Studies

Schools

Abdullah Girls High School
Abdullah Nursery School
A.B.K. Union High School (boys)
A.B.K. Union High School (girls)
City High School (boys)
City High School (Qazi Pada) (girls)
S.T.S. High School (Minto Circle) (boys)
Senior Secondary School (boys)
Senior Secondary School (girls)
Ahmadi School for the Visually Challenged

Colleges

Zakir Hussain College of Engineering and Technology
Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College
Ajmal Khan Tibbiya College
Abdullah Women's College
UGC Academic Staff College
Sir Ziauddin Dental College
University Boys' Polytechnic
University Women's Polytechnic

Zakir Hussain College of Engineering and Technology :

The Zakir Hussain College of Engineering & Technology, Aligarh is one of the oldest and prestigious engineering colleges in India.The college is affiliated to Aligarh Muslim University, Uttar Pradesh. Founded on 21 November 1938.

The College offers courses at undergraduate as well as postgraduate level. The language of instruction in all these courses is English. There are eight academic departments associated:

Department of Electronics Engineering
Department of Computer Engineering
Department of Electrical Engineering
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Department of Chemical Engineering
Department of Civil Engineering
Department of Architecture
Centre for Petroleum Studies

The college has a Book Bank, with 1,500,000 books and journals. All the enrolled students get books issued for the academic year. Apart from that all the departments have the facility of online subscription to desired journals.

Admission to Undergraduate Programmes are done through a national level Engineering Entrance Exam conducted at Aligarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Kozhikode and Bhopal. Whereas Admission to PostGraduate programmes are done on the basis of Score Secured in Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) conducted by All India Council For Technical Education.

Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College

It has always been ranked in Top 25 Medical colleges in India. In 2009,government of India decided to Upgrade it to the level of AIIMS like Institutions Under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojna.

Maulana Azad Library :

Maulana Azad Library is considered one of the Major Libraries of the world, with glorious past and promising future. It was established with the foundation of Madarsatul-Uloom Musalmanan at Aligarh in 1877.It stands as the largest University library in India and Second largest in Asia with more than 11.5 lakh books/documents.The foundation stone of the Library was laid by Lord Lytton, the then Viceroy of India. That is why, the Library was originally named as Lytton Library.

The present grand seven storied building surrounded by 4.5 acres of land was inaugurated by Late Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India in 1960 and was named as Maulana Azad Library, after the name of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the great Educationist, Statesman & the first Education Minister of independent India.

The library performs the functions of a National Library so far as its collection of Oriental manuscripts are concerned. It is because of these rich collections of immense research value that the Library is reckoned among the major libraries of the world. The oldest manuscript owned by the library is more than fourteen hundred years old - a fragment of the Qur'an transcribed by Hazrat Ali, the fourth caliph of Islam and is written on parchment in Kufi script. Another rare collection is the unique Halnama of Beyazid Ansari.

The Library has a collection of early printed books in various languages. Among the large collection of Mughal paintings is the painting of Red Blossom, by Mansoor Naqqash, the court artist of Emperor Jahangir. Some Sanskrit works translated into Persian have also been preserved in the library. Other possessions include the Ayurved in Telugu and the Bhasa's in Malayalam script written on palm leaves. Abul Faiz Faizi, a scholar of Akbar's court translated several Sanskrit works into Persian, such as Mahapurana, Bhagavad Gita, Mahabharat and Lilavati, these are also available.

The library provides the whole university campus wide access to online journals through a well-equipped Computer Lab. Digital Resources on many subjects are made accessible through a Digital Resource Centre.All the issue able books in the Library are bar coded for automated check in and check out.The library has started Data mining in a recently developed Information Centre, where free e-resources from the web are tapped for the benefit of university community. A list of such resources is given under the link E-Resources.

Halls of residence :

There are 16 Halls of residence comprising 69 hostels:

Abdullah Hall (for women)
Aftab Hall
Allama Iqbal Hall
Hadi Hasan Hall
Indira Gandhi Hall (for women)
Mohsinul Mulk Hall
Mohammad Habib Hall
Nadeem Tarin Hall
Ross Masood Hall
Sir Syed Hall (North)
Sir Syed Hall (South)
Sir Shah Sulaiman Hall
Sir Ziauddin Hall
Sarojini Naidu Hall (for women)
Viqarul Mulk Hall
Sherwani Hall(RCA)
Sultan Jahan Begum Hall (for women)
Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar Hall

In addition, there is a Non-Resident Students' Centre (NRSC) which caters for non-resident students academic and extracurricular activities.

Current ventures :

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

AMU Vice-Chancellors :

Sahebzada Aftab Ahmad Khan 16/02/24 - 15/11/1926
Ross Masud 25/01/1930 - /11/1933
Ziauddin Ahmed 18/11/1935 - 25/01/1938
Shah Muhammad Sulaiman 30/12/1938 - 08/12/1940
Zakir Husain November 1948 - September 1956
Bashir Hussain Zaidi October 1956 - November 1962
Badaruddin Taiyabji November 1962 - February 1965
Ali Yawar Jung March 1965 - January 1968
Abdul Aleem January 1968 - January 1974
A. M. Khusro January 1974 -December 1978
Syed Hamid, 10 June 1980-26 March 1985
Syed Hashim Ali Akhtar(IAS), April 1985 - October 1989
Mohd Naseem Faroqui October 1990 - December 1994
Mahmoodur Rahman(IAS), May 1995 - May 2000
Hamid Ansari 28 May 2000 - March 31, 2002
Naseem Ahmad(IAS) 8 May 2002 - 7 April 2007
P. K. Abdul Aziz June 2007 – present

Alumni meetings :

AMU World Alumni Summit

AMU World Alumni Summit was organised on 18–19 October 2008. Alumni from 26 countries participated in the programme. Aligarians met their old friends, classmates and teachers. Mohammad Hamid Ansari was part of the meet. The vice chancellor, Professor P. K. Abdul Aziz welcomed the alumni and proposed an 'AMU Alumni Endowment Fund' for the activities of Alumni in the University.

Ranking

Aligarh Muslim University has been ranked 8th among top 100 research institutions in India by National Institute of Science Communication And Information Resources (NISCAIR) and it was published in Current Science,Vol. 96,No. 12,25 June 2009.

Notable alumni

Heads of State and Government :

State	Leader	Office
India	Zakir Hussain	President 1967-1969
India	Mohammad Hamid Ansari	Vice President 2010- Till Date
Pakistan	Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan	First Prime Minister 1947-1951
Pakistan	Khawaja Nazimuddin	Prime Minister 1951-1953
Pakistan	Ayub Khan	President 1958-1969(didn't completed his degree)
Pakistan	Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry	President 1973-1978
Bangladesh	Muhammad Mansur Ali	Prime minister 1975-aug. 1975

politicians

Abdur Rab Nishtar,Pakistani Politician,former Minister for communication in Pakistan and Governor of Punjab, Pakistan.
Akhter Husain,Indian Civil Service (1924),Governor of West Pakistan.
Ali Ashraf Fatmi, former minister of state, Government of India
Arif Mohammad Khan, Member of Parliament, Former Cabinet Minister - Government of India
Ayub Khan,President of Pakistan (1958–1969).
Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry,President of Pakistan (1973–1978)
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, freedom fighter, also known as Frontier Gandhi
Khan Habibullah Khan Marwat (1901–1978), jurist and politician, first Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan (1972–77), former Home Minister. Got his LL.B. Degree from Aligarh in 1927.
Khawaja Nazimuddin, former Prime minister of Pakistan
Malik Ghulam Muhammad,Governor General of Pakistan.
Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar, leader of All India Muslim League
Mohammad Habib, historian and freedom fighter
Mohammad Hamid Ansari, Vice President of India, academician, former diplomat, and former vice-chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University
Mohsina Kidwai, Leader of Indian National Congress party. Member of Rajya Sabha, elected from Chattisgarh
Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, founder of the Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party, Ex Chiefminister of Jammu Kashmir.
Muhammad Mansur Ali,former Prime Minister of Bangladesh
Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan, first Prime Minister of Pakistan and Freedom fighter
Rafi Ahmad Kidwai, Freedom fighter and First communication minister of independent India, Government of India
Saleem Iqbal Shervani, former Union Minister of State, Government of India
Sheikh Abdullah, Prime minister of Kashmir and later served as chief minister of Kashmir
Zakir Hussain, former President of India, freedom fighter and former vice-chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University

Other Notable Alumni :

Abul Lais Siddiqui, researcher, critic, linguist, author, scholar of Urdu literature and linguistics
Ahmed Ali (Professor), novelist, poet, short story writer, educationist, critic, diplomat, scholar and co-founder All-India Progressive Writers Movement & Association.
Akhlaq Mohammed Khan 'Shahryar', Urdu academician and poet (Umraojaan movie fame)
Amin Kamil, Kashmiri poet
Anubhav Sinha, Hindi film director
Basharat Peer, journalist, author, and political commentator
Dalip Tahil, Urdu/Hindi film actor
Dhyan Chand, former field hockey player, team captain and Olympian
Farhan Nizami, Director - Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies
Farhat Basir Khan, photography and media activist academician, Maulana Azad Chair Professor, AJK MCRC, Jamia Millia Islamia.
Ghulam Mustafa Khan, researcher, critic, linguist, author, scholar of Urdu literature and linguistics, educator, and spiritual leader of Pakistan
Gulgee, artist and Islamic calligrapher
Habib Tanvir, Indian Urdu/Hindi playwrighter and director, poet and actor
Hakim Syed Zillur Rahman, Unani physician and founder of Ibn Sina Academy of Medieval Medicine and Sciences
Haroon Rashid, Urdu journalist; editor, Inquilab and Blitz(Wrong Link Updated)
Ibn-e-Safi, 1926–1980, novelist, migrated to Pakistan in 1951
Irfan Habib, historian
Ishrat Hussain Usmani, Pakistani bureaucrat and an atomic physicist,played an important role in Pakistan's road to nuclear technology to space technology.
Ishwari Prasad, historian, first graduate of Muhammedan Anglo-Oriental College
Jamal Khwaja, Member of Parliament, 2nd Lok Sabha
Jan Nisar Akhtar, Urdu poet and lyricist.
Javed Akhtar, lyricist and scriptwriter of Salim-Jawed fame of Sholay
K. Asif, Urdu/Hindi film director of Mughal-e-Azam fame
Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, Urdu/Hindi movie scriptwriter and director, journalist
Lala Amarnath, former Indian cricketer and team captain
M. Sayeed Alam PhD, playwright, director and actor in Pierrot's Troupe
Majaz (Asrarul Haq), Urdu poet and writer of AMU Tarana
Majrooh Sultanpuri, poet and lyricist Hindi/Urdu films
Mohammad Yunus, former diplomat and ambassador to Spain, Turkey, and Indonesia
Mohammed Burhanuddin Dai of Dawoodi Bohra holds an Honorary Doctorate from the Aligarh University and he was once the Chancellor of the same.
Moonis Raza, academician, freedom fighter, and former vice chancellor Delhi University
Mukhtar Masood, Urdu writer, Pakistani bureaucrat
Mansur Hoda, Scientist and pioneer of Appropriate Technology in India along with E. F. Schumacher of Small is Beautiful fame.
Mushirul Hasan, Professor, former vice-chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia University - Delhi
Mushtaq Ahmad Yusufi, Urdu humorist
Mushtaq Ali, former Indian cricketer
Naseeruddin Shah, Hindi/Urdu film actor
Nawab Mirza Aqil Hussain Barlas, Persian scholar and diplomat
Nazir Ahmad, Professor Emeritus, Persian scholar, critic, linguist, lexicographer and editor
Nazir Ahmed,experimental physicist,assistant director at the Technological Laboratory, Central Cotton Committee of India, first chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission.
Paigham Afaqui, author of landmark novel MAKAAN.
Piara Singh Gill, physicist
Rafi Muhammad Chaudhry,Nuclear physicist,one of the main wings and instruments of Pakistan's nuclear weapons research program.
Rahi Masoom Reza, Urdu/Hindi script writer (Mahabharat Teleserial fame)
Rahman, Urdu/Hindi film actor (Waqt, Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam fame)
Raja Rao, Indian English novelist and short story writer
Rasheed Ahmad Siddiqi, Urdu writer
Saeed Jaffrey, Hindi/Urdu film actor
Salimuzzaman Siddiqui, leading Pakistani scientist in Natural Product Chemistry.
Salman Akhtar, Professor at the Jefferson Medical College
Shahid Lateef, Hindi/Urdu film director
Shakeel Badayuni, Urdu poet, lyricist, and songwriter
Shan-ul-Haq Haqqee, Urdu writer, researcher, linguist, lexicographer
Siddiqui, Obaid,Founder Director,TIFR National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore
Syed Ali Hasan, cricketer and administrator
Syed Afzal Ali, Bulandshahr
Syed Mahmood Naqvi,Earth Scientist.
Syed Zafar Mahmood, Officer on Special Duty - Government of India, Indian Prime Minister's Sachar Committee
Syed Zahoor Qasim, oceanographer and scientist
Syed Ziaur Rahman, Medical Pharmacologist
Tahir Mahmood, Member, Law Commission of India
Talat Mahmood, Ghazal singer and Urdu/Hindi film actor and playback singer
Zafar Iqbal, former field hockey player, Indian team captain and Olympian.
Zubeida, Urdu/Hindi film actress (first Indian talkie - Alam Ara fame)

World Public University Information

Tuesday, November 29, 2011