The real challenge for the newly appointed vice chancellor of AMU, Tariq Mansoor, is to maintain law and order in the university campus. Though he has promised to work on the vision of AMU’s founder, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, and has already taken a few initiatives, his conduct in the days to come matters
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan dedicated his life for the Hindu-Muslim unity in the country and worked all his life for the educational upliftment of the community and to strengthen a pluralistic society of a modern India. He stressed on making education a medium to transform people into good human beings. Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) represents the secular Ganga-Jamuni culture and AMU community is committed to preserve this identity of this great seat of learning. Khan avoided too much emphasis on religious subjects in his writings, focusing instead on promoting modern education. As we know, AMU is an academic institution of international importance and offers more than 300 courses in both, traditional and modern branches of education. Academic excellence and cultural ethos of AMU needs to be projected and propagated worldwide more effectively in a positive way. In a fast changing technological world, the role of media has become important in disseminating information to have a maximum reach.
The supreme interest of Khan’s life was education in its widest sense. He wanted to create a scientific temperament among the Muslims of India and to make modern knowledge of science available to them. He championed the cause of modern education at a time when all Indians in general and Indian Muslims in particular considered it a sin to get modern education and that too through English language. He began establishing schools at Muradabad in 1858 and Ghazipur in 1863. A more ambitious undertaking was the foundation of the scientific society, which published translations of many educational texts and issued a bilingual journal in Urdu and English. It was for the use of all citizens and were jointly operated by Hindus and Muslims. In the late 1860s, there occurred some developments that were challenges to his activities. In 1867, he was transferred to Varanasi, a city on the Ganges with great religious significance for Hindus. At about the same time, a movement started at Varanasi to replace Urdu, the language spoken by the Muslims, with Hindi. This movement and the attempts to substitute Hindi for Urdu publications of the scientific society convinced Khan that he should do something. Thus, during a visit to England (1869-70) he prepared plans for a great educational institution. They were “a Muslim Cambridge.” On his return, he set up a committee for the purpose and also started an influential journal, Tahzib al-Akhlaq “social reform” for the uplift and reforms of the Muslims. A Muslim school was established at Aligarh in May 1875, and after his retirement in 1876, Khan dedicated himself to make it a college.
To carry the legacy of the great reformer Khan, the university has got a very dynamic and intellectual person in the form of Tariq Mansoor, who has been associated with the university for more than three decades now. Nobody can understand this great seat of learning better than him. Mansoor was the principal of JN Medical College since 2013. He had been the secretary of the University Games Committee for about seven years. Besides being president of the Association of Surgeons, he has been a member of the Medical Council of India since 2015 and that of the AMU Executive Council for 12 years.
Mansoor is a recipient of the Senior Surgical Award from the Association of Surgeons of India. He is also given credit for the overall development of Jawahrlal Nehru Medical College. Mansoor also served as an advisor in the Union Public Service Commission and as an assessor for the Medical Council of India.
Mansoor in his vision posted on the university’s website clearly stated that he will implement “Khan’s vision of imparting modern education, particularly for the “Millat”, and will be focusing on “to prepare students to qualify in competitive exams for central services, Armed Forces, Indian Institutes of Technology, Indian Institutes of Management and leading industries. We will also aim to produce top professionals in medicine, engineering, law, management, sciences and humanities”. I think, it is unique and very positive to have a team of highly intellectual and academicians of repute to run the university. It is important for the progress of an academic institution that it should run by the academicians of high repute. Up until now, the vice chancellor must be credited for his pick.
In an open letter to the AMU alumni who are holding important positions in different organisations worldwide, the vice chancellor has made an appeal to them to contribute both academically and financially. To me, this is a very good move and initiative that will certainly help the students in getting employment in national and international market. Alumni support will also help in developing infrastructural facilities of high standard as we have seen the contribution by Frank Islam, an AMU alumnus based in the US.
The way newly appointed vice chancellor has taken the initiatives so far clearly shows his vision and plan for the betterment of the university. However, it would be interesting to see his efforts in days to come. His biggest challenge would be maintaining law and order situation in the campus. His long association with AMU would certainly be helpful in understanding the dynamics of the campus and in maintaining law and order situation.
However, I would suggest that the vice chancellor should have an IPS officer on deputation basis as proctor of the university with power to handle the law and order situation independently. Another issue he may face would be regionalism and groupism in the campus but I am happy to mention that Mansoor has already stated clearly in his vision that he will eliminate factionalism and groupism from the campus. It is high time for the community to support the vice chancellor in making the university as one of the best universities of the country.
(The writer is a well-known linguist and columnist)