Centenary Celebrations of Osmania University
By Prof. (Ms) ShamimAleem
Atlanta
It is a moment of pride that Osmania University has completed hundred years of its existence. It was the first university in India which had adopted a regional language – Urdu - as the medium of instruction. It was the vision of late H.E.H. the Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan who had taken this bold but difficult step. Within a few years Osmania got name and fame and was being rated as one of the best universities in India. Today many Osmanians, both in India and abroad, have brought fame to their alma mater.
On April 26th 1917 Nizam issued a Farman for the establishment of the Osmania University whichsubsequently started working on October 5, 1918. It would only be befitting if the centanaarycelebrations are held from April 2017 to October 2018.
It is surprising that though the university is starting its celebrations in April 2017, nothingconcrete has been done so far. Granted some committees have been formed and a few meetings have been held but no concrete plans have been drawn up. It appears as if the university hasno idea as to what needs to be done. The fact is that the preparatory work in this regard should have started at least a year earlier.
Centenary celebrations do not mean inviting VIPs for inauguration and valedictoryinvolving politicians, grand lunches, dinners, and entertainment programs. The object should be to take a peep into the past, i.e., educate the people about the past, review the present and prepare a plan for the future.
I would like to give a few suggestions for the celebrations:
1. The much needed first step is the registration of all Osmanians all over the worldand to try to bring them together.
2. To accord recognition to those Osmanians who have brought fame to the University.
3. There may be a number of Osmanians, especially in America and Europe, who would like to contribute to the progress of the University. Sources can be tapped and money raised for the development of the alma mater.
4. It is also our duty to pay tribute to the founder of the University. Most students are not even aware of his name. There is a need to make a documentaryon H.E.H. the Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan and his vision of theuniversity. Itshould be shown to all the students.
5. Revival of the Vision of Osmania. An attempt was made by MrHashim Ali Akhtar, Vice Chancellor of Osmania University, in 1984 to make a permanent exhibition highlighting the various stages of the development of the University (I shouldered the responsibility for organizing this exhibition). It was greatly appreciated, but unfortunately the effort lost its momentum due to lack of interest of concernedauthorities. There is a pressing need to revive this scheme.
6. Hyderabad was not only the biggest princely state in India but also the bestadministered state. Even today it is a model for many. There are a number of bookswritten about the state covering various aspects of life, history and administration. Regretfully, many valuable books have been lost. A much needed effort is to to collect all books and put them at the disposal of research scholars. Students should be encouraged to undertake research on different topics pertaining to the past and future of the university.
7. Osmania University had a good collection of photos from the very days of its inception.The Nizam’s personal collection is also quite large. An attempt should be made to put the pictures together and properly display them.
8. The university should publish a grand souvenir which should include research-oriented articles featuring its past and the role and vision of the Nizam in establishing it.
9. There should be a series of programs depicting the culture of Hyderabad.
To celebrate the function on a grand scale we need time and a team of sincere, devoted organizers. I request the authorities to give some more time to befittingly organize the centenary celebrations. (The writer is a retired Professor of Public Administration, Osmania University, Hyderabad Deccan)
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