Sir Syed’s Legacy
Celebrated in Northern California
By Ras H. Siddiqui
A group photo of Aligarh Muslim
University Alumni Association office bearers and poets
who presented their kalam |
The Aligarh Muslim University
Alumni Association (AMUAA) of Northern California held its
annual Sir Syed Day Banquet and International Mushaira (Urdu
Poetry Recital) on Saturday, December 3, 2005 at the Chandni
Restaurant in Newark to help the local community remember
the 19th century light of education and hope that one amazing
individual left behind for South Asia's Muslims. That this
light remains lit for many (including Non-Muslims) to take
advantage of today through Aligarh Muslim University in
Northern India is testimony to both its strength and continued
importance, as many in the post 9/11 Islamic world look
for models to emulate and grapple with how to fully participate
in the Information Age. Added to that, for those who continue
to love the literary treasure chest which is the Urdu language,
this annual gathering gives Indians and Pakistanis of the
area another opportunity to listen to the poetry by local
and international craftsmen (and women) of Urdu who continue
to enthrall us with their verses.
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Tarana-e-Aligarh
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Sayeedi. |
The event started off with
an introduction by Afzal Usmani who (as Aligarh is primarily
a Muslim institution) invited Dr. M. M. Sufyan Beg to recite
from the Holy Qura'n. Mr. Afzal Usmani also took the opportunity
to share with several hundred people in attendance here
some rare facts on why Aligarh gatherings and Urdu poetry
recitals (Mushaira's) go together. He reminded the audience
of a historical meeting between Aligarh's founder Sir Syed
Ahmad Khan and Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib in the city of
Muradurabad (India). Ghalib is considered (unquestionably)
Urdu's greatest poet, and at this meeting he shared with
Sir Syed, what he had recently observed in Calcutta, that
there was an Industrial and Scientific revolution coming
and that the Muslim community needed to be part of it or
it will be left far behind. Thus the Aligarh Tehreek (movement)
was influenced, not just by reformist Sir Syed but poet
Ghalib too and this Aligarh movement later resulted in the
founding of the Mohammedan Anglo Oriental College, which
later became Aligarh Muslim University.
AMUAA President Ms. Amtul
Suhail in her speech officially welcomed everyone. She thanked
Dr. Shaheer Khan for his continued efforts . She also recognized
some of the people that the Aligarh community had lost during
the past year. She said that the purpose of the AMUAA was
to carry forward the educational aspects of Sir Syed's legacy,
especially the pursuit of female literacy. She added that
the organization was continuing its scholarship program
and asked all in attendance to contribute (details are available
at http://www.amualumni.org/). She also took the opportunity
to thank a number of individuals for their help this year
including Mr. Abdus Salam Qureshi, Drs. Hasan Kamil and
Talat Hasan along with Dr. Karim M. Hussain, Mr. Syed Sarwat
Mahmood, Dr. Waheed Qureshi, Mr. Javed Ellahie, Ms. Raana
Faiz, and Mr. Zain Jeewanjee. She ended her speech with
a prayer that Sir Syed wished for the betterment of children
in his community back in the 19th century.
Audience enjoying the Mushaira |
This year's keynote speech
was delivered by Mr. Razi Mohiuddin President of the Muslim
Community Association of Santa Clara. Speaking in English
(with apologies) Razi Sahib shared his relationship with
Aligarh and explained his sentiments on a visit there six
years ago. His talk focused on local issues here in the
United States and "Giving back to get something back."
On what the role of the American-Muslim community should
be, he stressed two areas that need attention. "What
relationships we build with other people and what services
we provide to the community around us. Those are the two
things I think, that will help us continue to become the
part and parcel of this country..," he said. "Let
us think of giving back (to America)," he added. He
said that money is important to organizations but even more
important is your experience, expertise and talent, which
cannot really measured in dollar amounts. "A few hours
a week of volunteer work would go a long way," said
Razi. On getting something back he said that even though
he did not expect anything in return, that too could not
be measured (I am sure that some in our community including
this writer are well aware of this fact). In a nutshell
what Mr. Razi Mohiuudin said in his speech was what Sir
Syed and the Aligarh movement has been all about for over
a century!
Group
Photo with Poets |
The impressive "Sir Syed
Day Magazine 2005" which was distributed during this
gathering continues to be a window into the progressive
thinking that Aligarh has been famous for in its history.
This year's Magazine "Foreword" alone is bound
to generate some controversy.
Now to end the first (formal) half of the program before
the poetry, one has to report that no Aligarh program is
complete without the customary singing of the AMU anthem
known as the "Tarana-e-Aligarh" which once again
drew an enthusiastic response from the Alumni present at
this event.
Poets |
This year the International
Mushaira was conducted by poet Saghar Khayyami (India) and
Presidency was given to Senior, Kalim Ajiz (also from India).
And if one lists the poets that originated from the closest
local venues to the farthest here, then Faisal Azeem, Mahnaz
Naqvi and Rabia Siddiqi from this area gave locals something
to be proud if. Abdul M. Saeedi (Chicago), Aziz Qureshi
(Virginia) and Noon Meem Danish (New York) represented American
Urdu poets quite well, while Pakistan's Mohsin Ihsan and
(a very short guest appearance by the film famous Mrs. Ruhksana
Noor) and India's Habib Hashmi and Zubair Rizvi provided
the icing on the literary cake.
Poets |
The challenges of reporting
on an Urdu event in English are many. Any attempt here would
need another full report that would not capture the essence
of the poetry recited. To derive an analogy, it would be
able to describe the bottle of perfume, its color and possibly
its fame but it would still be devoid of its fragrance.
Tanana-e-Aligarh |
In conclusion, once
again it was a pleasure to be in the company of Aligarh
Alumni or "Aligs" for Sir Syed Day in Northern
California this year. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan's vision deserves
a great deal of post 9/11 study by Muslims worldwide and
must be revived in Pakistan today. Even U.S. Think Tanks
who have over studied the other India origin Deoband model
of Islamic religious thought for quite some time now could
greatly benefit from studying the Aligarh Muslim University
(AMU) reformist trend. And as one who finally had the opportunity
to visit the AMU Campus with his mother last year and tried
to trace a late father's long faded footsteps in front of
his hostel or dormitory "Mumtaz House", and stood
in front of the grassy grave of Sir Syed in the courtyard
the main campus Mosque, among other things that I remember
uttering was "Thank you Sir." And the follow up
question regarding Sir Syed Ahmad Khan that comes to mind
was no surprise. Who knows where Indian-Muslims and Pakistanis
would be today without his immense contribution to our lives?
UC Berkeley Urdu Students with
Dr. Warsi. |
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