The Birth of Aligarh Alumni Association Washington, DC
By Dr A. Abdullah
Potomac, MD

It is an aphorism that people leave Aligarh, but Aligarh never leaves them. I spent ten delightful years of my life at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) (July 1957 -September 1967) first as a student, research scholar and then lecturer in the department of mathematics and statistics. During that period, I also participated in social and cultural activities at the campus, captained, and later coached, the University volleyball team.

I came to SUNY Buffalo in 1967 to pursue graduate studies. While there, a seemingly minor incident had a significant impact on my life’s course. In the summer of 1968, while watching a protest demonstration against the Vietnam war at the campus, I realized, for the first time in my life, the potential impact of collective voice. Coincidentally, at the time there was a bill under consideration in the Indian parliament to change the name of the AMU, causing much consternation among the Indian Muslim community. The idea came to my mind that if we had a chain of Aligarh Alumni Associations around the world, then collectively our voice against the impeding bill would carry much more weight and would have been far more effective. We could have used our clout to the benefit of our alma mater. The bill did not pass, but the incident impressed upon me the need to launch a new Aligarh movement, aimed at establishing AMU Associations around the world.

While we were thinking on a global scale, our resources in Buffalo were meagre and there were only five students from Aligarh at the time.  The implementation of our ideas had to wait until I moved to Washington DC.  Once there, I shared my dream with Hasan Kamal, an old friend and dedicated Aligarian, who fortuitously relocated to Washington in January of 1975. Hasan got equally excited about the idea, and now in hindsight I realize that without his help and cooperation the idea would not have been realized. We searched for, identified, and contacted resident Aligs in the Washington area, and Hasan Kamal set up a seminal meeting at Syed Tufail Ahmad's House in Lanham, Maryland, on May 24, 1975.

It was attended by twenty-five AMU alumni, and the AAA-DC was launched at this meeting through a formal resolution. Two interesting facts are worth mentioning here: The birth of AAA-DC happened exactly one hundred years after the establishment of Madarsat ul Uloom by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan at Aligarh that was inaugurated on May 24, 1875. The name of the new Association is also significant. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first association of Aligarians that is named Aligarh Alumni Association, rather than The Old Boys Association, reflective of the fact that its membership is open to women as well as men.

A panel of five people comprising: Syed Tufail Ahmad, Tariq Farooqi, Ale Ahmad Hashmi, Aftab Ansari, headed by Prabhas Sharma, was formed to identify people who would serve as office-bearers of the new organization. Hasan Kamal had prudently excluded himself and me from consideration to serve in any position. Syed Tufail Ahmad, Aftab Ansari, Farzana Farooqi and Aley Ahmad Hashmi formed the first cabinet, nominated as president, vice president, secretary and treasurer, respectively. Unfortunately, some of these pioneering members are no longer with us.

In time, we were able to recruit a talented and dedicated group of volunteers in the Washington area. The Association has since been organizing interesting programs, and catering to needs of a diverse and growing South Asian Community. These programs include mushairas, literary events, children’s and seniors’ programs, and sponsorships of visiting lecturers at AMU. Furthermore, the Association has established a highly successful scholarship program for needy students, started a newsletter and a library. In a short period, the AAA-DC earned reputation as an effective, vibrant organization that had an ambitious agenda and impressive record of achievements. Subsequently, its success drew attention of the AMU communities around the world and using it as a template inspired the formation of similar Associations in major cities of USA, Middle East, and Australia (To be continued).

Note: The Aligarh Alumni Association, Washington DC, is one of the oldest ethnic organizations in North America. Dr Abdullah, one of its founders, relates the story of its birth and progression from a concept to reality, becoming one of the foremost and most well-known organizations in the US. In subsequent articles, Dr Abdullah plans to write about various milestones in the life of AAA-DC. He is a distinguished alumnus of AMU and an internationally recognized poet and literary personality.