Breaching the bastion

The controversy and heartburn arising out of the High Court decision to do away with the 50 per cent reservation in Aligarh Muslim Universit...

The controversy and heartburn arising out of the High Court decision to do away with the 50 per cent reservation in Aligarh Muslim University does not appear to die down. Articles by intellectuals and politicians keep appearing in the media, trying to keep the controversy alive and not willing to give the new formulae a chance to be tried out. Some basic facts, possibly unknown to most of these alleged know-alls, may be of interest. Having read a reasonable amount on his life, I am convinced that Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, whose family I have had the privilege of knowing extremely well, never meant AMU to be a bastion of Muslim dominance.

In spite of his understandable love for his community, he was a liberal and an outstanding man in many ways. He read Mathematics, moved to Theology, which gave him the very broad vision and canvas and later to Architecture. However, in spite of all this, he remained a traditionalist. But he was never a communalist. In spite of his wealth, family background and learning, he was always prepared to see the other8217;s point of view and acknowledge the truth, when he was convinced. To solve a controversy about the Hindu influence on the architecture of the Qutab Minar, he spent several weeks suspended in mid-air, studying the inscription of the Kutab Mahal, from the ground to the top. At the end of the exercise, he concluded, much to the chagrin of his fellow bretheren, that the top two floors of the minar were indeed Hindu architecture. Such a man could never have been communal or denied people of other faiths entry to his institute.

Another interesting point must be brought to the notice of these alleged intellectuals. The present Zakir Husain College is probably the oldest Muslim educational institute in northern India, if not the entire country. Started in the early 1700s, as Madarsa Ghaziuddin, by the father of the first nizam of Hyderabad whose name it bore, it is celebrating its tri-centenary this year. The institution, right from its inception during the heyday of Muslim rule in India, to the present day, never had a Muslim majority. The largest number of students who enrolled were the local Kayasthas. The Hindus outnumbered the Muslims by a ratio of 60:40; with a low of 93 Hindus/7 Muslims/3 Christians in 1840.

So, let the agitators please note, all is not lost. This de-reservation, which opens the doors to greater interaction, can only do good and benefit an institution whose founder had great visions for it. Do not destroy that legacy.