THE FOUNDER “He put his heart to a task and pleased himself And made himself an auspicious, free servant.”(Ghalib) The Aligarh Muslim University is one of the oldest premier Central Universities of India with a unique and rich culture of its own. It is a Residential Academic Institution. It owes its existence to the selfless and untiring efforts of the great visionary Sir Syed Ahmad Khan. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, one of the architects of modern India was born on October 17, 1817 in Delhi. We, the aligarians mark the day as ‘sir syed day’ and celebrate the day with full vigour and pride. The 1857 revolt was one of the turning points of Syed Ahmad Khan’s life. Before it, his career had been that of a civil servant and a scholar. In 1847, he published the famous archaeological masterpiece, Asarus Sanadeed, a book that provided a wealth of information on countless historical monuments in Delhi from the eight hundred year long Muslim era. In 1855, he published yet another book Ain-e-Akbari. After the 1857 revolt, Syed Ahmad authored the marvelous book Asbab-e-Baghawat-e- Hind' (The causes of Indian Revolt). Deeply moved by the socio-economic and educational plight of his community after the First War of Independence, he was quick to realize that the panacea for these ills lay in inculcating the spirit of free enquiry and modernism in the community. His exposure to the British Universities, particularly those at Oxford and Cambridge, and their public schools, inspired him with a new vision of a harmonious pattern of culture, combining the best elements in the cultures of the East with the arts and sciences of the West Ahmad was highly impressed by the culture and customs of Western society. He thought that education was the main cause of the backwardness of the community. He thus rose to establish the Mohammedan Anglo- Oriental College at Aligarh. He wanted this College to act as a bridge between the old and the new, the East and the West. The aim of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan was not merely restricted to establishing a college at Aligarh but at spreading a network of Muslim Managed educational institutions throughout the length and breadth of the country. In 1875 he founded a High School at Aligarh, which, within three years, was raised to a College known as Mohammadan Anglo Oriental College which metamorphosed into Aligarh Muslim University in 1920 through an Act of Parliament. The first chancellor of the university was a female, Sultan Shah Jahan Begum. In tune with the ideals of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan due attention was paid to the education of girls. ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY “jo abr yahaaN se uThThega, vo saare jahaaN par barsegaa har juu-e-ravaan par barsegaa, har koh-e-garaaN par barsegaa har sard-o-saman par barsegaa, har dasht-o-daman par barsegaa Khud apne chaman par barsegaa, GhairoN ke chaman par barsegaa har shahr-e-tarab par garjegaa, har qasr-e-tarab par kaRkegaa”(Majaz) The green monogram with the a palm tree in the centre, an open book on the right and a crescent moon on the left, itself expresses the motto of our AMU i.e. ‘Allamal insaana maa lam ya’Ålam(Arabic) which when translated to english says ‘Taught man what he did not know.’ (Quran 96:5). Aligarh Muslim University-Modelled on the University of Cambridge, it was among the first institutions of higher learning set up during the British Raj. The University has a campus spread over 467.6 hectares of land. Aligarh Muslim University offers more than 250 Courses in traditional and modern branch of Education. This is a premier Central University with several faculties and maintained institutions and draws students from all corners of the world, especially Africa, West Asia and South East Asia. In some courses, seats are reserved for students from SAARC and Commonwealth countries. The University is open to all irrespective of caste, creed, religion or gender. It is ranked 8th best (2009 ranking) of all research universities in India by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) of India. Aligarh Muslim University is planning to set up five regional centers in the country which are Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), Pune (Maharashtra), Murshidabad (West Bengal), Malappuram (Kerala) and Katihar (Bihar). It presently covers a very wide spectrum of academic disciplines, having 88 departments, 5 institutions, 13 centers. The University currently has about 28,000 students on its rolls, most of who stay in 16 halls of residences with 70 hostels. It employs about 1400 academic staff, and about 6000 non-teaching staff on an average, about 500 foreign students come to study at AMU every year. KENNEDY AUDITORIUM “I remember the front door. I remember the auditorium. I remember the feeling that you can't make it. But you can.”(Powell, Colin Kuther) Kennedy Hall is the Central Auditorium of AMU. Named after the then U.S President John F Kennedy, it has a capacity of 14,006 students. It also has a separate balcony for female students. The multi-purpose auditorium is equipped with a stage and an excellent sound and light arrangement, necessary for theatrical and dance performances. Apart from screening the award winning movies during the Film Festival, it hosts a plethora of events. The events include Musical Nights, Plays, documentaries, extension lectures, seminars, symposia, and interactive sessions with University guests, high-profile alumni and dignitaries visiting the campus. The latest visit was by our youth congress leader Shri Rahul Gandhi. It is like a holy place for all the students of AMU. Every single talent nurtures itself so that he can present it on the stage of Kennedy Auditorium. Every AMU student yearns to hear the echo of his voice and the thunder of clapping in the auditorium. It's a platform which brings out the best of talents in the country. One who is carried on the shoulders for his outstanding talent at AMU has the potential to make it to one of the India's best talents. The look of Kennedy Auditorium is glorious. The magnificent red building with green garden is beholding. The walls of Kennedy is around forty years old and has silently listened to the voices like Rahul Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor, A.R Rahman, A.P.J Abul Kalam, Indira Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Azim Premji and other eminent personalities. This is also the venue of our All India Sir Syed Memorial Debate. GENERAL EDUCATION CENTRE “Nine tenths of education is encouragement.”(Anatole France) The educational perspective of AMU is not confined to the broadening of intellectual & academic attainments alone. It aims at full development of the Person as well as the Personality of the student. To attain this end, GEC was set up in 1960 with the help of generous donation from Ford Foundation, USA. Since its inception, GEC has been the hub of literary and cultural activities and has equally honed up creative capabilities of students. General Education endeavors to inculcate among students, the right attitudes and habits, feelings and actions that build an integrated personality. With time, GEC has been evolving gradually. At present, the General Education Centre comprises Music Club, Film Club, Drama Club, Literary Club and also Club for Short Evening Courses and Hobbies Workshop. The Music Club has separate sections for classical, western and instrumental music. The Film Club helps in exhibiting good films, documentaries, filmstrips and slides. For this purpose a separate film library also exists. The film appreciation program of the club benefits a large section of interested students. The Drama Club opens vast avenues for students interested in theatre and grooms their histrionic skills. The Literary Club provides the platform to the budding debaters, quizzers, public speakers and creative writers. The Club for Short Evening Courses organizes extension lectures on burning issues throughout the year. The Hobbies Workshop trains students in clay modeling, painting, photography, gardening etc. The educational process at AMU is not confined to the broadening of intellectual horizons and academic attainment alone, but emphasis is laid on the overall personality development of students. GEC acts as a forum, where the creative and artistic sensibilities of students are sharpened. UNIVERSITY LITERARY CLUB “Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.” (John F. Kennedy) University Literary Club is one of the building blocks of GEC. It is popularly known as ULC. The club is indeed a worthy successor of the ‘Siddon’s Debating Club’ that was an important organ of the Students Union. The University Literary Club is a hub of avid readers, poets, quizzers, debaters and is a niche for those with a keen interest in literary activities. Debates, extempore, Bait-Baazi, quiz shows, creative writing, group discussions, book reviews, seminars and symposia are a regular feature of the club. The club is truly a students’ body and all the activities are managed by the students. The members of ULC have some inbuilt talent and creativity which they brush up with exposure and leave the mark which others follow. The ULC has a history of organizing various known events. The ULCians have also made the AMU proud by emerging as winners in the various events across the nation. From quizzing to debating, from creative writing to elocution, the members of ULC have proved their talent and spontaneity everywhere. They have won accolades at prestigious events such as Wardha Elocution competition, the Zonal and National Debated on Cooperatives, the G.B.Pant National Debate, the Kunz Fest and many others. The club itself is responsible for organizing the All India Sir Syed Memorial Debate in which the students from all over the country participates.