Aligarh Muslim University (AMU)
Introduction
Originally formed in 1875 by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental (MAO), AMU evolved out of it and was established in 1980 as a public university. It is spread over 467.6 hectares or 1,155 acres of land, located in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India.
It is affiliated with UGC (University Grants Commission) and AIU, with a current enrolment of 39,367 students and 170,000 alumni.
This century-old university is one of the most prestigious colleges in India and has also been considered an institute of national importance as declared under the seventh schedule of the Constitution of India at its commencement.
Founder
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan was one of the architects of modern India and he was a great reformer. He was among the first visionaries to recognize the importance of education and scientific knowledge, and how it was going to impact India in the future.
The 1857 revolt and the Aligarh Movement (the movement associated with Sir Ahmad and the college) made him realize that Muslims ought to acquire a high level of proficiency in English and modern science if they wanted to succeed.
With this in his mind, The Aligarh Institute Gazette, an organ of the Scientific Society, was launched in March 1866, and to prevent opposition by the Muslims he launched another journal by the name of Tehzibul Akhlaq, named in English as Mohammedan Social Reformer.
His great vision and his attempts of combining the West with the East are what make him an exceptional leader.
History
After the revolt of 1857, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan realized that the Muslims had to be educated in English and modern science to remain socially and politically involved and established.
When the British decided to replace and remove the Persian language from the government and the state, Sir Ahmad knew then that the Muslim’s future lay in adopting the Western Culture and English. He wanted fellow Muslims to look beyond the traditional Islamic teachings and embrace modern education.
He took his first steps towards his vision by setting up schools in Moradabad in 1858 followed by one in Ghazipur in 1863.
A Scientific Society was formed in 1864 to translate the Western knowledge written in English into local languages and to create an interest in science in the minds of people.
The Muhammedan Civil Service Fund Association was set up by Sir Ahmad to sponsor the travel of Muslims to London to take the ICS exam.
His next step was to establish the MAO college which he successfully did, despite several obstacles, in 1877. Eventually, it became the infamous Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) as we know it today in 1920 after the AMU Act was passed, 22 years after Sir Ahmad’s death.
The MAO College was patterned after the Oxford and Cambridge Universities in London. He was inspired to follow the patterns after his visit to London. His main objective was to combine Western Education with traditional Islamic teachings.
Obstacles Faced
- Sir Ahmad faced several obstacles to establishing MAO some of which are:
1. Lack of Funds
One of the major obstacles was the lack of funds for establishing the university. A committee was formed by the name, The Foundation of Muslim College, and people were asked to donate. Some of the prominent figures who gave the donations were:-
- Then Viceroy and Governor-General of India, Thomas Baring gave a donation of ₹10,000
- The Lt. Governor of the North-Western Provinces contributed ₹1,000
- Maharao Raja Mahamdar Singh Mahamder Bahadur of Patiala contributed ₹58,000
- Raja Shambhu Narayan of Banaras donated ₹60,000.
- Donations also came in from the Maharaja of Vizianagaram as well.
By March 1874 funds for the college stood at ₹1,53,920
In the year 1918, The seventh Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan donated ₹5,00,000 to AMU.
2. Opposition by Orthodox Muslims
Sir Ahmad strongly advocated the use of English and Science which didn’t seem to be a pleasure for some orthodox Muslims.
Ranking
1. IIRF Universities 2021 List:-
NAME OF UNI | LOCATION | SCORE | RANKING |
Indian Institute of Science | Karnataka | 82.67 | 1 |
Jawaharlal Nehru University | Delhi | 67.99 | 2 |
Jadavpur University | Kolkata | 60.33 | 8 |
University of Hyderabad | Hyderabad | 59.71 | 9 |
Aligarh Muslim University | Aligarh | 58.97 | 10 |
2. US News University Ranking
AMU has been ranked #824 in Best Global Universities by US News according to its performance across various factors.
AMU has also been ranked #205 in Best Global Universities in Asia.
3. Subject-wise ranking:
#372 in Biology and Biochemistry #530 in Chemistry (tie)
#169 in Mathematics
#453 in Physical Chemistry
#569 in Physics
- AMU has been ranked #249 in regional research reputation and #724 in Global research reputation.
4. India Today 2021 Ranking
AMU has been ranked 4th among Government Universities (General) in India in the rankings.
- It has been ranked 3rd for the highest number of patents granted during the past three years among the Government Universities in the country.
Faculties And Courses
The university has 13 faculties namely:-
- Agricultural Sciences
- Arts
- Commerce
- Engineering & Technology,
- Law
- Life Sciences
- Medicine
- Management Studies & Research
- Science
- Social Sciences
- Theology
- Unani Medicine
- International Studies each comprising of several Departments of Studies
=> Some of the courses AMU offers are:-
1. Animation & Design
B.Voc Fashion Design and Garment Technology
=> Duration: 3 years
2. Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
BA Economics Hons; BA Political Science Hons; BA History Hons BA Urdu Hons; BA Psychology Hons; B.Sc Geography Hons; A English Hons; BA Geography Hons; BA Hindi Hons; BA Islamic Studies Hons; B.Lib; I.Sc; BA Sociology Hons and more.
3. Medicine
MBBS; BUMS; Kamil-e-Tib-o-Jarahat; BDS; BUMS; BRTT.
4. Law
BA LLB and BA LLB Hons
=> Duration: 5 years each
5. Sciences
B.Sc. Chemistry Hons; B.Sc. Mathematics Hons; B.Sc. Physics Hons; B.Sc. Geology Hons; B.Sc. Zoology Hons; B.Sc. Botany Hons; B.Sc. Statistics Hons; B.Sc. Geography Hons; B.Sc. Agriculture Hons Self Finance; B.Sc. Biochemistry Hons; B.Sc. Computer Applications Hons; B.Sc. Home Science Hons; B.Sc. Industrial Chemistry Hons.
The courses mentioned above are just some of the courses offered by AMU.
Extra-Curricular Activities
- AMU offers various clubs to its students which include:
1. University Film Club
The club aims to promote cinematic culture among university students. It organizes these activities through its various clubs, viz. the Film Club, the Drama Club, The Hindustani, Western and Fusion Music Clubs, the Literary Club, etc.
It also organizes several workshops, programs, quizzes, debates, and various other programs.
2. AMU Roboclub
- The main objective of the club is innovation and implementation. It is the perfect club for students to improve their skills in the field of Electrical, Electronics, Computers, and Mechanical. The club also encourages students to participate and prepares students for competitions.
3. Red Ribbon Club
One of the best initiatives from AMU, this club aims to educate and create awareness about HIV / AIDS / STI / sexuality and other related issues. It also aims to eliminate misconceptions and myths regarding the same.
Red Ribbon is a global symbol for people suffering from HIV / AIDS.
4. SAE ZHCET Collegiate Club
- This club was formed by 3rd year engineering students to promote the automobile industry among students. This club conducts lectures, workshops and industrial visits for the students.
5. Riding Club
- Since many students belonged to aristocratic families, horse riding became quite a popular sport among AMU students. It was formed by Nawab Mohd. Ismail Khan Sherwan. It soon became the glory of AMU.
6. AMU Student's Union
It is the debate club of the university formerly named The Siddons Club after the first principal of AMU, Henry George Impey Siddons.
It has hosted several famous personalities, including the Dalai Lama, Mahatma Gandhi, Abul Kalam Azad, and Jawahar Lal Nehru.
The other clubs include cricket, hockey, hiking, and even mountain climbing.
Fees Structure & Scholarships
1. Fees:-
One of the qualities of AMU is that it offers the best education in the country at the most affordable prices as compared to other universities. The fees might vary according to each course. Some of the major groups are:
1. MBA/PGDM (12 Courses)
- Price: INR 3.5 K – 5.92 L for 1
- Year-2 years
2. BUMS (9 Courses)
- Price: INR 57.73 K for 66 months
3. B.Sc. (13 Courses)
- Price: INR 9.36 K – 2.71 L for 3 years.
4. B.A. (44 Courses)
- Price: INR 7.63 K – 25.5 K for 1 Year-4 Year
5. M.A. (44 courses)
- Price: INR 8.98 K – 21 K for 1 year – 2 years
6. M.Sc. (21 courses)
- Price: INR 8.98 K for 2 years
7. MBBS
- Price: INR 2.09 L for 66 months
- And many more whose prices range in the same category.
2. Scholarships:
- AMU also offers scholarships to students based on their academic merits and financial needs. There are different eligibility criteria set for each scholarship. The scholarships offered by AMU are:
- AMU Scholarship:-
It is an interview-based scholarship merited to students pursuing undergraduate courses in Science, Arts, Commerce, and Engineering.
Eligibility
- Applicants can be from the Arts, Commerce, Science, and Engineering stream with at least a score of 60%.
- Family annual income must not exceed INR 2.5 Lakh.
- Applicants can be High school graduates, sophomores (10th), juniors(11th), and seniors(12th).
- It is not a one-time scholarship and can be renewed every year.
- UP Government Scholarship:-
This scholarship is offered to students coming from Uttar Pradesh.
Eligibility:
- Students must be from Uttar Pradesh.
- Family annual income should not exceed INR 2 Lakh and 1.5 Lakh for SC/ST category
Rules:
- AMU scholarship shall not be given to more than two students of the same family.
- No renewal can be made if the transfer of college or school takes place.
- Donor Scholarship
This scholarship is offered to MBBS Muslim students based on their merits. An amount of INR 10,000 is offered in this scholarship.
Notable Alumni
In the field of;
1. Literature & Cinema:-
1. Naseeruddin Shah (Bollywood Actor)
2. Hakim Ahmad Shuja (Famous Persian and Urdu poet, writer & lyricist)
3. Anubhav Sinha (Bollywood Director, Producer & Writer )
4. Hasrat Mohani (Famous poet and freedom firefighter in the Indian Movement; Wrote the slogan “Inquilab Zindabad)
2. Field Of Politics Includes:-
1. Khwaja Nazimuddin – second governor-general and second prime minister of Pakistan
2. Ayub Khan, second president of Pakistan
3. Malik Ghulam Mohammad, First finance minister of Pakistan
3. Field of Law
Justice Baharul Islam
Justice Ram Prakash Sethi
Justice Saiyed Saghir Ahmad
Justice Syed Murtaza Fazl Ali (all judges of the Supreme Court of India)
Haji Farah Omar
N. R. Madhava Menon & Faizan Mustafa.
4. Field Of Sports
Dhyan Chand (Hockey Player)
Lala Amarnath and Zafar Iqbal
Iranian footballers Majid Bishkar
Jamshid Nassiri
Popularity In Media
- Books written on AMU are:
Aligarh Muslim University: The Making of the Modern Indian Muslim by Mohammed Wajihuddin
Aligarh Muslim University: An Educational and Political History By Dr. Aijaz Ahmad.
AMU has also provided the backdrop for some famous movies such as:-
- Aligarh (2015) directed by Hansal Mehta
- Mere Mehboob (1963) was shot on the AMU campus.
- Nai Umar Ki Nai Fasal (1966) was also filmed on the campus.
- AMU has been established for more than 100 years and it still has maintained its reputation as one of the best institutions in India. Its quality of education at an affordable price makes it unique and the most sought after university of India. It is one of the best choices to go to for your further studies to have a bright and a sparkling future.
Top 13 Interesting Facts About AMU
It follows the motto Allama-al Insaana Malam Ya- Alam meaning “Taught man what he did not know (Quran 96:5)”.
The University has three centers of study outside Aligarh located at Murshidabad, West Bengal: Malappuram, Kerala state, and Kishanganj, Bihar State.
The Riding Club of AMU was formed in 1889, making it one of the oldest civilian riding clubs in India. It is the only university with Riding Club.
The university has 12 faculties comprising 98 teaching departments, 3 academies, and 15 centers and institutions. It provides more than 300 courses in a wide range of fields.
It is home to Asia’s biggest library, Maulana Azad Library established in 1960 (Formally established as Lytton Library in 1877). It is a 7 – story tall building surrounded by 4.75 acres of garden. It stores around 1,500,000 books and 43,000 e-resources of the library.
Maulana Azad Library also has OALib (Access to Open Access Library), a database of over 2,000,000 full-text indexed papers covering research topics relating to almost all academic disciplines.
The Maulana Azad Library houses historical decrees of Mughal emperors such as Babur, Akbar, and Shah Jahan.
There is a time capsule buried deep in the ground of the campus. It was buried on January 8, 1877, by Lord Lytton, the then Viceroy and Governor-General of India, during the foundation stone ceremony of the MAO College. The procedure to excavate the 145-year-old capsule has already started.
Her Highness Sultan Jahan Begum was the first chancellor of AMU from 1920 to 1930.
It has some prominent, historical structures that display the beautiful history of AMU or MAO. Some of these are Bab-e-Syed, Sir Syed Hall, Strachey Hall, Victoria Gate, Jama Masjid, V.M. Hall, and more.
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, the founder of AMU, is buried in the Sir Syed House Mosque located in the heart of the campus. He passed away on March 27, 1898.
Sheikh Abdullah is the founder of the women’s college of AMU. He stressed the importance of the education of women by writing articles and news on the topic.
The University has opened three new centers of study outside Aligarh at Murshidabad, West Bengal state, Malappuram, Kerala state, and at Kishanganj, Bihar State.
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