Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: AMU, Sir Saiyad Ahmad Khan
Mains level: Not Much
In its centenary year, Aligarh Muslim University is planning to bury a time capsule, containing its history and achievements for posterity.
Try this PYQ:
Q.Consider the following:
- Calcutta Unitarian Committee
- Tabernacle of New Dispensation
- Indian Reforms Association
Keshab Chandra Sen is associated with the establishment of which of the above?
(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Aligarh Muslim University
- AMU is a public central university in Aligarh, India, which was originally established by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College in 1875.
- Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College became Aligarh Muslim University in 1920, following the Aligarh Muslim University Act.
- It has three off-campus centres in Malappuram (Kerala), AMU Murshidabad centre (West Bengal), and Kishanganj Centre (Bihar).
Its establishment
- The university was established as the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental (MAO) College in 1875 by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, starting functioning on 24 May 1875.
- The movement associated with Syed Ahmad Khan and the college came to be known as the Aligarh Movement, which pushed to realize the need for establishing a modern education system for the Indian Muslim populace.
- He considered competence in English and Western sciences necessary skills for maintaining Muslims’ political influence.
- Khan’s vision for the college was based on his visit to Oxford University and Cambridge University, and he wanted to establish an education system similar to the British model.
About Syed Ahmad Khan
- He was an Islamic pragmatist, reformer, and philosopher of nineteenth-century British India.
- Born into a family with strong debts to the Mughal court, Ahmed studied the Quran and Sciences within the court.
- He was awarded an honorary LLD from the University of Edinburgh in 1889.
- In 1838, Syed Ahmed entered the service of East India Company and went on to become a judge at a Small Causes Court in 1867, retiring from 1876.
- During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, he remained loyal to the British Raj and was noted for his actions in saving European lives.
- In 1878, he was nominated to the Viceroy’s Legislative Council.
- He supported the efforts of Indian political leaders Surendranath Banerjee and Dadabhai Naoroji to obtain representation for Indians in the government and civil services.
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
