A Heady Mix of Ambition and Academia

The narrative explores the venerable institution and walks the precipice between aspiration and necessity

- By Ganesh Saili

There is no sweeping the dirt under the carpet. Otherwise, how could it have come to pass that one family ended up with 35 people on the payroll of the AMU? Or that priceless paintings vanished as people squabbled?

The first student at MAO College was Hamidullah, the son of Maulvi Samiullah Khan. An 11-year-old kid, he was introduced to potential donors in Punjab during fundraising campaigns as an example of the kind of person the proposed institution would serve. Other students were wards of relatives and friends of Maulvi Samiullah and Sir Syed from Delhi. Others were wards of subordinates in various courts. Though Aligarh was founded primarily for Muslims, it warmly welcomed Hindu students. The boarders were lodged in separate Hindi bungalows. In the first year, the student body was an all-Muslim one, but thereafter it always included a significant number of Hindus.