Former Chief Justice of India Tirath Singh Thakur said on Sunday that Sir Syed’s message of peaceful co-existence was more relevant today than ever before.
Delivering the commemoration address in Aligarh Muslim University to mark the 204th birth anniversary of its founder, Mr. Thakur said Sir Syed was a great champion of Hindu-Muslim unity and his ideas of secularism and inclusiveness are reflective in the way AMU works.
“Some of the very rare translations of Ramayan, Geeta and other scriptures are preserved at AMU and the university attracts students from all religious communities,” said the chief guest.
He emphasised the fact that AMU brings positive stories of diversity and inclusion to the forefront was also acknowledged by PM Narendra Modi who called AMU a ‘mini India’.
Mr. Thakur added, “Sir Syed’s vision of a civil society, his efforts for creating pragmatic awareness about what ailed Indians, his secular vocabulary and his well thought out model of indigenous modernism in contrast to colonial modernism make him relevant in the post-modern world.”
He honoured British historian Dr. Francis Robinson and acclaimed Indian theorist and former Sahitya Akademi president Prof. Gopi Chand Narang with the Sir Syed Excellence Awards in the international and the national categories respectively.
AMU V-C Prof. Tariq Mansoor said, “It is a matter of pride that the university is today ranked among the top Indian educational institutions by various ranking agencies.”
