Saturday, October 18, 2014

17 October : Sir Syed Ahmad Khan's birth anniversary


"The first requisite for the progress of a nation is the brotherhood and unity amongst sections of the society." - Sir Syed Ahmad Khan

Sir Syed Ahmad Khan (17 October 1817 – 27 March 1898), born Syed Ahmad Taqvi was an Anglo-Indian, Muslim philosopher, pragmatist, and social activist of nineteenth century India. Born into Mughal nobility, Sir Syed earned a reputation as a distinguished scholar while working as a jurist for the British East India Company's rule in India.

In 1842, Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar–II conferred upon Sir Syed the title of Javad-ud Daulah, conferred upon Sir Syed's grandfather Syed Hadi by Emperor Shah Alam II around the middle of the 18th century. In addition, the Emperor added the title of Arif Jang. The conferment of these titles was symbolic of Sir Syed's incorporation into the nobility of Delhi. Sir Syed founded the famous Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) in 1875 with the aim of promoting social, scientific, and economic development of Indian Muslims.