NewDelhi: Prof. Tariq Mansoor, Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU)On August 15 inaugurated a permanent gallery at the Maulana Azad (MA) Library that showcasesrare photographs and writings of prominent AMU alumni who played a seminal role in propelling the freedom struggle of India.
More than 40 independence fighters, including Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar, Hasrat Mohani, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Bharat Ratna, Dr. Zakir Husain, Raja Mahendra Pratap, Abdul Majeed Khwaja, and Qazi Adeel Abbasi, are honoured in the gallery for their inspirational contributions.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof Mansoor said, “We decided to establish a separate gallery at the M A Library that would hold the writings and photos of freedom fighters from the university to call attention to the significant but little-known contribution of AMU alumni to the Freedom Movement”.
The Freedom Fighters Gallery has been motivated by the speech delivered by the Prime Minister at the AMU Centenary Celebration in December 2020 in which the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi advised AMU to highlight and do research regarding Freedom Fighters, he added.
AMU Librarian, Prof Nishat Fatima underlined, “Focus has been placed particularly on women freedom fighters such as Begum Nishautunnisa Mohani and Begum Khurshid Khwaja who fought with true spirit and undaunted courage and faced hardships to earn us freedom”.
“When men fighting for independence were imprisoned, the Indian women including prominent AMU alumni came forward and took charge of the struggle. The list of these great women whose names have gone down in history for their dedication and undying devotion to the service of India is a long one”, she pointed out.
Prof Nishat said: “It not only displays the contribution of political figures but also showcases books and other writing works of literary greats such as Saadat Hasan Manto, Hayatullah Ansari, Ali Sardar Jafri, Josh Malihabadi, Ismat Chughtai, and Khwaja Ahmad Abbas who helped to shape the Indian conscience during the freedom struggle. More than one hundred books in English, Hindi, and Urdu by AMU freedom fighters are put on display at the gallery”
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