Aligarh: Aligarh Muslim University mourned and paid rich tributes to its alumnus Prof B Sheik Ali who was a renowned historian and former Vice Chancellor of Goa and Mangalore universities. He passed away in Mysuru after a brief illness. He was 98 years old.
“It is with great sadness that I learned of the passing of Prof Sheik Ali. On behalf of the AMU community, I send the deepest condolences to the deceased’s family and friends. We are all mourning the sad demise, but we will keep celebrating his remarkable seminal works and contributions. It was an honor to have known such a great person”, said AMU Vice Chancellor, Prof Tariq Mansoor.
Prof Gulfishan Khan (Chairperson, Centre of Advanced Study, Department of History) extended earnest commiseration to Prof Sheik Ali’s family and friends.
“There are few people who have had such a profound impact on the way we look at history. His energy and life-long dedication to his academic areas will continue to inspire generations of historians across the country”, she said.
Prof Sheik Ali authored 32 books which include, ‘A Leader Reassessed: Life and Work of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, a book exploring what all propelled Sir Syed to focus on modern education, and ‘Dr. Zakir Hussain Life and Times, A Comprehensive Biography’, a scintillating array of multifaceted accomplishments of the celebrated educationist.
He also translated Maulana Abul Kalam Azad’s ‘Tarjuman-ul-Quran’ and ‘Javed Nama’ by poet Sir Muhammad Iqbal.
Prof Sheik Ali was also an authority on Mysuru rulers Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan and had carried out extensive research on the Mysuru Kingdom in the British era.
He attained PhDs from the Aligarh Muslim University in 1954 and the University of London in 1960 and presided over the 47th session of the Indian History Congress in 1986.
Prof Sheik Ali was the founder and president of the Karnataka History Conference.
He was the recipient of the Golden Jubilee Award of the Mysore University for research in Humanities and Social Sciences, Rajyotsava Award for Distinguished Educationist, Mythic Society of India Award for Distinguished Historian, and Maulana Jauhar Award in 2003. After retirement, Prof Sheik Ali founded the Sultan Shaheed Educational Trust, Mysuru, which established many educational institutions in Mysuru.
Prof Sheik Ali is survived by his wife, son, and daughter.
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