Obituary – Saiyid Hamid

New Delhi: Saiyid Hamid, former Indian Civil Services (ICS) officer and former Vice chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University died at the age of 95 in Majidia Hospital of Jamia Hamdard on December 29, 2014.
One of the last surviving officers of the British trained ICS cadres, Saiyid Hamid came to prominence with his appointment as vice chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University on June 1, 1980. He brought in sweeping reforms in the AMU and struck heavily against the vested interests who had made the university hostel its den for nefarious activities. Prior to his arrival, students from former feudal (zamindar) families of Uttar Pradesh used to occupy hostels for decades together enrolling themselves in courses like Bachelor of Law, Education, History and Islamic Studies with no intention to seriously pursue academics. He wielded the broom mercilessly and students brought in regulation that made it impossible for non-serious students to enroll for a professional course after another. It required them to leave the university and come after passage of another year. This had the effect of hostels””providing most inexpensive food and accommodation””being vacated by anti social elements who indulged in politics, ragging and running other rackets. The measure introduced a lot of discipline and seriousness in academics and enabled the University to make some grade among the Central Universities.
Saiyid Hamid also served as member of the Sachar Committee, Maulana Azad Foundation, editor of the Nation and the World, Chancellor of Jamia Hamdard, Delhi and pro-chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
Mr. Hamid served every institution with sincerity, honesty and extreme dignity. He was born in 1920 in Faizabad of Uttar Pradesh. After retirement from Aligarh, he moved to the Jamia Hamdard and became a close confidant of Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the chief mutawalli and founder of Jamia Hamdard and Taleemabad educational complexes. He also stewarded the Hamdard Study Circle and Hamdard Public School on the path of progress at the Taleemabad campus for nearly three decades.
His wife died two years ago. He is survived by his son and two daughters. He was laid to rest in the famous Panj Peeran Qabrastan in the Basti Nizamuddin in New Delhi.
His passing away has left a deep void in Delhi’s Muslim life as people often looked up to him for guidance in educational field.