Vivek Shukla
Proud Aligarians all over the world are celebrating the birth anniversary of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, founder of Aligarh Muslim University AMU today October 17.
They are remembering him with deep sense of gratitude and admiration. Aligarians are both powerful and resourceful lot. Sadly though, they have never ensured that the birth place of one of the greatest educationist of India converted into a heritage building or a library.
For years together his house in Darya Ganj area of Delhi-6 remained in shambles. Maqsood Ahmad, my old friend and a teacher of Physics at Anglo Arabic School, recently took me with another dear friend Chandra Bhushanji to same place recently.
To our utter surprise, a brand new housing complex came up there. Many families are living there. So the chances of converting Sir Syed’s birth place into heritage building or library is now almost over.
Few years back I took up this issue with the then Chief Minister of Delhi, Shiela Dikshit when she came at Vivek Vihar to attend a function.
She assured me that she would see to it that this place becomes a library. Couple of years ago, both Maqsood Ahmed and I even approached Mr.Shoaib Iqbal, the local MLA to use his good office so that a venerable place gets its due importance.
Unfortunately nothing has happened. Now, will Aligarian come together and at least put a plaque in front of Sir Syed’s birth place?