Sir Syed Day in Northern Calfornia

Sir Syed Day in Northern California has become a “must attend” part of our annual South Asian community cultural calendar here. And this year on October 12, the Aligarh Muslim University Alumni Association of Northern California once again did not disappoint us, as the gathering at the Chandni Restaurant in the San Francisco Bay Area town of Newark lived up to the expectations of the close to 500 people who came to honor the memory of this great man, and the International Mushaira (Urdu poetry recital) plus Banquet Dinner that always accompanies this event. And since this gathering was skipped last year (it became another victim of the 9/11/2001 terrorist attacks on America), it was a kind of family reunion of sorts after a two-year separation for Indians and Pakistanis here who are either directly or indirectly connected to Sir Syed’s legacy, namely the Aligarh Muslim University located in Northern India.

Now how does one introduce Syed Ahmad Khan to a readership that may not have heard of him? A modernist Muslim thinker, an innovator in the pursuit of education, a beacon of hope to millions of Muslims in what was once British India and possibly just someone who grasped the right moment in history to guide a people out of the mindset of defeat. Needless to say, if there had been no Sir Syed to show the Muslims of British India that after their final loss of power in 1857 to the British and their subsequent mindset of defeat and self-denial, few from amongst us (Indian and Pakistani Muslims) would have pursued a western scientific education. And quite possibly fewer of our people would have been here at this event being somewhat comfortable with the English language and making our marks in various fields especially in technical professions.

The evening started with dinner in the South Asian Mughlai tradition. Mr. Shaheer Khan next began the formalities by inviting Mr. Imtiaz Ali to recite from the holy Qura’n (which was followed by it’s English Translation). Mr. Khan returned and speaking in Urdu welcomed everyone with the hope that they enjoy the evening as much as the Aligarh Alumni Association members enjoyed putting it together. He briefly reflected on the historical journey of the Association before inviting its current President, Mrs. Shahla Nihal Khan on to the stage to address us.

Mrs. Shahla Khan speaking in fluent Urdu spoke of the tragic events of 9/11 last year that not only disrupted many of our lives but the plans for Sir Syed Day 2001 too. She stressed the fact that education was an absolute need of all people and that Sir Syed’s message of a century ago is extremely relevant today. She compared the difficult lives of the uneducated segments of societies everywhere and (keeping current events in mind)

that sometimes education can change hate born of ignorance, to love. She said that membership to the association was open to all (anyone interested can contact the Association by phone at (650)-212-ALIG, by mail at P.O. Box 4361 Foster City, CA 94404 USA or its website at http://www.amualumni.org/ ).

Mrs. Shahla Khan also made us aware of the Sir Syed Scholarship Program that the Association has been promoting which has so far helped over 200 bright but disadvantaged students to pursue their educational goals (at Aligarh and elsewhere).

She said that this was all due to generous contributions that were received from people like us and she specifically mentioned an endowment fund and thanked Dr. Hasan Kamil for his generosity towards it. Mrs. Khan asked for ideas from people in the gathering on furthering the Association’s activities and closed her speech with some moving poetry.

Mr. Shaheer Khan then returned with an appeal to look beyond boundaries and countries. He then introduced and invited the Chief Guest of the evening Mr. Ishrat Aziz.

Mr. Aziz has represented the Government of India in Consular and Ambassadorial roles during his past career. But this evening he started off by saying that he was addressing us as a private citizen and not speaking in any official capacity. He then went on to give a very lengthy speech in English which went a bit beyond AMU alumni thinking and was actually quite worthy of a diplomat. But what he said was reasonable to a degree, especially in the context of South Asian (India-Pakistan) relations. He also said, “we need not wait another hundred years for another Sir Syed to return.” He asked what we can learn from Sir Syed’s wisdom and thinking today and went briefly into the background of the formulation of that thought from the 1857 Muslim defeat and how his community continued to show disdain for British rule and ignored their surrounding reality.

He explained how Sir Syed evaluated the British and pointed out which part could be of benefit to his people leading to the encouragement of a scientific way of thinking). Mr. Aziz went on to point out that Sir Syed also recognized the fact that power and a strong economic base go together and that military confrontation against the British at the time was out of question. In Sir Syed’s view the then 70 million Muslims of India had to solve their problems within the parameters of British rule. Mr. Aziz went on to say that “Sir Syed has been criticized for making compromises with the British.” But he added, “he did it to benefit his people.” With “selflessness and integrity” Sir Syed confronted those who questioned his views on many subjects especially religion, and the legacy he left behind is something we can all learn from especially in the emerging global marketplace.

“How people can live together in this shrinking globe as good neighbors?” was something that the Chief Guest spent some time on. His analysis of South Asian neighborhood was somewhat acceptable to most of his listeners but the Middle East it appears was a more difficult topic to tackle. In any case Mr. Ishrat Aziz needs to be commended for his candor. And even though some in the gathering may have disagreed with him, one cannot deny that the basic premise of peaceful coexistence has a great deal of merit.

The next part of the program was the Aligarh University slide show, which succeeded in rekindling many fond memories. The background vocals to the slides were the Aligarh University anthem known as Tarana-e-Aligarh, an addition that was especially well received (with many in the program audience joining in and adding their voices to its playing).

The final segment of this program was the Mushaira or Urdu poetry recital by both the local practitioners of this very popular craft, and invited poets from both India and Pakistan. Now this is where this reporter may be skating on thin political ice but Urdu, which is the national language of Pakistan originated in Northern India and like Aligarh Muslim University (and the Taj Mahal) its physical nature remains in India. But like AMU (some may even claim that the birth of Pakistan itself is an offshoot of Sir Syed’s legacy) and the Taj Mahal the Urdu language has very passionate admirers in both Pakistan and India And whatever the case may be it is not unimaginable that numerous symbols located in India are cherished by many Pakistanis. Even as the Urdu language gets further “Indianized” (if that is possible?) and is mixed into Hindi (the Persian script is losing ground to the Sanskrit script there) and as Urdu reverts back to more Persian and Arabic (plus Pashto, Baluchi, Sindhi and Punjabi) enrichment amongst Pakistanis it might even witness a symbolic crisis (I will not use the word partition) within itself. But as of today, the “riwayat” or tradition of Urdu Mushairas will not let that happen. Urdu will and should remain a bridge between the many peoples of South Asia because that was the intent of its origins. And as Mr. Bashir Badr from India started the Mushaira segment (over which he presided) and as California resident (originally from Pakistan) Poet Fayyaz Uddin Sahib presented his verses, all in the audience literally became one in appreciation.

Next to present his work, poet of many years and also originally from Pakistan Mr. Farooq Taraz moved us all. His poetry was followed by the verses of none other than Mr. Tariq Sabzwari from Pakistan. We were glad that Mr. Sabzwari graced this gathering because his presentation in “Tarannum” (in song-like fashion) was really appreciated by all, as was his poetry.

Comic poet Popular Meeruthi from India actually was able to prove beyond a doubt as to why he is so “Popular”. Some of us had not laughed this much in quite a while. But Poet Jawaid Syed who has lived in this area for decades whom I refer to as “Pakistan’s poetic voice in the West” soon brought us back to reality. If I may (without butchering his work for which I apologize in advance) “Vajpayee khud hai shayir, zauq hai Pervez ko” (Indian Prime minister Vajpayee is himself a poet and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf is a man of taste), Jawaid Syed was actually presenting a good case for dialogue between India and Pakistan.

Speaking of taste, Poetess Noshi Gilani who is also from Pakistan next moved everyone with her beautiful verses, some of which pertained to the plight of women in our society. Ms. Gilani has developed quite a following in this part of the world plus in South Asia, and she deserves the attention. And our attention was certainly drawn next towards India’s Meraj Faizabadi’s poetry and its depth. Mr. Faizabadi’s style of presentation forces one to pay close attention and there is much to appreciate his work.

Poet Bashir Badr closed the opening segment of this Mushaira by reflecting on the time when President Musharraf went to India for a summit with Prime Minister Vajpayee.

Mr. Badr is a man of great wit besides being a seasoned poet. The very professional way that he presided over this Mushaira was recognized by all of us in the gathering.

The event continued deep into the night and we had to leave during the second session. But in closing it is heartening to note that these Urdu poets remain at the forefront of promoting India-Pakistan peace and understanding. It should also be noted that the message of Sir Syed was one of cooperation and peace. It was one of competing through scientific education while keeping one’s identity intact. Sir Syed’s legacy became a very positive force in pre-partition and post independence South Asia. And in a way it remains very relevant to all Muslims worldwide and their neighbors today as the post 9/11 “Clash of Civilizations” threatens to become a reality.