JEDDAH — The Aligarh Muslim University Old Boys Association (AMOUBA), Jeddah, celebrated the 199th birth anniversary of its founder Sir Syed Ahmad Khan on Friday with great zeal and exuberance on Friday. The event on the premises of Indian Consulate General was attended by over 400 alumni of the university and their families. [caption id="attachment_102093" align="alignright" width="300"] Indian Ambassador Ahmad Javed addressing the Sir Syed Day event in Jeddah.[/caption]The chief guest was Indian Ambassador Ahmad Javed, who came down from Riyadh just to attend the event. Consul General Noor Rahman Shaikh was the guest of honor. The event began with the recitation of the Holy Quran by Mufti Sufiyan. As per the tradition of Sir Syed Day celebrations, the senior most alumnus of AMU present in the audience is nominated to preside over the event. This year the mantle was bestowed upon Dr. Dishad Shamsi, who joined the university in 1963. In his welcome address, AMUOBA President Azizurrab highlighted the achievements of the executive committee carried out in past year. He thanked the Aligarh fraternity of the Western region for their support in raising funds to support various social and charitable causes. He also requested the Indian Embassy and the Consulate General to help secure official permissions to hold the event at larger venues where more people can be accommodated. The request was reciprocated by the diplomats in positivity. Ambassador Javed in his speech emphasized the alumni of the esteemed institution should not only limit themselves to remembering the great visionary Sir Syed Ahmad Khan but should take forward his legacy and vision by implementing it. He praised the vision of Sir Syed who sensed the problems faced by India's Muslims 200 years ago and which still prevail. The ambassador praised the the alumni for providing scholarships to the students of AMU, which will help raise the bar for achieving excellence. Consul General Shaikh thanked the AMUOBA Jeddah Chapter for their support rendered to the food drive organized by the consulate for distressed laborers. He talked about Sir Syed's determination and the difficulties faced by him in fulfilling his mission. He cited by example how people branded him a non-Muslim. A directory cum souvenir, "Connecting the Aligs", was released by the chief guest. Aqeel Jamil introduced the directory team. In order to connect all alumni and well-wishers of AMU and the Aligarh Movement, a website was launched www.amuobajeddah.com. The webmaster is Rabnawaz Khan. The ambassador and consul general officially released a book by AMU alumnus Dr. Jameel Ahmad, who is an associate professor at King Abdulaziz University. The book titled "English for Business and Management Students' will be part of the curriculum in many management schools. Excitement and enthusiasm was witnessed among the audience when a quiz competition on the topics of AMU, Sir Syed and the Aligarh Movement was conducted by Athar Rasool and Zia Mufti. The winners were awarded gift hampers. A slide show, prepared by Rabnawaz Khan, was shown, highlighting the activities and achievements of AMOUBA carried out last year, showing their active involvement in organizing a host of social, religious, charitable and educational projects. They included gathering funds to build hostels and the annual Iftar, which was organized with dedicated efforts to serve their alma mater. A skit was staged on the opposition Sir Syed faced when he began the work for educational reform among the Muslims of India. The play was conceptualized and written by the organization's general secretary Asim Zeeshan and performed by Ateeq Siddiqui, Imran Ansari, Tabish Suhail, Burhanuddin Shibli, Shams Tabrez and Zia Mufti. Technical support was provided by Omar Aqeel. A raffle draw was conducted by Mohd. Siraj, Gufran Nishtar and Shams Tabrez where prizes were given to the lucky winners. The sponsors of the directory were called upon to give away the gifts. Vote of thanks was proposed by Vice President of the organization Nooruddin Khan. The program was anchored by Asim Zeeshan in Urdu, adding flavor and splendor to the event. The audience was spellbound when Ateeq Siddiqui and his team echoed the venue with a beautiful rendition of the university anthem "Tarana". This was followed by the playbacks of Saudi and Indian national anthems. The program ended on high note with a sumptuous dinner.
