Learning to remember, learning to believe LIVES OF OTHERS | Zahra Patel, whose name means bright and shining, had known difficulty and has overcome it with faith
Zahra Patel has walked down to the petrol pump near Jora Girja on Lower Circular Road to take me to her home. It is in a lane that branches off from the main road. She lives in a small two-roomed flat in a building that houses many families. Zahra, who is 20, is a quiet, soft-spoken person with her petite frame covered in a burqa. But there is about her, and her eyes, an intensity that is immediately arresting.
As AMU turns 100, Mumbai reflects on its historic bonds
By Mohammed Wajihuddin| Updated: 22nd December 2020 5:48 pm IST
Mohammed Wajihuddin
An inscription in Urdu and English at Sir Syed Hall, one of the earliest hostels at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), has an interesting piece of information.
It states that in 1907, philanthropist and the first Indian Sheriff of Mumbai, Sir Adamji Peerbhoy, donated Rs 1.1 lakh to the Mohammedan Anglo Oriental (MAO) College’s funds committee to make it a university. It was the largest individual contribution to the university project then. MAO College became AMU on December 1, 1920. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairs AMU’s December 22 online centenary celebrations, it seems apt to revisit the historic bonds AMU has with Mumbai.