tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109781612012-02-15T11:22:50.283+05:30This Blog features some interesting facts, stories and anecdotes about my Alma mater - Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). All the Aligarians (as the AMU alumni love to be called) are most cordially invited to visit this BLOG and share their interesting anecdotes with me. ~ Qais MujeebQaishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07593500912287859247noreply@blogger.comBlogger221100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10978161.post-59076688338132890442011-06-28T18:13:00.005+05:302011-06-28T23:16:38.225+05:30

Ragging is now officially banned in most educational institutions but it hasn't ever existed at AMU for ages. Though, a milder form, fondly known as “Intro” has been prevalent ever since AMU came into existence. The rules of “Intro” were quite clear: No physical assault, Abusive language prohibited, and Room-mates can’t ask you for an Intro. It used to be mostly around word play and sense of

Qaishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07593500912287859247noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10978161.post-11976383083647968782009-02-01T15:17:00.002+05:302012-01-29T21:53:09.037+05:30

When I was at AMU, I never bothered to figure this out but once I was away from AMU after completing my education, I always looked out for Aligs. So, what are the traits that hint at the other person being be an aligarian, too. The question is: How do we search for an Aligarian when we are travelling, staying in a Hotel, visiting public places, and so on. In other words, what rings a bell...Let

Qaishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07593500912287859247noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10978161.post-9520855354425251202008-12-22T12:46:00.000+05:302009-01-06T14:06:07.244+05:30

हर शाम है शाम-ऐ-मिस्र यहाँ, हर शब् है शब्-ऐ-शीराज़ यहाँ;ज़र्रात का बोसा लेने को, सौ बार झुका आकाश यहाँ;ख़ुद आँख से हमने देखि है बातिल कि शिकस्त-ऐ-फाश यहाँ ............यह मेरा चमन है मेरा चमन, मैं अपने चमन का बुलबुल हूँ....... _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________No prose or poetry could better

Armannoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10978161.post-82683254358845512732008-02-23T13:04:00.000+05:302009-08-09T21:14:08.796+05:30

It would not be unfair to say that Aligarh has two old and historical forts namely, Aligarh Fort and Abdullah Hall (Fort). I can’t comment much about the first one but the second one fascinated the imagination of most aligs of my time.Abdullah Hall is a miniature walled city in its own. It houses several astabals (hostels), granaries (Dining Halls), aslah-khanas (Warden Houses), arenas and

Qaishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07593500912287859247noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10978161.post-56008371035916223582008-02-15T11:38:00.000+05:302008-02-15T17:27:43.469+05:30

This is my tribute to the Great Aligarian Numaish. I regret not being able to attend this grand carnival of Aligarh for the ninth consecutive year in succession. Photo Courtesy: http://aligarh.nic.in/numaish.htmThe Rajakiya Agriculture and Industrial Exhibition, Aligarh better known as Aligarh Numaish, is one of the priceless memories Aligarians carry in their hearts. This event has been

Qaishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07593500912287859247noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10978161.post-32368126222528394262007-08-16T17:58:00.000+05:302007-08-16T18:41:38.806+05:30

This post comes after a long hiatus and it has been triggered by the comments of appreciation i continue to receive from my Alig brothers. So, here goes the caravan of memories, alive, once again.This post is dedicated to all those aligarians who took immense pleasure and interest in naming people. Not because the people given new names or titles has unusual names which were tough to spell or

Qaishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07593500912287859247noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10978161.post-1154693031174526262006-08-04T17:13:00.000+05:302007-01-18T05:04:35.086+05:30

All Old and prestigious educational institutions have some things in common. They have good old buildings that boast of their being emblems of modernity in the past, their unique and distinct culture and their distinguished alumni. Likewise, my beloved alma mater - AMU, has these things as well.AMU has a history of its own. It has old buildings with marvellous architecture. And it has a set of

Qaishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07593500912287859247noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10978161.post-1153138025732023362006-07-17T17:31:00.001+05:302011-06-28T18:34:01.902+05:30

Kennedy Hall is the Central Auditorium of AMU. Apart from screening the award winning movies during the Film Festival, it hosts a plethora of events. The events include Musical Nights, Plays, and interactive sessions with University guests, high-profile alumni and dignitaries visiting the campus.Performing at Kennedy auditorium is a feat in itself for AMU students. Anyone who could repeatedly

Qaishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07593500912287859247noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10978161.post-1143544094343447502006-03-28T15:43:00.000+05:302006-07-28T17:23:54.600+05:30

It happened to me, and this could not happen anywhere else except AMU!! As a member of the University Literary Club (ULC), I was closely involved in the day-to-day functioning of the Club and the General Education Center (GEC). Initially, I did not have a very good opinion about the university staff assigned for the GEC, however, this incident changed my perspective altogether.It was my hobby and

Armannoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10978161.post-1142850562438358902006-03-20T15:09:00.000+05:302006-09-18T19:13:04.630+05:30

I haven't updated Aligarhnama for last two months and all this while I had been craving for leisure and peace of mind coz it is like... Think AMU, think Leisure. Anyway, I am here now and I am here with another wonderful snapshot from Aligarh.Imagine..Saturday night... Beginning of a month... You received your Demand Draft from your folks... A wonderful movie running at Tasveer Mahal.... A

Qaishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07593500912287859247noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10978161.post-1136799293694183942006-01-09T14:48:00.000+05:302006-12-25T00:21:26.860+05:30

"Majaz" or "Majaz Lakhnawi" who's original name was Asrar-ul-Haq, was the poet who composed the unfogettable Aligarh Tarana. Unfortunately, he is not too often remembered by those sing the tarana written by him.Majaz never got his due while he was alive and died a tragic death. Fortunately, people are slowly realizing his importance and a couple of functions were organized to commemorate his 50th

Qaishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07593500912287859247noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10978161.post-1135405043708437172005-12-24T11:40:00.000+05:302006-10-24T19:39:45.460+05:30

I got this nazm from someone who's a student of Women's College, AMU Aligarh. According to the sources, this nazm has been quite popular among the residents of Abdullah Hall. For now, you all can enjoy reading it...~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Abbu ki dua aur Ammi ka pyaar, lekar maen Aligarh aayaSaturday ki thi woh raat, Jab ladkon mein naya josh paayaMaine poocha " Bhai, aaj baat

Qaishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07593500912287859247noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10978161.post-1135057326528671852005-12-20T10:37:00.000+05:302007-02-06T02:20:28.853+05:30

Aligarh Tarana is to Aligarh Muslim University(AMU) what any college song is to a college. When Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru visited Aligarh Muslim University, he enquired the students and authorities about their college song or something like it. Having got no concrete answer, he expressed his surprise by saying, "It is very strange that a prestigious university as AMU doesn't have its own college

Qaishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07593500912287859247noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10978161.post-1125469913707620692005-08-31T11:41:00.000+05:302006-09-26T17:29:27.230+05:30

Ruckus, Chaos, Pandemonium and Tumult are a few words which can very vaguely represent the Hindi word - Bhasad. Actually Bhasad goes much beyond the realms of simple noise or commotion. It is much more than that. Generally, it happens out of desperation but many a times, it is very well planned and executed. Sometimes, it has a clear objective and an ulterior motive.In Aligarh of my days, Bhasad

Qaishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07593500912287859247noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10978161.post-1114080937565075522005-04-21T16:15:00.000+05:302005-08-31T16:35:48.116+05:30

My previous post on "Café culture at AMU" definitely points to one common trait of aligarians, that is, most of them are addicted to Tea. Before and after every important activity, they would prefer having a cup of Tea.For Aligarians, Tea is the drink of all moments and times. If they want to celebrate, they have Tea. If they are unhappy about something, they have Tea. If they want to tell you

Qaishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07593500912287859247noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10978161.post-1113892370512769402005-04-19T11:01:00.000+05:302006-11-05T15:34:02.286+05:30

In the good old days of AMU, students didn't have too many options for a place to have some good tea, with some snacks and plenty of discussions. But I heard from my seniors that there were few spots which were treated as special by the students. These spots did exist in my time as well i.e. till 1999 but they had lost their charm by that time. To avoid any further mystery-making, I must disclose

Qaishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07593500912287859247noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10978161.post-1111404021037432732005-03-21T16:46:00.000+05:302005-03-21T16:50:21.040+05:30

Aligarh LocksThere are a couple of more things that have the name of Aligarh associated with them. To begin with, Aligarh is famous for locks. The lock industry is one of the major sources of employment for the economically weaker sections of people, in and around Aligarh. Aligarh Locks are very famous all around the country or wherever in the world, there are some aligarians.Aligarh

Qaishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07593500912287859247noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10978161.post-1109679335032303702005-03-01T17:32:00.000+05:302006-11-24T11:55:38.020+05:30

AMU, being a residential university, has a set of rules and etiquette for daily life, also referred to as "traditions of AMU". These rules have been there ever since AMU came into existence. No single person can claim its ownership. It must have grown over the years, a new rule must have been added as and when our very old students of AMU felt its need. The primary need for such traditions was

Qaishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07593500912287859247noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10978161.post-1109586723383357392005-02-28T15:37:00.000+05:302005-02-28T16:02:03.386+05:30

Marris Road is indeed one of the most important streets in Aligarh. The distnguished status of this street comes from the beautiful, large and palatial bungalows and Kothis situated on the both sides of this road. According to a very senior Aligarian in Hyderabad, there used to be days when Marris Road was called Paris Road because of the rich and elite who inhabited those bungalows. All of them

Qaishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07593500912287859247noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10978161.post-1109585149302984492005-02-28T15:21:00.000+05:302006-10-12T20:07:21.050+05:30

One of the Famous 'M's stand for "Muslim University". Obviously, it refers to Aligarh Muslim University and it is Aligarh city's primary attraction. When in Aligarh, i used to say that Aligarh minus AMU is a village and it wasn't much exaggeration. If you happen to visit the old city of Aligarh which is called sheher (Ironic ! Isn't it?) by people living near the university campus, you can know

Qaishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07593500912287859247noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10978161.post-1109074485226184572005-02-22T17:33:00.000+05:302006-03-29T11:25:52.986+05:30

You surely must be thinking that i had something wrong in my nursery school education. No it isn't. I know that the word "Aligarh" starts with Alphabet 'A' but the most popular things Aligarh (to be more precise - AMU) was associated with, have thier names starting with the Alphabet 'M'.In my times, I was told that there are 5 'M's in Aligarh which are very famous. Later in my life, when I met a

Qaishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07593500912287859247noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10978161.post-1108981839586609632005-02-21T15:19:00.000+05:302006-09-07T22:37:36.730+05:30

This Blog is dedicated to the educational institution which was started by Sir Sayyad Ahmed Khan as a college called Muhammadan Anglo Oriental (M.A.O.) College. This college which was started in 1885 went to become a University in 1920. Since then, it is known as "Aligarh Muslim University". This university is also known as "Chaman-e Sir Sayyad" since he was the one who sowed the seeds and

Qaishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07593500912287859247noreply@blogger.com9