Members of the Jamia Millia Islamia Alumni Association, Riyadh, converged on April 12 for “A Jamia Campus Across the Sea.” Themed around the promotion of Urdu among the young and the old, the event afforded opportunities for interaction, cooperation and camaraderie for Jamia alumni. Over three hundred people participated in the event, which began in 2008. The program began with the recitation of the Holy Qur'an by Abdul Mateen, after which the president of the association, Khursheed Anwar, welcomed the guests. Ahsan Nadwi, an eloquent public speaker, introduced the new office bearers and the executive committee. Chief guest Nadem Nadwi, CEO of Saudi Cricket Center (SCC) and a prominent Jamiaite in the Kingdom, was welcomed by senior Jamiaites including Salman Azmi, Shahabuddin, and Abdul Ghani. Nadwi said he still has a strong sense of association with the institution. He also spoke about the role of the SCC and assured the association of his support in all matters pertaining to cricket in the Kingdom. An exciting cricket match was held early in the evening. Syed Aftab Ali Nizami and Azmatullah Khan, captains of their respective teams, were the main organizers of the match. Urdu poetry by renowned poets came alive during the Bait Baazi (Urdu poetry competition), which Abdul Rahman hosted. Two teams participated, composed of Shabbir Nadwi, Salman Abrar, Mohammad Haroon Qasmi, Mohammad Asjad, Mohammad Irfan and Abbas Ali Siddiqui. General Secretary Zafar A. Bari presented a report on the association's various activities, followed by three inspiring lectures on Jamia's role in the promotion of Urdu. Mahdi cited the steps the university has taken over the years, such as introducing compulsory elementary Urdu at the graduate level and offering correspondence courses for non-Urdu-speaking people. It has also adopted the language as a medium of instruction, housing three Urdu-medium schools on its campus, apart from being home to Maktaba Jamia Ltd. (MJL). Former President Murshid Kamal lamented the disuse of Urdu and the hypocrisy of parents who bemoan the decline of Urdu but do not put their children in Urdu-medium schools. He said that products of Urdu-medium schools are in no way inferior to their counterparts from English-medium schools. Dr. Shfaatullah Khan, senior founding member, recounted his days as an employee of Jamia, where applications were submitted in chaste Urdu. He spoke about various facilities including the MJL and monthly magazines such as Jamia Monthly and Islam and the Modern Age. An open forum was also held to encourage members to participate in the decision-making process. Gifts and mementoes were handed out to winners and guests while certificates of participation were given to participants. Prizes were sponsored by Akram and Dr. Tanseer. Budding artists unleashed their creativity, with 63 children from nursery through class five participating in a drawing and painting competition led by Razia Zaidi and art teachers Iffat Nadeem, Sania Nisar, and Nazima Tanseer. Children from class six to 12 participated in an essay competition to encourage children to express themselves in the rich Urdu language. Sayed Aftab Ali Nizami, vice president, thanked everyone on behalf of the association for making the evening truly memorable. Special acknowledgments were given to Adeel Ahmad, Masood Farooqui, Dr. Tanseer, Asif Eqbal, Laique Azmi, Zuhair Islam, Zafar Alam, Irshad Ahmad, Mohammad Ghayasuddin, and Irfanullah and Naushad Alam for their significant contributions to the event.
