Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — The cherub-looking sexagenarian with his gleaming eyes — shining more prominently when asserting a point — exudes an aura of determination and resoluteness while talking about the many challenges he is facing in the Nizam's Hyderabad in the nascent Indian state of Telangana and in the labyrinth lanes of Ghalib's Dilli and then on to the mandarins of Lutyens' Delhi. Dr. Muhammad Aslam Parvaiz, vice chancellor of Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU), a premier institution of higher learning in the historic city of Hyderabad, seems to be a man with a mission. Single-handedly he tried to rid his establishment, named after the first education minister of independent India, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, of corruption, favoritism, nepotism and all other ills plaguing it. In doing so, he says he faced a barrage of mudslinging and numerous attempts to malign his well-earned reputation as an able and competent administrator and an educationist par excellence. "I am not one who can be cowed easily. I cannot be bullied or tyrannized. I am not made of that metal," he told a select group of journalists here during a recent tête-à-tête over a cup of aromatic Turkish coffee. Owing to personal reasons, Dr. Parvaiz offered to step down as MANUU vice chancellor and wanted to resume his duties as principal of the Delhi-based Zakir Hussain College. "My letter of resignation was taken as a sign of weakness and the chancellor (Firoz Ahmed Bakht) started a campaign tarnishing my image. He even went on to claim that the ministry of human resources development gave me an option to face inquiry into various irregularities or resign. This is all nonsense and a canard. The ministry gave me a clean chit when I was quizzed on the matter some time ago," he said. Dr. Parvaiz has written missives to ministry officials calling Chancellor Bakht's bluff and seeking action against the latter for casting unsubstantiated and fallacious aspersions on him. He has even moved the high office of President Ram Nath Kovind, the university's visitor, to apprise him of the real situation. "I firmly believe in fate. It has already been ordained by Almighty Allah. This unwavering belief has come to me through a deep and thorough study of the Qur'an. I am sure I will come out of this mess as clean as I was when I came into this world," he said. The Noble Qur'an is Dr. Parvaiz's pet subject. He minced no words when he said that it was because of his deep understanding of the Book of Allah and his attempt to adhere to its true and sublime teachings that gave him the courage of conviction to fight all the odds stacked against him. "Qur'an is the panacea to all the problems afflicting mankind. It is the elixir of life. Qur'an is for the whole of humanity, not only for Muslims. Dr. Parvaiz was in Jeddah as a guest of honor at an event marking the 202nd birth anniversary of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, the sub-continent's greatest educationist and reformist. With a total of 35 years in the teaching profession, Dr. Parvaiz, a PhD in botany, is also the Director of the Islamic Foundation for Science and Environment, a charitable trust established with an aim to undertake studies on the interface of science/environment and Islam and to create scientific and environmental awareness. Prior to taking up his position at MANUU, Dr. Parvaiz served as principal of Zakir Husain Delhi College from 2005 to 2015. Earlier at MANUU, he served as the regional director of the university between 1998 and 1999. Dr. Parvaiz spearheads several educational and social movements, primarily focusing on Muslim youth to create awareness of the importance of literacy and the need to do away with all social evils. "These social evils, no doubt, are a great impediment to the progress and welfare of our society and our nation. I have always emphasized the need for to come closer to the Qur'an and its sublime message and the teachings of our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him)." The Qur'an, he said, is not meant only for Muslims; it is a guidance and a light for the whole of humanity. "If we come closer to the Book of Allah and grasp its true teachings, then only will we be able to give a befitting reply to those who are targeting Islam and Muslims for all the bad that is happening in the world," he said. For close to three decades now, Dr. Parvaiz is single-handedly bringing out a monthly magazine called Science in Urdu. The thing that makes this journal unique is that this is India's only monthly magazine on science and technology in Urdu.
