Not everyone is born with a silver spoon. However, to stir one’s destiny in weaving a life of great deeds is a sign of a strong-willed soul.
Born into a family with strong debts to the Mughal court, Sir Syed is a classic example of the saying “Fortune favors the brave.”
Brought up in an era of staunch beliefs, he realized the importance of Science and motivated many others to pursue a scientific format of education.
His legacy does not end in the bygone era. The lamp of his endeavors burns strong even to this day as he keeps on inspiring millions and more today for a better tomorrow, to follow his path of developing a scientific and rational temperament.
Interestingly, a mother is a child’s first teacher.
Sir Syed’s early influence was his mother Aziz-un-Nisa who took special interest in his education
Not only did he carve a niche as an Educationist but also, made a significant mark as a Reformer.
Contrary to the belief that a religious person cannot be scientific and vice-versa, he became an epitome of Religion and Science going hand in hand.
He revolutionized with his advocacy of Islam’s rationalist tradition, and at broader, radical reinterpretation of the Quran to make it compatible with science and modernity This, till date, continues to influence the global religious reformation.
It would be difficult to call this man a biased entity.
He supported the Britishers in their noble endeavors of bringing Western education to India and encouraged fellow countrymen also to take up formal education and jobs in the British Raj to improve their status quo.
However, this definitely did not mean giving away to the shady nuances of the British Raj. He was a man of principles and free thoughts.
During the Indian Mutiny of 1857, he maintained his loyalty towards the Raj and was noted for his actions in saving European lives.
However, after the rebellion, he penned his famous booklet “The Causes of the Indian Mutiny” – a daring critique, at the time, of various British policies that he blamed for causing the revolt.
Moreover, when the Britishers were busy confusing Indians over caste-matters during the nineteenth century, he created a way out for equality among all the groups.
This equality was based not on the cost of the lesser heard thoughts of the minorities but, on a garland which accommodated each and every group as its flower. These all flowers together were the reason for the beauty of the garland.
This was how the roots of Cultural Pluralism were being nurtured in our country.
“We eat the same crop, drink water from the same rivers and breathe the same air.”
Yet each one of us is one of a kind!
“All persons who reside in this country belong to one and the same nation.”
India is a land of Unity in Diversity – a Unity which celebrates Uniqueness.
Nothing in this Universe can stay entirely uniform, uniformity is a myth. This same fact is reflected in and around us when we find our fellow countrymen together for the motherland and merrily embracing and respecting each other with distinct beliefs, languages, cultures and upbringing.
Cultural Pluralism is a beautiful concept on the same lines. The beauty lies in the eye of the fact that the smaller groups within a larger society maintain their unique cultural identities, whereby their values and practices are accepted by the dominant culture, provided such are consistent with the laws and values of the wider society. In today’s evolving world, cultural pluralism has a higher notch as not merely as a fact but as a societal goal.
In India, the social culture that we enjoy is a classic instance of a pluralistic society where groups not only co-exist side by side but also consider qualities of other groups as traits worth having in the dominant culture. This is how the foundation of a Pluralistic society in India stands strong. There is always an effort to place strong expectations of integration on members, rather than expectations of mixing and diluting.The existence of such institutions and practices is possible if the cultural communities are accepted by the larger society in a pluralist culture and sometimes require the protection of the law. This is where our Constitution also aids through its various articles esp., Articles 25 to 28.
Often, the acceptance of a culture may require that the new or minority culture remove some aspects of their culture which are incompatible with the laws or values of the dominant culture.
We are living in a world of globalization where it is pretty easy to get swayed with the ongoing trends, to end up following the herd in a bid to look the same. We live in an era where toddlers these days seem all ears to English phrases rather than to relate with the vernacular language.
As jokingly one may cover up, the Englishmen might have left India but English has not left Indians.
However, hold on.
“Nothing is more disgraceful for any nation than to throw into oblivion its historical heritage and the works of its ancestors.”
These words from Sir Syed are resolute to motivate each one of us to stay deeply connected to our roots and take pride in our unique culture.
Sir Syed stirred a wind of revolution by broadening the horizon of every individual to celebrate his/her unique culture in a true sense.
His monument of embracing the change of times without getting detached from the roots stands tall as Aligarh Muslim University today. It went on to become the epitome of cultural pluralism with his vision of imparting modern education to Muslim brothers who were suffering because of lack of it but keeping the doors of this instituion open for all religions alike as everyone needs education.
“Sons shall go forth throughout the length and breadth of the land to preach the message of free inquiry, of large hearted toleration and of pure morality.”
He showed us the path where each one of us thrives not at the cost of each other but for each other as ‘’the two eyes of the beautiful bride that is Hindustan. The weakness of any of them will spoil the beauty of the bride.”
He professed a greater conscience in humans by infusing the thought that “what we are not ashamed to do before God, we should not fear to do before our fellowmen”. Not only this, he preached to “not show the face of Islam to others; instead show your face as the follower of the Islam representing character, knowledge, tolerance and piety.”
It was the presence of such great educationists like Sir Syed that paved the way for democracy and peaceful co-existence of distinct cultures in India today. As an Indian, one feels overwhelmed to know about the various mega and tiny festivals, and big and small rituals celebrated by every other human in the nation.
Today, almost everything seems a click away and compared to the yester years, things seem more at our beck-and call. Definitely, the human race has progressed a lot if we begin to retrospect.
“The basis of all (Progress) is that you should bring all treasures of knowledge under your control.”