Mushirul Hasan, a visionary academician and vibrant individual

Jamia Millia Islamia University is not what it used to be. It had a very ordinary look and the building was not at all appealing but today whoever passes through the road, leading to Okhla, can’t help praising the grand and the aesthetic look of the university campus. The huge gates named after great leaders give the University a magnificent look and the credit for this goes to Professor Mushirul Hasan, former Vice Chancellor of the University who passed away on Monday, December 10, at the age of 69.

Professor Mushirul Hasan had a great love for Jamia Milia University. “During his tenure only Jamia got the facelift and now aesthetically, this university can well be called one of the best in India. He had a special love for Jamia. He played a significant role as the Vice Chancellor of Jamia University in making it one of the leading educational institutes of the country. “He had a vision and never hesitated in implementing his ideas and policies”, says senior journalist Qamar Agha.

Remembering Professor Mushirul Hasan’s love for Jamia, Jayati Ghosh, who teaches in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) says “He was a very proactive vice chancellor who played an important role in modernising Jamia Millia Islamia”. It was during his tenure as VC of Jamia Milia that the institution emerged as a quality institution.

Padma Shri Professor Mushirul Hasan, a renowned historian who served as vice-chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia and Director General of the National Archives of India was a vibrant individual and was full of life. “I knew him from his student days when he was my senior in Aligarh Muslim University. He was very good in debate and he used to win most of the awards in debating, whether it was in English or Urdu.” as remembered by Qamar Agha, friend and student of Professor Mushirul Hasan. Qamar Agha, who is deep shock, goes back in time saying “He was an MA student when I joined the University.

He did his masters in History from AMU and then went to Europe for further studies. He also contested in the elections for the post of General Secretary at the AMU Student Union but he lost the tough contest”. People may think that Professor Mushirul was a communist but actually he was not “He was not a communist but was a progressive and a die hard nationalist” says Qamar Agha.

After his return from Europe he joined Jamia as he had old relations with Jamia because his father was professor of history in Jamia. For sometime, he taught in Delhi University and then joined Jamia. He married to his classmate Zoya Hasan who is now a Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University. When he was teaching in Jamia he used to reside in JNU, because Zoya was granted the accommodation, thus he was popular at both the places.

As his friends recall Mushirul Hasan lived and enjoyed every aspect of life. “ Mushir was a very vibrant character, who made documentaries, wrote columns in both English and Urdu, gave talks and above all he was a very friendly person who had a large circle of friends. He was a regular face at discussions conducted by NDTV and BBC, expressing his views on various political issues” shares Qamar Agha.

Mushirul Hasan who hailed from Lucknow spent most of his time in Delhi and did great work on Modern History. He also wrote a lot on the National movement. He worked in several Islamic organisations. He was not confined to teaching or University life as he also gave talks and worked on other political aspects. As a Director General of the National Archives he also wanted the archives to be linked with the Public.

He had a very bad car accident in 2014, and though he made a remarkable recovery he had a very tough life after that. In his death we have lost a great historian, administrator, writer, speaker and a great human being. He was an institution by himself and the gap created by his passing away can never filled.