Book on fascinating JNMC history releases at special function
Aligarh : ‘All about the JNMC, AMU, Aligarh, A Dream That Came True’ by Dr Shariq Aqil (Chief Medical Officer of University Health Services), chronicling diligently the days since 1962, when the dream of noble souls, who stood the test of time, came true with the establishment of the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) popularly abbreviated as JNMC was today released at a special function at the JNMC.
Dr Aqil’s book narrates the fascinating history of over five decades that shaped JNMC as a renowned institution, stories of admired faculty members and anecdotes of the most sought-after students.
“The noble mission to start a medical college at AMU was a new chapter in the history of the Country and it was always felt that the perpetual struggle to establish the medical college carried out with pure love, sincerity and unmatched commitment needs to be documented into a book—and finally it happened when the Vice Chancellor, Prof Tariq Mansoor assigned me the task to pen down this book”, said the author, Dr Shariq Aqil.
He added: “I collected over 80 extra-ordinary photographs of the earliest teachers and wrote accounts of faculty members from the 1960s to the present day and of the distinguished alumni who accomplished an array of achievements in academics and health sector. The result is this book, and I hope the AMU community spread all over the world will love reading it”.
“It is a sign of living nations that they document their histories”, he said adding that this book will introduce the new generation of students to the glorious past of their alma mater.
Presiding over the book release function, AMU Vice Chancellor, Prof Tariq Mansoor said: “The release of this book got delayed by a year due to the pandemic spread. But, thankfully we are here today in the best of health and spirits witnessing this ceremony”.
“History and its documentation are of utmost importance and like other books released by the Publications Department of the university; this book will also provide us with details of our glorious past. The author has meticulously penned down information of all the student batches, dates on which various facilities started and the sessions in which various postgraduate courses began”, he added.
He further said, “This book tells us how JNMC started in the old building of the Department of Biochemistry before finally moving to a separate medical college building”.
“With the publication of books like these, the Publication Division of the university is doing praiseworthy work. I am glad that our books are now available for online purchase and that the digitalisation work of preserved documents and manuscripts is going on successfully both at the Maulana Azad Library and the Sir Syed Academy.
Prof Abdur Raheem Kidwai (Director, K A Nizami Centre for Quranic Studies) said that Dr Shariq Aqil’s book is testament to the positive outlook of the AMU fraternity, their resilience and their role as a stakeholder in Nation building. For since its inception, JNMC has ameliorated the lot of millions of people in distress.
“This book shows how JNMC has changed the scenario in the region by providing the best health care to patients from lower economic strata”, said Prof Rakesh Bhargava (Dean, Faculty of Medicine) while stressing the need for new editions of the book on yearly basis.
Prof Shahid A Siddiqui (Principal, JNMC) emphasised: “Institutions are not made overnight and it is not an easy task to keep historical records for compiling them into books”.
In the welcome address, Prof Ali Mohammad Naqvi (Director, Publication Division) pointed out that despite the pandemic spread; the last two years have seen a lot of useful publications and release of new titles of the Publication Division and other very important events have taken place at AMU such as Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s online address, seminars of the achievements of various faculties and departments and the listing of our books for online sales.
Prof Zehra Mohsin (Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology) and Prof Mohammad Athar Ansari (Department of Community Medicine) delivered reviews of the book in which they shared how the book made them revisit a rush of many memories associated with a lifetime at JNMC.
Dr Faiza Abbasi (Director, UGC HRD Centre) conducted the programme and Dr Mohammad Shahid extended the vote of thanks.