Allama Iqball Hall, AMU, Aligarh

Allama Iqball Hall, AMU, Aligarh
1996 [Written 17 February 2003]

This is an experience that I had when I was in the 2nd year of my B.E. (from A.M.U., Aligarh, U.P.), in the early winter of 1996. I still remember most of the details quite vividly, as it has remained in my mind ever since. I was all but 20 years old – just out of my teens and in the middle of my graduation. A.M.U., Aligarh, my alma mater has had quite a history and tradition of its own. It was on of this tradition that was to bring forth the dilemma that I was to be faced with.

I was a resident of one of the thirteen (a number which has swollen to almost twenty now) odd student hostels that our vast campus boasted of. This, the ‘Allama Iqbal Hall (A.I. Hall)’, just like the others was a mix of students from almost all streams and courses in the University (yes, we didn’t have separate hostels for even engineering and medical students !).

It has been a tradition and a religious obligation of our Muslim brethren, to observe fast in their holy month of ‘Ramadan’. It’s a period marked by great piousness and dedication of oneself to the followings of the holy book ‘Kuran’ and the teachings of prophet Mohammed. Now, during this month (to inculcate the religious spirit in all the residents – though there were quite a few that were against this as well) our hostel mess used to remain closed during the morning and day time, opening only to serve an ‘early’ dinner at about 6 p.m. and then go on to serve an even more ‘early’ breakfast at 2 a.m. Although, one could see a significant improvement in the quality of food served during this time, but the in-appropriateness of the timings used to call for most of us to discontinue the mess for this period. We were then left with the arduous task of finding food for ourselves outside the campus boundaries (there used to be a rule barring other petty tea-stalls and the like also to follow suit). This meant a long ride on our bicycles to the heart of the city, and that too at a premium (our mess charges were subsidized to the extent of 50% !).

Enter – Prof. Ali Siddique (name changed) – Provost, A.I Hall, and it all began to happen. I, and a couple of my friends had just the faintest desire that we might be given permission to continue with ‘normal’ breakfast and lunch in the mess, though in a secluded and oblivious corner, away from those peering eyes! Provost, sir, in one of his newly introduced tête-à-tête sessions with the residents of the hall, mentioned that this idea that was dormant in our hearts could be brought to life.

We were all to eager to pounce on the opportunity staring at our faces, the realization of which still looked a farfetched reality. More so, as we began to anticipate the obvious resistance that we would have to face. Our first primary hurdle was to get the ‘signatures’ of at least 20 residents for the daytime mess to be viable, in the first place. Then there was the more difficult one – opposition from others – defiance of tradition, and religious sentiments.
Armed with more that the requisite numbers (we were able to muster some 45 signatures) and a carefully drafted (taking care not to include any thing objectionable…), me and one of my other close friend, Ankit (name changed), entered the Provost Office, finally getting it ratified by him.