New Delhi, November 25: Lucknow University began its year-long centenary celebrations with a morning walk by the students and teaching staff from the Chhatrapati Shivaji sports ground on the campus. The University also allowed the public to visit there on the occasion.
Raja Sir Mohammad Ali Mohammad Khan, Khan Bahadur of Mahmudabad mooted the idea of establishing a university in Lucknow. He took the first step to set up a general committee of educationists and persons interested in university education when Sir Harcourt Butler was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of the United Provinces in November 1919.
The Lucknow University Act, No. V of 1920 received the assent of the Lieutenant-Governor on November 1, and of the Governor-General on November 25, 1920.
Famous alumni of Lucknow University
Some of the famous alumni of the University include former President Shankar Dayal Sharma, novelist Qurratulain Haider, activist Sajjad Zaheer, his daughter and playwright Nadira Babbar, politician Surjit Singh Barnala, former Chief Justice of India, Justice AS Anand, senior journalist Vinod Mehta, former union ministers NKP Salve and Harish Rawat and renowned cardiologist Dr. Naresh Trehan.
UP Minister Brijesh Pathak and former minister Arvind Singh Gope have been presidents of the Students Union in the University.
However, Lucknow University has not finalised on a plan for the centenary celebrations.
“We have an officiating vice-chancellor and there is no vision for the celebrations. We would like to invite all old students for different programmes but no one knows what is happening,” a senior faculty member of the University has been quoted as saying to a national daily.
Meanwhile, career counselor Ms. Amrita Dass, who is a gold medalist from the university, said, “Our well-furnished classroom was referred to as an ‘academic cloister’. The classes were very interesting and my classmates of about 50 students were a great group to be with. I also enjoyed the time spent in the well equipped Tagore Library and the canteen was known for its special brew of tea and samosas.”
Prof. Mohd Muzammil, former vice-chancellor of Agra University and Rohilkhand University, went on to become head of the Economics Department. “Those were the best years of my life,” he told the media.