The 5-day celebration of 103rd Foundation Day of Jamia Millia Islamia(JMI) culminated today with the lowering of the 'Jamia Flag' by NCC cadets who were also assisted by NSS volunteers. Prof. Eqbal Hussain, Pro Vice Chancellor of the university was the Chief Guest of the closing ceremony which was attended by a large number of teachers, non-teaching staff and students at the forecourt of Dr. M. A. Ansari Auditorium.
Students exhibited their diverse talents across a wide spectrum of genres during the five-day celebration which was nothing less than a festival. The celebration brought together a unique fusion of knowledge, creativity and entertainment during it. The university wore a festive look and five-day extravaganza united art, music, literature, theatre, poetry, academics and many more.
Conferring of ‘Imtiaz-e-Jamia’ Award to Veteran actress Sharmila Tagore, inauguration of the Centenary Gate of the varsity, Guard of Honour by NCC cadets to JMI Vice Chancellor Prof. Najma Akhtar (Padma Shri), Chief Guest Dr S K Sarin, Founder & Director, ILBS and Ms. Sharmila Tagore, exhibition of various art works by Fine Arts & other departments, cultural performances by university & school students were some of the major highlights of the 5-day celebration.
The Faculty of Fine Arts arranged a number of artistic activities as part of the program to highlight the historical context of JMI. Fine Arts lit up the Celebration Week by organising various meaningful events like Environmental Design Through Folk Motifs, Jamia Through The Lens of Creativity, a Photography walk amid the archaeological excellence of JMI, Reclaiming Prakriti, a surface competition on preschool chairs on the topic "Relaxing with Nature”, Art Competition on Consciousness of Wellbeing, 103 Illuminating Postcard Painting ( a workshop by Faber Castell), Art with Perspective, A Competition of Installation through Best out of Waste, on "Innovation in Education", Katha Vachan through Puppetry by Vaikuntha Aabha, a workshop on making puppets and the art of storytelling, Junoot-E-Calligraphy, the illuminating workshop on calligraphy culminated in the MF Hussain Art Gallery's exhibition hall and on its grounds on 30th October.
In a powerful display of social commentary, the students of the Department of Social Work came alive with the thought-provoking Nukkad Natak titled “Kalyug Ki Nagari” based on the theme “accountability”. The play was written by Amisha and Neha, the students of Masters of Social Work. Play delved into the dark aspects of modern society, portraying a society that has lost its moral compass. The script was a poignant exploration of the challenges faced by individuals in a rapidly changing world, where greed, corruption, and moral decay have become all too prevalent.
The Department of Psychology organised a vibrant event with several interesting activities. Members of the department enthusiastically adhered to the colour code of white and red and had multiple activities organised for the students of the university. These activities also included Pro Bono Counselling where free of cost Psychological Assessments to measured student stress levels, life Satisfaction, anger management, gratitude and mental wellbeing that led to the insight for the test takers to take better care of their mental health.
The Department of Geography organized a day-long Seminar on ‘Climate Change: Adaptation and Mitigation” on 30th October, 2023. Prof. Haroon Sajjad, Head, Department of Geography welcomed the guest and highlighted the contribution of the founders to the growth of JMI. Prof. P.K Joshi, a renowned expert in climate change studies, School of Environmental Studies, JNU was the Chief Guest of the function. In the second session, five students presented their papers on the theme of the Seminar. The third technical session was graced by Professor B.W. Pandey from Delhi University. The session was chaired by Prof. Tasneem Fatima, former Pro-Vice Chancellor, JMI. On 31st October the department organized an Essay writing competition on the topic “Practicality to Policy Making: Need of Geography in Country’s Development”. A poster-making competition on the theme of “Legacy of more than a century of Jamia Millia Islamia and its contribution” was also organized.
The India Arab Cultural Centre organised a photography exhibition on “Islamic Architecture of India and Central Asia” where pictures taken by Prof. Nasir Raza Khan, Hony Director of the Centre were on display. The exhibition was inaugurated by Prof. S. M Azizuddin Husain, Former Head, Department of History, JMI and Former Director, Rampur Raza Library. A Debate
Competition in Urdu, Hindi and English on the topic “Role of Muslim Youths in Nation Building” was also organized by the centre on the last day of the celebration.
The Department of Sanskrit organised a special lecture and several other programmes as part of Foundation Day celebration on 27th and 30th October, 2023.
Jamia Senior Secondary School organized an English debate on the topic “Social Media is impacting the life of youth in a negative way”. In total seven schools participated in the debate competition. The participants spoke their minds with confidence and rationale. A Hindi debate was also organized for the students of elementary classes. The participants spoke on the topic “The use of mobile phones by the students and its impacts”. Students spoke with eloquence and presented an in-depth knowledge of human behavior and how it gets affected by the overuse of mobile phones. A science exhibition was organized by Jamia senior secondary school in its premises to create a scientific awareness among the students. The exhibition was very educational and certainly a great success. Bahu Bhaashi Kavita Sammelan to showcase the lingual diversity found amongst school students, poems in 15 different languages were read by participants from Mushir Fatima Nursery school, Jamia Middle school and Jamia senior secondary school on the last day of the celebration. A Ghazal Sarai competition was also organized on the last day.
Several other departments and centres organised different activities during the celebration.The Foundation Day celebration served as a testament to the enduring legacy of JMI and its unwavering commitment to nurturing holistic education, fostering research excellence, and serving the community at large.
