Bharat Ek Khoj 46: Sir Syed Ahmed Khan
Bharat Ek Khoj—
The Discovery of India
A
Production of Doordarshan, the
Government of India’s
Public Service Broadcaster
Episode 46: Sir Syed Ahmed Khan
With
Mohan Maharishi as
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan,
Mohini Sharma as Begum
Syed Ahmed Khan,
Ahmed Khan as Nawab Mehrnood,
John Holyer as Mr.
Shakespeare, Moraq Holyer as
Mrs. Shakespeare,
Shashi Sharma as Sir
Syeds Mother, Dev Malhotra as Maulana
Altai Hussain
Hail,
Irfan Khan as Samiullah, John Holyer as
Lord Canning, and Munira Surti as Khala.
The script is by
Javed Siddiqi.
Nehru notes that after the
1857 Mutiny, the
British government deliberately repressed the
Indian Muslims to a greater extent than they did the Hindus, which especially affected those sections from which the new middle class might have emerged.
British policy towards them underwent a change in the
1870’s and became more favourable. In this process,
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan played a crucial role. He was anxious to make them accept
English education and thus draw them out of their conservative shell.
The scene opens dramatically with the Nawab of
Moradabad launching a revengeful attack at
midnight on the local British collector and
Sir Syed thwarting them, explaining the inevitability of the prevailing
British Raj and wisdom in accepting the same.
The brave effort is duly recognised by the authorities and Sir Syed, while declining a
Jagir, is rewarded with a princely lump sum and a monthly pension. In his alignment for British help and cooperation, he repeatedly tries to prove that Muslims as a whole did not rebel during the 1857 Mutiny and that many indeed remained loyal to the British power.
To Lord Canning, the new
Governor General, Sir Syed pleads for aid in creating a ‘scientific’ society for the Muslims. His efforts to open an
English school for the community are stiffly resisted by the Muslims. With his concerted efforts, the Madarsa is finally established at
Ghazipur where five languages are taught -
Urdu, English,
Arabic,
Persian and Sanskrit. He resolves to publish a newspaper and introduce teaching of science since it is closely connected with nature. He also expresses a keenness to visit
Europe, to study their progress and development.
Nehru observes, through an array of colourful period-paintings and letters, how Sir Syed was much impressed by the
European civilisation. On his return the resolve to convert the Madarsa into a college is doubly strengthened and he collects donations personally. Rousing poems are heard on the theme of education for the deprived community. On behalf of the authorities, 74 acres of land, the munificence of
Henry Lawrence, comes handy in realising Sir Syed’s dream of founding the Anglo-Muhammadn
Oriental College in 1875, eventually to become
University of
Aligarh. One of the declared objects of the college was ‘to make the Mussalmans of
India worthy and useful subjects of the
British crown’, as quoted by Nehru.
There is the other momentous event of establishing the
National Congress and request from its founding fathers like
Sir Surendranath Banerjee and
Badruddin Tayebji to Sir Syed for joining the same. As Nehru notes, while Sir Syed succeeded in beginning the English education among the Muslims and diverting the Muslim mind from the political movement, many prominent Muslims nonetheless joined the National Congress. British policy became progressively pro-Muslim, in favour of those elements among the moderate Muslims who were opposed to the
National movement.
Producer Doordarshan
Language Hindi
Credits
Uploaded by
Public.
Resource.Org
Based on
Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, The Discovery of India
With
Roshan Seth as
Jawaharlal Nehru
Om Puri as the
Narrator
Produced and Directed by
Shyam Benegal
Chief Assistant Director was Mandeep Kakkar
Executive Producer Raj
Plus
Script by
Shama Zaldi and
Sunil Shanbag
A production of Doordarshan