Hyderabad: The sprawling campus of the historic Osmania University in Hyderabad has been decked up for the institution’s centenary celebrations.
The three-day celebrations will be formally inaugurated by the President of India Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday.
The state government and university administration say they have pulled all stops to make the event a success.
A massive makeshift auditorium, with a seating capacity for more than 15,000, has been erected near the magnificent Arts College building, the heart of the campus.
The formal opening of the celebrations, which will continue until Friday, will be preceded by the hoisting of the flag and a 10-kilometre Centenary Run.
University Vice Chancellor Prof S. Ramachandaram told journalists the three day celebrations will include various programmes highlighting the massive contribution of Osmania University in the development and progress of the country.
The opening ceremony will also be attended by Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and the Union Minister of State Bandaru Dattatreya.
Security arrangements have been bolstered in and around the campus, with the deployment of more than 2,000 policemen and installation of a large number of CCTV cameras.
People with valid passes and invitations will be allowed to attend the opening ceremony.
Those invited to attend the celebrations include 1,000 VIPs and 2,000 members of alumni, 3,000 members of faculty and staff and 10,000 students of the university.
Osmania University is considered one of the biggest achievements of Mir Osman Ali Khan, the seventh Nizam of the Princely state of Hyderabad, who ruled from 1911 until 1948 when the state became part of the Indian Union.
On the recommendation of a panel of experts and intellectuals of Hyderabad Mir Osman Ali Khan had issued a “firman” on April 26, 1917, proclaiming the founding of the university.
The university would be a combination of modern and ancient, eastern and western education and arts in such a way that the shortcomings of the present system of education would be removed and benefit from the modern and ancient methods of physical, intellectual and spiritual education, the Firman in Urdu said.
“The main principle of the university would be that Urdu should the medium of instruction but English will also be a compulsory subject for all students”, the Firman said.
In accordance with the local culture, the uniform for all students initially comprised of Sherwani, Topi and Churidar Pajama.
Reflecting the Deccani Tehzeeb at the time, boys and girls used to sit in separate rows in classrooms.
The breathtaking Arts College Building of the Osmania University, was built in Indo-Saracenic style between 1934 and December 1939 at a cost of Rs3.6 million (present-day Dh205,840) in Osmania Sikka.
Around 30,000 labourers took part in its construction.
Authorities have given the university a facelift ahead of the celebrations.
As part of the celebrations there will be a seminar focusing on Osmania University’s contributions the last 100 years.
This will be addressed by prominent alumni including former union minister S. Jaipal Reddy and member of Rajya Sabha K. Kehav and former vice-chancellor Sulaiman Siddiqui.
On the second day of the fete, the University will host another session on its contribution in scientific and technological advancement of the country.
A session will be addressed by Chandrasekhar, director of the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology.
In the evening, the All India Vice-Chancellors Conference (AIVCC) will be opened by Union Minister for Human Resource Development Prakash Javdekar.
Chairman of the state’s Council for Higher Education, Papi Reddy, will address the gathering.
On the concluding day of the celebrations a technical conference of the AIVCC will be held at the IICT auditorium, to be inaugurated by the deputy chief minister Kadiam Srihari.
A panel discussion on the future of Osmania University will be held at the Regional Centre for Environmental Studies and will chalk out a plan of action to develop academic and research activities at the university.
