Prof. Faisal Devji, Shaheen Group’s Dr. Abdul Qadeer to receive Sir Syed Excellence Awards by AMU
Aligarh: Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) has announced the recipients of the 2025 Sir Syed Excellence Awards, which will be presented during the Sir Syed Day Commemorative Ceremony on October 17. The day marks the birth anniversary of AMU founder Sir Syed Ahmad Khan.
Prof. Shafey Kidwai, Director of the Sir Syed Academy and convener of the jury, informed that the International Sir Syed Excellence Award will be conferred upon Prof. Faisal Devji, Beit Professor of Global and Imperial History at Balliol College, University of Oxford.
Prof. Devji, a noted scholar in South Asian studies, Islam, globalization, and ethics, earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in Intellectual History from the University of Chicago and a B.A. (Double Honors) in History and Anthropology from the University of British Columbia.
Born in Tanzania, he has previously taught at Yale, Cornell, Harvard, and the University of Chicago. His well-known works include Waning Crescent: The Rise and Fall of Global Islam, Muslim Zion: Pakistan as a Political Idea, and The Impossible Indian: Gandhi and the Temptation of Violence. His essay Apologetic Modernity explores 19th-century Muslim engagement with modernity, particularly through the ideas of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan and the Aligarh Movement.
The National Sir Syed Excellence Award will be presented to Dr. Abdul Qadeer, Chairman of the Shaheen Group of Institutions, Bidar, Karnataka in recognition of his significant efforts in advancing education among marginalized communities. Founded in 1989, the Shaheen Group today educates more than 20,000 students with a faculty strength of over 500 across 13 states. The group runs schools, PU and degree colleges, and provides coaching for NEET, JEE, and UPSC examinations, along with Hifz-ul-Quran Plus and Madrasa Plus programmes.
The awards carry cash prizes of ₹2,00,000 for the international category and ₹1,00,000 for the national category. They honour exceptional contributions in fields such as Sir Syed Studies, South Asian Studies, Urdu Literature, Medieval History, Social Reform, Communal Harmony, Journalism, and Interfaith Dialogue.
The winners were chosen by a distinguished jury chaired by Prof. Azarmi Dukht Safavi, with members Prof. Anisur Rehman, Prof. A.R. Kidwai, Prof. Imtiaz Hasnain, and Prof. Shafey Kidwai, and were finally approved by AMU Vice Chancellor Prof. Naima Khatoon.
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Human skeletal remains found in Bengaluru outskirts
Bengaluru (PTI): Human skeletal remains, including a skull, suspected to be that of a woman were discovered in and around a lake on outskirts of the city, police said on Saturday.
The matter came to light after shepherds spotted the remains near the lake at Mugalur near Sarjapur while grazing cattle in the area and alerted the police, they said.
During the inspection, investigators found bones scattered across the dried lake bed and nearby areas, a senior police officer said, adding there was suspicion that the remains must be at least three months old.
Police suspect the victim may have drowned in the lake earlier, with the skeletal remains surfacing after water levels receded significantly during the summer.
Officials also suspect stray dogs could have dragged some of the remains to surrounding areas after the lake dried up further.
With pieces of a saree recovered from the spot, police suspect that it could have been of a woman.
Forensic experts and the Scene of Crime Officer team visited the spot and collected the skeletal remains and other evidence for examination.
A case has been registered and the remains, along with other evidence, have been sent for forensic analysis, the police officer said.
The identity of the deceased and the exact cause of death are yet to be established, he added.
