The Idea of a University; Jamia Millia Islamia

Written shortly after the ‘encounter’ between the Special Branch of Delhi Police and a group of suspected terrorists in Batla house, in the neighbourhood of Jamia Millia Islamia, this collection reflects on the ‘idea’ of Jamia. Of the 12 vignettes, some are written by members of the Jamia biradari; others by those who are from the big world outside. Some make deeply personal observations about living and working in Jamia, others speak with fondness and regard for the institution and all it stands for. Most were written in the critical days immediately after the ‘encounter’; they are the ones that speak from the heart. Almost all, irrespective of their tone and tenor, are emphatic assertions of the ‘idea’ of Jamia – an idea that is in consonance with plural nationhood and composite culture.

Rakhshanda Jalil is Director, Media & Culture at the Jamia Millia Islamia.