In the context of the Indian renaissance, it is pertinent to examine why nothing really outstanding or worthwhile came out of the Muslim community, a community that constitutes a vast section of Indian population. Did renaissance not touch it? and if so the question is, why? what could be its causes? Why is it that we don’t see any Muslim names, for instance, in the field of science of those days? This may not be a very palatable subject, but perhaps it is a legitimate inquiry. There were deeper psycho-historical factors also, of the loss of the Muslim Rule over India. One early important figure that comes to our mind is that of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan. And it should also be noted that he was suspicious of the Indian Independence Movement itself. The genesis of the suspicion lay in the 1867 Hindi-Urdu controversy when he became a leading political voice in the Hindi-Muslim belt of the then United Provinces. For him Urdu was the lingua franca of the land having been developed by the erstwhile Muslim Rulers. But that is going back to history rather than building new history. If the revival of a community is an aspect of a reaction, then the chances of it surviving are dim. This is a law which is universal and is applicable to all such self-centred groups or creeds or doctrines or political formulations. Whatever future was planned or envisioned by Sir Syed was not on the principles of the future that is to come but on things that have gone into the past, that have lost their life-breath. In fact, there has to be also the practicality of the cherished ideal. If the idea is to revive the Muslim glory, which is quite valid for him, then that can happen only by recognizing the presence of a very large community with other sets of ideas and ideals, and imposition of any kind is bound to generate conflicts and clashes. Ditto is true for the Hindu ambition if it does not recognize the march of the time-spirit towards a higher collective synthesis. The resolution should lie in a harmonious association that transcends all limitations. But, unfortunately, removal of the Hindu-Muslim divide at a deeper psychological level based on the swabhāva or soul-nature of each had remained unattempted in these politically motivated attempts. This was rather regrettable. The same would hold good even today if there has to be reformulation of unity in the subcontinent. Political unity based on the western theories of nations is not going to solve the problem. It has to go at the deeper level recognizing the character of each of the constituents.

Sir Syed was essentially concerned with the lot of the Muslims in India and was convinced about the necessity of liberal education being given to them. He began working as an educator, founded the Scientific Society of Aligarh, the first scientific association of its kind in India along the lines of Royal Society, and assembled Muslim scholars from different parts of the country. He started educational and scientific activities with Urdu as the medium of expression. A lot of creative energy was thus invested rather spent in this effort instead of allowing the spirit its free articulation. The demand for Hindi was considered by him as wearing down of Muslim culture that dominated the country during the Moghal era. In order to strengthen his strategy, he started befriending the English rulers by the token of ‘our enemy’s enemy is our friend’. Urdu Defence Association, Osmania University in Hyderabad, and such similar organizations sprang up in quick succession. This provoked further the cultural conflict leading to communal tensions.

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