Union Minister Shri Kiren Rijiju Inaugurates Jamia Millia Islamia’s 105th Foundation Day Celebrations and Grand Six-Day ‘Talimi Mela’

Dr. Obaidul Ola

Jamia Millia Islamia commenced its 105th Foundation Day celebrations with a grand inaugural ceremony held today at the university’s M.A. Ansari Auditorium. The event was inaugurated by Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju, who graced the occasion as the Chief Guest in the presence of the Vice Chancellor, JMI, Prof. Mazhar Asif and Registrar, JMI, Prof. Md. Mahtab Alam Rizvi and Dean of Students’ Welfare, Prof. Neelofer Afzal.

The function began with a Guard of Honour presented to the Hon’ble Minister, followed by a recitation of a verse from the Holy Quran, and then a soulful rendition of the ‘Jamia Tarana’ by the Jamia school students reverberated in the packed Ansari auditorium befitting the momentous and solemn occasion, resonating with the spirit of the institution’s rich heritage. The inauguration also marked the opening of the six-day educational and cultural fair, Jamia’s iconic ‘Talimi Mela’ which returns this year with a grandeur not seen for over a decade.

A major highlight of the inaugural ceremony was the release of the Special Issue of Jamia’s flagship newsletter, Jauhar. Notably, this special issue, covering the period from October 2024 to September 2025, has been revived in print after an interval of eight years. It was followed by the release of JMI’s voluminous Annual Report by the Minister.

In his address, Union Minister Shri Kiren Rijiju ji paid rich tributes to the founders of JMI, Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar, Dr M. A. Ansari, Dr Muhammad Mujeeb, among others, and recalled the tremendous contributions of Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, Sarojini Naidu, and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad in the early years of the making of this great institution. Stating that he was impressed with Jamia’s academic excellence, offering an expansive catalogue of courses under its 11 Faculties, 48 Departments and 28 Centres of Excellence and Research, and attaining very high national and international rankings, Shri Rijiju added, “JMI is unmatched in its academic rigour and its unique cultural richness and mere dil mein khas jagah hai Jamia ke liye.”

Speaking about the functioning of a large Parliamentary democracy like India, with elected representatives belonging to diverse regions, ideologies and communities, leading to heated and prolonged debates on issues, he said, “JMI is the tallest example of India’s composite culture and epitomises the philosophy of ‘unity in diversity’ and should be the university that sends out and has been sending out the most powerful message of unity, nationalism and brotherhood to the entire nation”.

Praising JMI for its unwavering and unblemished spirit of nationalism and patriotism, its legacy of service, integrity, and commitment to the country and to the cause of education, Shri Rijiju ji said , “JMI’s name invokes tremendous respect, pride and is always held in high esteem”. Stating that among the 6 minority communities notified by the Government of India, namely Muslims, Jain, Buddhists, Sikhs, Christians, and Parsis, the Muslims are the largest in number, and the Government is concerned about each of them and works for their welfare. As the Union Minister of Minority Affairs, Shri Rijiju said that he and his ministry will offer full support to JMI. Observing that the Ansari auditorium where the inaugural event was taking place should have been bigger, in keeping with the stature and grandness of JMI, he said that his ministry will support JMI to set up an auditorium with a larger seating capacity. Calling Urdu the most beautiful language in the world, Shri Rijiju added that having visited Jamia on this significant occasion and immersed in the cultural richness and the ambience of the university, a taste of which can be had from the rich Urdu words in the Jamia tarana, his respect for the university has grown manifold.

Lauding JMI for the progress the institution has made over the last one century, Shri Rijiju ji said that having visited 155 countries, “I can say that the future of India is safe because it has one of the finest, lengthiest and robust Constitutions in the world. While many countries have witnessed political and economic instability and failure, India has seen unprecedented growth and progress in recent times.” Reminding the august gathering that we have only 22 years left to fulfil Honorable Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi’s mission and vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, he said , “the speed with which the country is progressing will make us achieve it faster. While earlier India used to have a slow growth rate of 2-3% and the world was galloping ahead, today we see a reversal of that trend as most economies in the world have slowed down to a growth rate of 2-3 % while India under PM Modi has been registering a high growth rate of 7%”.

Vice Chancellor, Prof Mazhar Asif in his address expressed his sincere gratitude to the Hon’ble Minister for inaugurating the Foundation Day celebrations despite his busy schedule. Reciting heart-warming couplets to welcome the Minister, Prof. Asif praised the vision and mission of Jamia’s founders and commended the passion and commitment of all the former VCs of Jamia towards building this historic and important seat of learning in the country. Stating that the completion of his one year in office as VC coincided with this landmark Talimi Mela, he thanked everyone for the cooperation he has received and reaffirmed the university’s commitment to not just academic excellence but to produce students who embody the spirit of JMI, through holistic education which goes beyond imparting knowledge and information and focuses on reflexivity and philosophical engagement with ideas and concepts. This, Prof Asif said was the great vision of the founding fathers of this distinguished institution and the Talimi Mela 2025 reflect Jamia Millia Islamia’s enduring commitment to its founding ideals of national service, integration of tradition with modernity, women’s empowerment, integrity and honesty of purpose and a spirited pursuit of knowledge.

“The 105th Foundation Day is a milestone that honours our past and keeps us inspired for a bright future that lies ahead of us. Jamia is not just a university but a thought, a dream, a philosophy, an unsurpassed tradition that is reminiscent of the history of the nation and its freedom struggle. So JMI has earned its rightful place in the nation, one that stands tall because of its unmatched tradition and culture. We need not tell what JMI has achieved as the name speaks for itself.” Prof. Asif stated.

Prof. Md. Mahtab Alam Rizvi, Registrar, JMI in his address calling the 29th of October, the Foundation Day, an auspicious occasion for JMI, thanked the Hon’ble Minister for his generous support to Jamia. Stating that unlike earlier times when JMI was not receiving any grants from the ministry of Minority Affairs since its inception 2006, now under Shri Rijiju ji, the university has been sanctioned two very important and futuristic projects – one, a research lab on Electric Vehicle and the other, a cyber-security testing lab, and the Minister has committed to help JMI in other projects as well. Shri Rijiju ji has also kindly agreed to sanction a fully air-conditioned library to JMI’s coveted Residential Coaching Academy which has given hundreds of civil servants to the nation, Prof Rizvi said. Informing the gathering that the Ministry of Minority Affairs has also very kindly sanctioned Rs 181 crores to JMI for infrastructure development and to build hostels and smart classrooms, Prof. Rizvi thanked the minister for his unflinching support to the university. Recalling the sacrifices of the founding fathers of JMI, he reminded the students to continue to strive to maintain the name and high ranking of JMI stating, “Throughout the freedom struggle, Jamia’s teachers and students contributed through intellectual awakening, patriotic discourse, and social reform. It became a space where education and nationalism worked hand-in-hand for the liberation of the nation. Even today, Jamia remains a powerful symbol of nationalism and secularism—uniting people beyond the boundaries of caste, creed, and religion in the shared pursuit of nation-building.” Spelling out the future vision of JMI, Prof Rizvi said, “Jamia’s foundation was rooted in the values of patriotism, social responsibility, and inclusive education. True to its roots, Jamia continues to shape individuals who think critically, act ethically, and serve selflessly”.

In her vote of thanks, following the enthralling musical presentation of ‘Jamia Raqs Kuna Ho Ke Teri Eid Hai Aaj’ by Jamia school choir, Prof. Neelofer Afzal, Dean Students’ Welfare (DSW), thanked the honourable Minister, the VC, Registrar, faculty members, students, members of DSW team and the security, sanitation and horticulture departments of JMI for working tirelessly in making the event a grand success.

After the opening ceremony, Shri Rijiju ji inaugurated the book fair comprising 16 stalls organised by Dr. Zakir Husain Library and a special booth on United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Talimi Mela Pavilion showcasing its best practices in SDG. This is significant as JMI was ranked third in the SDG category in the recently announced NIRF India RANKINGS 2025. Prof. Ahteshamul Haque, Coordinator of this event, along with his team of students and faculty members demonstrated to the Minister the working research prototype models designed as per SDG goals. A summary of best practices was also released on this occasion.

The Talimi Mela, spanning six days, features a wide range of academic sessions, exhibitions, workshops, and cultural programmes, with participation from eminent scholars, educationists, and connoisseurs of art and culture. Each evening will conclude with special musical performances. Talimi Mela 2025 is notable for its scale and grandness, marking the first full-fledged celebration of this magnitude since the pandemic. JMI’s Talimi Mela is widely regarded as one of Delhi’s significant cultural and educational festivals, eagerly awaited by the university’s 21,000-strong student community, its alumni and the larger local community.