Alumnus Donates Rare Artifacts To AMU Museum

ALIGARH: An alumnus of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) donated his personal collection of rare artifacts including historical documents and coins of the Mughal and British era to his alma mater.

S M Javed, who studied at AMU in the late 1960s, has donated his entire collection including family memorabilia.

The antique value of this collection will take some time to be assessed because of the vast range of the archival material, a Museum spokesperson said.

The collection includes gold and silver coins belonging to the era of Mughal emperors Akbar, Jahangir, Aurangzeb and Shah Alam.

It also includes coins of the era of Queen Victoria, East India Company, King Edward-VII and King George-V.

The donated archival material includes rare manuscripts and 'Parwanas' from the Mughal period and complete collection of 24 novels written by English writer, Sir Walter Scott.

"The family collection marks the painstaking efforts of several generations of my family and is priceless as far as I am concerned. However, what I have donated today is a very small token of gratitude which I owe to my alma mater," Javed said.

"I feel humbled and honoured by the fact that after I die, these documents will enrich the experiences of generations to come when they visit the museum and library of my alma mater.

"I deeply understand that if you wish to destroy a civilisation then the most potent weapon is to destroy its history. That is why it is very important that we preserve our past so that the future generations are not deprived of their heritage," he added.

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