Anglo Arabic School: The oldest Delhi school is older than Delhi

New Delhi: On an intersection in Purani Dilli or Old Delhi, lies a school much older than Old Delhi. With a wholesale machine tools market on its West, a road leading to New Delhi railway station on the East and chaos all around it, the majestic building made of Kota sandstone looks like a freeze frame. Minutely carved arches and beams, elegant jaali work on the windows and two cloisters cannot skip your eyes. “Founded by Ghaziuddin Khan in 1692 in Aurangzeb’s reign, this madrasa is one of the Asia’s oldest educational institutions. It was the centre of Delhi’s Renaissance of the 1830s and 40s,” read the stone outside the building, steps away from Ajmeri gate. They say that Dilli (not Delhi) has been built and wrecked many times. This structure, now home to Anglo Arabic senior secondary school, has seen it all. Islamuddin, the current principal of the school, happens to be an Old Boy. He was in class six when the Indira Gandhi government imposed Emergency. The police arrested the then school principal, Rao Shamshad Ali, as he was associated with the Muslim League, Islamuddin recalled. Behind his chair is a wooden board with the names of former principals written on it. “Mr Federick Taylor- 1836 to 1840,” is followed by “Mr Botrus – 1841 to 1845,” – both, reminiscent of the period when the seat of learning was at the peak of its glory. The principal narrated how Mirza Ghalib— the renowned poet, once wished to serve this institution— a story famous among the students here as folklore. “Ghalib saab joined here to teach faarsi (Persian). On his first day of service, he arrived at the school gate in his paalki and expected the staff to receive him. But the then British management told him that he would not get any special treatment. Fuming, Ghalib returned never to come back.” [caption id=“attachment_153544” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“They say that Dilli (not Delhi) has been built and wrecked many times. This structure, now home to Anglo Arabic senior secondary school, has seen it all. Naresh Sharma/Firstpost”]  [/caption] Students never turned their back to this institute though. It became the alma mater of Sir Sayed Ahmed Khan, founder of Aligarh Muslim University, Prof A N Kaul, pro-vice chancellor, Delhi University, J N Dixit, defence analyst, Prof Gopi Chand Narang, renowned Urdu scholar and Jagdish Tytler, Congress leader. “The institute was one of the earliest platforms in India where scholars weighed Oriental learning against Western theories. Dr Aloys Sprenger, Master Ram Chander and Maulvi Zakaullah took the charge,” says Firoz Bakht Ahmed, member of the governing body which runs the school which has 1900 students on roll. Urdu is the medium of instruction. Students can opt for Arabic and Persian as additional languages. In 1827, Sir Charles Metcalfe, a British administrator, added English, Mathematics and natural sciences in the curriculum of Ghaziuddin madrasa. “Etemad-ud-Daula, Zia-ul-Mulk, Syed Fazal Ali Khan Bahadur Sahab Jung gave 1.70 lakh rupees for the propagation of this institution and gave it in the trust of the Company Bahadur in 1829,” read the marble tablet outside chemistry lab. The Vernacular Translation Society, formed in 1832, would translate the best works in German, French and English to Urdu. After being closed for around seven years due to the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, the institute was reopened in 1867 as Anglo Arabic College. [caption id=“attachment_153545” align=“alignright” width=“200” caption=“The school continues to be a chronicler of the city’s history.Naresh Sharma/Firstpost”]  [/caption] It later became Delhi College. For many years, the campus had two shifts each of Anglo Arabic school and Delhi College (now, Zakir Hussain College) running in it. “Sometime in the early 1990s, the College was shifted to its present location at Dr Zakir Husain Marg near Ramlila maidan,” said Islamuddin. Pankaj Vohra, senior journalist with the Hindustan Times and Delhi College Alumni, said “Delhi College was one of the very few colleges which had a football tradition. Some of the finest footballers in the city were students here.” The school continues to be a chronicler of the city’s history.