Syed Ahmed Quadri: Difference between revisions
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'''Syed Ahmed Quadri ([[Urdu]]: قادري |
'''Syed Ahmed Quadri ([[Urdu]]: سيد احمد قادري )''' was a famous administrator, educationist and a senior officer in the government of the Nizam of [[Hyderabad State|Hyderabad]] and later on in the government of [[India]] and the UNO. |
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==Ancestry== |
==Ancestry== |
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Revision as of 19:05, 28 March 2010
Syed Ahmed Quadri | |
|---|---|
 Syed Ahmed Quadri in 1989 | |
| Born | 1908 |
| Died | 16 May, 1990 |
| Citizenship |  Indian |
| Occupation(s) | Government Servant, Educationist, Reformer |
| Known for | Administrator |
| Spouse(s) | 1. Meherunnisa Begum, 2. Azeemunnisa Begum |
| Relatives | Syed Sahib Hussaini, Kazi Zainul Abedin |
Syed Ahmed Quadri (Urdu: سيد احمد قادري ) was a famous administrator, educationist and a senior officer in the government of the Nizam of Hyderabad and later on in the government of India and the UNO.
Ancestry
Syed Ahmed Quadri was born in Tekmal on December 8, 1892. He was the son of the sufi saint Syed Mahmood Pasha Quadri and Amatul Fatima Shahzadi Begum.
His lineage traces back to the fourth Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib. He was also a direct descendent of the famous Sufi Shaykh Abdul Qadir Gilani (1077–1166) and his great grandfather was the well-known sufi shaykh of Tekmal Sayyid Sahib Husayni (1805-1880). Thus, he was brought up in a very strong sufi tradition.
His ancestors migrated from Baghdad first to Allahabad in north India, and then shifted south to Tekmal adopting this town as their permanent native place.
Early Life and Education
Syed Ahmed was barely ten years old when he was deprived of the love and upbringing of both of his parents. His eldest sister Ghousia Begum and her husband Mr. Syed Abdul Quader Hussaini, ex-Collector Gulbarga became his immediate guardians henceforth and he spent his youth at their home.
Immediately after his schooling, he pursued higher education in science at Aligarh Muslim University and Osmania University, Hyderabad. With an excellent educational record, he was sent then to England for further higher studies, where he received B.Sc.(Hons) degree in Physics from Manchester University in 1933.
Apart from success in education field, he also earned good name and fame as the best all-round sportsman. He was captain of the hockey team, important member of the Football Team, and swimming champion ofAligarh Muslim University during 1924-1929. He was also the Tennis Blue of Manchester University in 1933. Thereafter, he was presented with the honour of “BLUE” of all English Universities in 1933.
Career in Education
Immediately on his return from England in 1933, he opted to go into the field of education. He was appointed a Lecturer in Physics at Osmania University.
Syed Ahmed Quadri was an extremely witty and shrewd young man and was considered to be an intellectual in the academic community. At the same time, he had a very dignified physical posture. He was more than six feet tall, handsome and had a thundering and commanding voice. With these qualities, the Osmania University entrusted him with additional responsibilities as Warden of “A” Hostel and President of University Games. He was highly successful in this position as he commanded discipline and trained a number of good sportsmen at the university. Both of his own sons eventually gained national prominence in cricket and tennis.
The credit of introducing paramilitary training to the students at Osmania University goes to Mr. Quadri alone. Once the program was approved, he was appointed as the first officer commanding of University Training Corps. After the independence of India in 1947, the Osmania University Training Corps model was adopted all over India at all colleges and universities under the name of National Cadet Corps or NCC in 1948.
In 1939, at the break of World War, his services were acquired as an expert in education and training by the Hyderabad State for heading “Technical Training and Recruitment Scheme”. During this period, he developed this program on an institutional basis. As a result, these schemes were converted into permanent government departments in the Nizam’s government. After 1947, the government of India adopted this model and this exists in the form of the ITI (Industrial Training Institute) and Employment Exchange.
National Award of “Khan Saheb”
Syed Ahmed Quadri’s contribution was recognized beyond the boundaries of the Hyderabad State. In view of his great services in the fields of education and allied areas, the British Government of the time in 1943 decided to honour him with dignified title of “KHAN SAHEB”. This title was given to him in 1943 by the British government of India, which is equivalent to the title of “Padma Shree” of India today. After independence of India, Syed Ahmed Quadri decided to return this title in deference to the newly independent state of India.
Career in Government
1943 brought a major change in Syed Ahmed Quadri’s career. He moved on from the field of education to government service. That year, there was a food shortage in Hyderabad State and all over India, which created famine like circumstances. Syed Ahmed Quadri was chosen by the government of Hyderabad to form a new organization called “Hyderabad Commercial Corporation” to develop a strong logistics service for the movement of food grains and other commodities. He was appointed as the Chief Transport Officer of the corporation. With meritorious services over three years, the government honoured him with “NIZAM MEDAL” in 1946.
By that time, he was recognized as an expert in transportation and logistics. In 1947, he was moved to the Nizam’s State Railways. His services were specifically transferred to “Road Transport Department” which is currently known as Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC).
Government Career after Independence
In 1948, the State of Hyderabad was invaded by the Indian troops, and annexed to India. Syed Ahmed Quadri subsequently became a part of the Indian government and continued to function in a similar capacity in the Road Transport Department.
During State reorganization scheme in 1957, he was transferred from Hyderabad State to Mysore State and appointed to the post of Chief Traffic Manager of Mysore State. It was during his tenure that he reorganized road transport in the state, and was instrumental in nationalizing the road transport and converting it into “Mysore State Road Transport Corporation” (MSRTC), which is now known as “Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation” (KSRTC). He is thus the founder and father of this state wide organization.
At the age of 58, he retired from Mysore government service in 1966, and opted to return to his native Hyderabad city. He was already well known for his performance, and the Andhra Pradesh government offered to take him as Director of APSRTC to reorganize the passenger services in Andhra Pradesh.
Career with UNO
In the meantime, he was already being considered as a key technocrat by the United Nations Organization. In January 1967 United Nations Organization (UNO) obtained his valuable services as the “World Food Project Officer” based out of Baghdad and later on at Amman. He was also appointed as UN Advisor to the developing countries of the Middle East of Yemen, Egypt, Jordan and Iraq.
He served in the Middle East for a period of 8 years. During this period, he developed a number of schemes which were approved and implemented by United Nations as well as the concerned countries.
While he served in the Middle East, he performed Hajj thrice. During the Hajj of 1972, he was pained to see the loss of lives of some pilgrims due to indiscipline and disorder. As a service to the Hajj authorities and the Muslims at large, he prepared a detailed report in English and Arabic with suggestions on a number of issues to improve services for the Hajj pilgrims. This report was sent through the offices of the United Nations to Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries. In subsequent years, most of his proposals were accepted and implemented by the Saudi government. Some of his key suggestions included:
1. Construction of two floors over Al-Safa and Al-Marwah to allow maximum number of pilgrims to perform the ritual with ease. 2. Establishment of separate paths for the passage of to and fro traffic between Al-Safa and Al-Marwah. 3. Arrangement of wheel chairs for aged, elderly, weak and handicapped pilgrims for their rituals inside the holy mosque. 4. Construction of a number of roads to Mina and Mount Arafat instead of only one that existed then, by carving different obstructing hillocks to for ease of the ever-increasing Hajj traffic. 5. Establishing separate incoming and outgoing paths and constructing floors over the Jamarat at Mina. 6. Packaging the sacrificial meat for distribution to poor people in other Muslim countries.
One suggestion of late Mr. Quadri has yet to been fulfilled. He wanted to develop a mini-train running over a circular rail fixed around holy Kaaba with special type of compartments facilitating aged, weak and handicapped Hajj pilgrims during their Tawaf around the Holy Kaaba. This suggestion is in line with his great experience in the field of transportation.
Back to Sufism and Voluntary Service
In 1975, the life of Late Quadri Sahib took a new turn when his mission on “World Food Project” completed. In Baghdad, his holy great grandfather Hazrat Ghous-e-Azam appeared in his dream and diverted his attention towards the spiritual project of Tekmal Dargah and shrine and advised him to fulfill it; where ruins of the masjid, its tomb and minarets dismantled due to ups and downs of the time were presenting a pathetic scene.
Family
Syed Ahmed Quadri was married first to Mehrunnisa Begum, who was a British lady. He had met her during his days as a student in England and brought her back to Hyderabad as his wife. She bore him three children – Amina, Syed Asif Quadri, and Syed Arif Quadri. Mehrunnisa Begum returned to the UK after a few years, and the couple were divorced. Subsequently, Syed Ahmed Quadri married Azeemunnisa Begum who remained his life partner until his death. They were inseparable, and she brought up his sons as her own. She did not have any children of her own.
Footnotes
Other Wikipedia references
External links and reference books
- Muqaddas Tekmal, by Azam Ali Sufi Qadri, Hyderabad, 1985
- A New Lease of Life to Tekmal, by Syed Ahmed Quadri, Hyderabad, 1982
- History of Takemal Dargah, by Syed Ahmed Quadri, Hyderabad, 1977