Vice Chancellor Prof. Naima Khatoon Named for Governor’s Vande Mataram Award of Excellence
Aligarh : The Governor of West Bengal, Dr. C. V. Ananda Bose, the Chief Guest at the inaugural session of the three-day international conference titled “Decolonising a Discipline: India’s Civilisational Insights for a Global International Relations,” delivered an inspiring address highlighting India’s enduring civilisational wisdom and its relevance to contemporary global discourse, and international relations.
Reflecting on India’s intellectual and cultural legacy, Dr. Bose drew upon observations made by renowned Western scholars and thinkers such as Arnold Toynbee, Mark Twain, and Albert Einstein, underscoring how India’s civilisational depth has long been acknowledged across the world. Emphasising that India possesses a continuous and profound civilisational history, he referred to the ancient strategist Kautilya’s doctrine of Shadgunya, the six measures of foreign policy, which, he noted, offers a comprehensive and pragmatic framework for managing international relations through strategic flexibility guided by national strength and interests.
Quoting Mark Twain, who described India as “the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great-grandmother of tradition,” the Governor remarked that such tributes came not from Indians themselves but from eminent Western thinkers who recognised India’s intellectual and cultural contributions to humanity. He observed that while it is often said that East and West do not meet, the contemporary global moment calls for a meaningful integration of both traditions, enabling dialogue and mutual enrichment.
Sharing his personal impressions, Dr. Bose said that although he had attended numerous international conferences across the world, he found the present gathering particularly “dignified and purposeful,” noting that it held immense potential to generate ideas capable of shaping future global conversations on international relations from an Indian civilisational perspective.
The Governor also described it as a historic moment for Aligarh Muslim University, highlighting the significance of the institution having a woman Vice Chancellor for the first time in its more than a century-old history. Encouraging students and scholars to actively engage with the deliberations, he emphasised that vision and action must complement each other. Citing educationist D. S. Kothari’s famous observation that the destiny of India is shaped in its classrooms, Dr. Bose stressed that intellectual engagement and learning ultimately translate into meaningful action that shapes national progress.
Drawing upon his extensive administrative experience, he urged participants to use the conference as an opportunity for deep reflection and constructive dialogue, expressing confidence that the exchange of ideas during the deliberations would contribute to shaping India’s future intellectual and diplomatic trajectory.
On the occasion, the Governor’s office announced the Governor’s Award of Excellence -Vande Mataram Award for Prof. Naima Khatoon, Vice Chancellor, AMU, in recognition of her contributions to women’s empowerment and academic leadership. The award carries a cash prize of ₹1 lakh, along with a memento and shield, which will be formally presented to her later on.
During the function, a special message for the conference by honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi was read by Prof. M. Nafees Ahmad Ansari, Chairperson, Department of Political Science.
PM Modi said in his message: for centuries, India’s collective psyche bore the deep imprint of colonial rule by shaping its education through Macaulay’s “Minute on Indian Education” and its impact on institutions and even sense of self. The result was a drift away from the core and confidence of India’s own rich heritage and ethos.
“For the past eleven years, a transformative vision has begun to take root in dismantling colonial remnants and restoring pride in India’s traditional values. Central to this discourse has been the approach of taking both Vikas and Virasat together and inculcating pride in Indian culture. Through initiatives such as building Seva Teerth as the new PMO, a new Parliament and National War Memorial, renaming landmarks after native heroes, our single-minded focus has been on removing remnants of colonial mindset”, the PM emphasised.
Vice Chancellor Prof. Naima Khatoon warmly welcomed Dr. C. V. Ananda Bose and other dignitaries. She said “this conference invites us to reflect on a fundamental question of who produces knowledge about the world and from which vintage point”, noting that decolonising international relations is not about rejecting intellectual achievements but it is about examining its silences. “India’s civilisational history offers an expansive repertoire of political and ethical reflection that can enrich global conversations”, she stressed.
Referring to Arthashastra, and Buddhist and Jain traditions, Prof Khatoon emphasised the civilisational imagination of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam which envisioned the world as a shared moral community. She also stressed the significance of Mughal emperor Akbar’s Sulh-e- Kul (peace with all). “When we revisit such ideas today, the objective is not romantic revival, rather it is to ask whether these civilisational experiences offer conceptual resources for rethinking co-existence, legitimacy, and global order in a fractured world”, she noted.
The Vice Chancellor added that Aligarh Muslim University has long stood at the intersection of tradition and modernity. Founded on the vision of intellectual reform and engagement with the wider world, AMU embodies the belief that education is both emancipatory and integrative. “Hosting a conference on decolonising International Relations is therefore not incidental to our mission; it is deeply aligned with our institutional ethos”, the Vice Chancellor added.
Prof. Ikram Hussain, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences commended the Department of Political Science for hosting an international conference on decolonising a discipline with reference to India’s civilizational heritage that offers profound insights rooted in pluralism and coexistence.
In his welcome address, Prof. Mohammad Nafees Ahmad Ansari, Chairperson, Department of Political Science extended warm welcome to the Chief Guest, the Vice Chancellor, and other dignitaries and delegates coming from across India and abroad.
“Education is not merely about producing knowledge, but about shaping minds with conscience, confidence and compassion. The theme of the conference invites us to reflect on how India has historically engaged with the world. That engagement has been guided not by the dominance but by the dialogue and ethical coexistence”, Prof Ansari said while discussing the theme of the conference.
Prof. Upendra Choudhury, Convener of the conference, delineated the conference rational and roadmap. He said “when we say that India is a nation state born in 1947, we whitewash 5000 years of India’s history, culture and civilisation, by ignoring it as a civilisational state”.
He informed that 150 papers out of 251 received for the conference were selected after three times peer reviewing them. He said that these papers would be published as foundational text books after refining them on the basis of deliberations during the conference.
Prof Mirza Asmer Beg proposed a vote of thanks, while Dr. Iftekhar Ahmad Ansari conducted the proceedings.
On the occasion, the conference souvenir was also released by the guests.
The conference is being organised in collaboration with the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), the Indian Council of Philosophical Research (ICPR), and the Indian Council of Social Science Research – Northern Regional Centre (ICSSR-NRC).
Source : Aligarh Muslim University News