Anjuman-I-Islam's Peer Mohamed orphanage is all set to enter its 90th year on February 3, 2016. A press conference conducted to announce the forthcoming 90th year celebrations featured Anjuman - I - Islam’s Pune Campus Chairperson Mrs Nazura Sattar, Mrs Nusrat Sharif () and members Mrs. Haseeb Faquih and Mrs. Shah Sultan Chinoy, amongst others.
Speaking on the occasion, Nazura Sattar said : "The 90th year celebrations are an important landmark for this august institution that has done exemplary work since 1925 with regard to educating and rearing orphans of the lower income kids in the community/neighborhood. In keeping with its welfarist philosophy, our focus over the next year would be: higher education for girls, a new building for a girls' English school, Higher Technical Education and Diploma in Engineering and Mass Media for Empowerment of Women and a new large campus of 50 acre within 20 km of Pune."
She added: "We would like to announce on this auspicious occasion, our forthcoming drive to actively work towards increasing literacy by 25 per cent amongst Pune's Muslim population over the next 5 years and set them on the path of modernization and progress."
"The initial number of 23 inmates has swelled to more than 170 over the years. Once admitted, the girls stay with us until they are 18 years old. Marriages of girls are arranged in the orphanage. Financial help is given to others who get married from outside. However all the girls are taught a skill of their choice at the Polytechnic to help them be confident and self reliant," chairperson Nazura Sattar said.
Mrs Supriya Sule (MP, NCP) would inaugurate the 90th year by inauguration of new computer lab, which would be built at a project cost of Rs 5 crores, vice-chairperson Mrs Nusrat Sharif said. "Apart from this, the 90th year would also witness the inauguration of the computer lab, the Meena Bazaar (stalls set up the orphanage and polytechnic girls and women entrepreneurs)," Sharif said.
To that end, the Trust will conduct adult education programmes, workshops, camps and other awareness drives, the press conference was told.
History of the Anjuman-I-Islam Trust
Anjuman-I-Islam, Mumbai was founded in the year 1874 by none other than Dr. Badruddin Tyabji, Third President of Indian National Congress and the First Acting Indian Chief Justice of Bombay High Court.
It started with one school and today it has more than eighty institutions, spread over western Maharashtra, from pre-primary schools to graduate and postgraduate level including, College of Engineering, Polytechnics, Unani Medical College, College of Education, College of Commerce & Economics, Institute of Management Studies, College of Hotel Management and Catering Technology, College of Home Science, School of Pharmacy and School of Architect. It enjoys a much respected reputation catering to the needs of more than 1.10 lacs students from various communities under its umbrella.
Even these courses are offer under polytechnic : Certificate course in tailoring & Cutting, Certificate course in Teachers in Handicraft and Work Experience, Diploma in Advanced Beauty Therapy, Diploma in Pre School Teachers training, Diploma course in Dress Designing & manufacturing, Certificate course in Information Technology, Maharashtra State Certificate course in Information Technology, National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL) – Computer Application, Business Accounting and Multilingual DTP.
1. About Peer Mohamed Campus, Bund Garden, Pune
The Orphanage owes its existence to the munificent grants of two brothers, the late Vali Mohamed & Dost Mohamed Peer Mohamed, in the form of funds by the former and a plot of the land by the latter. It is housed in an imposing structure constructed under a Trust set up in 1925.
From its inception the Orphanage has catered not only to the physical well being of the inmates but also taken care of their spiritual and temporal education. Starting with an Urdu Medium Primary School rapid strides were made towards the initiation of a High School. Initially the classes were conducted in the Orphanage building itself. However, in 1970 a full-fledged Urdu Medium High School was established in a newly constructed building. In 1985 one more building was added to house the Primary School. The two schools have proved a boon to the girls in the orphanage and those belonging to the lower strata of society in the neighborhood who attend as day scholars. A nursery is also in existence.
In 1988 the Noorah – Al – Bassam Hall was constructed through the generous donation from the well known Bassam family of Mumbai, given in the memory of a member of their family, the late Noorah Al Bassam. The hall as it is utilized for all school programmes and social functions.
The family once again displayed its profound sense of charity by adding two more floors to the Hall in memory of another family member, the late Khalid Al Bassam. The two floors house a multilingual Polytechnic and English Medium Junior Collegeof Arts & Commerce. Their munificence extended to a three room block for the Nursery School, in memory of their mother Modhi Ebrahim Al Bassam.
Catering to the needs of the hour an English Medium Kinder. The garden was started in this new block in 2000 which has now grown into a full-fledged High School. This secular institution serves the low income community in the neighborhood. In order to extend the benefits to the children in the Orphanage, the Trust lowered the age of admissions to 4 years.