
Hyderabad: Once celebrated as a city of pearls and palaces, Hyderabad is now carving a niche on the global scientific map, according to Dr. Ausaf Sayeed, India’s former ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Speaking at a ceremony on Sunday honoring the newly elected leaders of two prominent organizations—AFMI and MESCO—Dr. Sayeed called on Muslim students to expand their academic horizons beyond traditional fields like medicine and engineering.
The event, held at the Media Plus Auditorium, marked the silver jubilee celebrations of Gawah, an Urdu weekly, and the Media Plus Foundation. It drew luminaries from the fields of education, science, and community leadership.
Dr. Sayeed underscored Hyderabad’s emergence as a hub for international scientific conventions, highlighting the city’s growing significance in the global research community. Congratulating Ahmed Alam Khan, the newly appointed president of MESCO, he paid tribute to the late Nawab Shah Alam Khan, a pioneering advocate of education.
He also recalled the contributions of the late Dr. Fakhruddin Mohammed, MESCO secretary, whose work extended from India to Gulf States, fostering educational opportunities for expatriate communities.
“Educational institutions run by the Muslim community here are doing exemplary work,” Dr. Sayeed said, urging parents and educators to prepare students for competitive exams to position them as leaders of tomorrow. He shared updates on his forthcoming book, Indian Muslim Women, and reflected on the success of his earlier work, India: Art and Culture.
Ahmed Alam Khan reaffirmed MESCO’s mission to enhance the community’s educational and economic progress. Dr. Akber Mohammed, a prominent US-based cardiologist and educator, emphasized the need for collective action to address educational disparities, while Indiana-based psychiatrist Dr. Mohammed Qutbuddin, speaking from his experiences in the United States, encouraged the fearless pursuit of lofty goals.
The Sunday ceremony honored Sana Qutbuddin, the new AFMI President, who outlined her vision for the organization’s future initiatives.
The series of events included the launch of Hayat Azm-o-Himmat, a book by Dr. Tabrez Hussain Taj chronicling the life and interviews of Dr. Mohammed Qutbuddin. Mementos were presented to several distinguished attendees, including Dr. Sayeed, Ahmed Alam Khan, Dr. Akber Mohammed, Dr Altaf Akber, Dr Imamuddin Head, Cardiology department Osmania and Sana Qutbuddin.
The event began with a welcome address by Dr. Syed Fazil Hussain Parvez. Engineer Syed Khaled Shahbaaz moderated the programme, while Haneef Ahmed and Dr. Mohammed Abdul Rasheed Junaid welcomed the guests.