Beyond AMU: The many lives of Aligarh

Atif Syed, a computer engineer from AMU, turns historian and deftly narrates the layered story of the city in a storytelling style. Atif’s exploration moves from Aligarh’s origin under the Dor Rajputs.

The mere mention of Aligarh brings to mind images of “padlocks and pairs of scissors” or, as author Rakhshanda Jalil and millions of Aligarh Muslim University alumni spread across the world say, the city evokes a deep sense of “Ahd-e-Rafta” (the days gone by). The mention of the town triggers rich mental images of the historic Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) campus, its iconic tree-lined avenues, vintage cinema halls like Tasveer Mahal, and old family havelis.

In Aligarh: The City That Outlasted Empires [Hachette], Atif Syed, a computer engineer from AMU, turns historian and deftly narrates the layered story of the city in a storytelling style. The reader gets mesmerised by the sheer prose as Atif’s exploration moves from Aligarh’s origin under the Dor Rajputs, through Qutbuddin Aibak’s conquest to the Mughal era. He then turns to the stormy years of European intervention, which gave way to the founding of Aligarh Muslim University in the wake of the 1857 uprising, the great Indian revolt. Thankfully, Atif does not confine himself to the role and contributions of Syed Ahmed Khan but expands into a labyrinth of stories about ordinary citizens who adapted and rebuilt with each change of power, and the powerful whose ambitions reshaped Aligarh’s course.

Atif’s work skilfully explores diverse facets of local life, including French soldiers composing Urdu poetry, global merchant networks, indigo plantation economies, and historical architecture (temples, mosques, tombs, and forts). Take, for instance, his description of Lord Richard Wellesley’s orders to General Lord Lake in the sweltering heat on 7 August 1803, leading a force of 5,000 infantry, 2,500 cavalry, and standard artillery support to Kanpur.

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“The sun blazed mercilessly, turning the earth into a furnace, but the determination in the soldiers’ eyes burned even brighter. The formidable fortress of Aligarh, a bastion of strength in Hindustan, lay in the north of Koil town, separated by a plain. This fortress, a marvel of French engineering, boasted massive walls, reinforced corner towers, and a moat so vast and deep that ships could sail within its waters. It stood as a symbol of Maratha might, seemingly impregnable.”

By 26 August 1803, Lake’s forces had reached Sikandra Rao, presently famous for its khurchan, the scraped, gooey layers of malai, a town about forty kilometres southeast of Aligarh.

“General Lake received official authorization from the Governor-General to commence active military operations, enter Maratha territory, and prepare for the next major showdown at Aligarh. British officers also received intelligence that Pierre Cuillier-Perron (General Perron), a French mercenary commander who controlled the strategic Aligarh Fort on behalf of the Maratha Empire, was positioned at Koil and intended to engage them, relying primarily on his cavalry—considered the finest irregular horsemen in Hindustan. The Maratha forces at Koil were comparable in size to the British army, numbering 2,000 infantry, 8,000 cavalry, and the usual complement of artillery, all under Perron’s command. The following day, Lake’s forces moved closer to Koil and Aligarh Fort, and on 28 August, they finally came within sight of the Jama Masjid in Koil, where they encamped.”