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AL-FALAH UNIVERSITY
PASSION TO WIN
On February 16, 2017, I was invited by Al-Falah University, which is about an hour’s drive from Delhi City Center in the National Capital Region, Faridabad, Haryana, India, to address over 500 students and faculty from different universities under the theme of Alleem Sustainable Development Goals. Although an industrial and prosperous state of India, Haryana is the location of one of the most deprived regions in the country. Home to a predominantly Muslim community, it is socially, economically, and literally categorized as a backward district.
Way back in 1995, the educationist Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui decided to venture into this area to promote literacy and educational awareness. Inspired by the motto "Give a man fish and you feed him for a day, teach him how to fish and you have fed him for life,” he started an engineering college in Dhauj Village in Mewat District, Faridabad City. The college initially operated in an industrial shed in Gurgaon in 1997 with an intake of 180 students. Then, it moved to its permanent campus in 1998 and began its journey of transforming the sleepy hamlet. After a few years, it was observed that the benefits of the college were still not fully trickling down to the community because of the unavailability of secondary education in the area. Then, Siddiqui decided to launch a six to 12-month skill-based program. This was the turning point for the community. More facilities were introduced, and the caravan grew. In 2014, the Legislative Assembly of Haryana recognized it as a private university for the Muslim ministry community. This brought momentum and gave the impetus for growth. After that, facilities for science, arts, commerce, management, and education were added. After constructing a 350-bed hospital, the university is now at an advanced stage of establishing a medical school. The hospital is charging $0.15 for consultation and nominal fees for surgery, resulting in inclusive growth in health care for the masses.