A Madrasa that promises both Heaven and Earth
The South Indian city of Bidar – the northernmost part of Karnataka, 145 km from Hyderabad, is a placid habitation where Hindus and Muslims peaceably coexist to the eternal rhythms of sowing and harvest. It is barely known beyond the subcontinent. But in recent years, it has built a great reputation in the field of education. It is drawing students from miles around, and the teaching pedagogy at its largest seminary (Madrasa) is delivering amazing outcomes, confounding even seasoned educationists. The Madrasa is not just opening the gateway to modern careers but also strengthening the prospects of eternal salvation.
A dignified aura of its rich past cloaks every corner of the town. The crowning minarets that dot the city landscape and the villages around it dissolve into the mist of history as the lavender of the evening glow envelopes the monuments from which writers extract magical romances for their books. Legends abound of the great kings and saints who once inhabited this land. The ravages of time and the passages of history have slowly driven the chapters of glory into bygone memories.
But Bidar has re-emerged on the map. In a narrow alleyway, opposite the 15th century edifice of Madras a of Mahmud Gawan (1472) in Gole Khana area of Bidar stands Shaheen School, the flagship institution of a vibrant educational revolution whose ripples are touching thousands of lives across the country. Parents seeking a blend of temporal and spiritual education are choosing it over mainstream institutions. The unique offering at this institution is a bridge course for Madrasa pass-outs that equips them to join the mainstream education system. It is popularly phrased as ‘a short hop from Madrasa to science lab’.
When Abdul Qadeer, 58, an engineer by profession, began his enterprise in a one room tenement accommodating 18 students way back in 1989 he never imagined that his effort would become a harbinger of a unique educational revolution. With a mission to “shape an ideal seat of learning that is accessible to one and all”, the movement has mushroomed into a major center of academic excellence and a beacon of modern learning, touching the lives of more than 11000 students supervised by 400 teachers, all of them engaged in creation of knowledge wealth. The network comprises nine schools 16 pre-university colleges and a degree college having its clones in several cities. They have enabled more than 900 students to become doctors in the last 15 years.
