'RIP Aunty, we love you': Professor Salma Farooqui's tribute to her teacher Begum Anees Khan

Hyderabad: Begum Anees Khan, founder and principal of Nasr School and chairperson of Nasr Educational Society passed away on Wednesday in Hyderabad. Condolence messages are pouring from all her students, educationists, historians, and many across the world.

Paying tribute to Begum Anees Khan, her former student and now Professor Salma Ahmed Farooqui with Maulana Azad National Urdu University wrote:

Anees Aunty as we called her was a rare gem. She broke the barriers and the glass ceiling 60 years ago by starting Nasr school when Hyderabad was still feudal and in the grip of a purdah society. With encouragement from her in-laws, Chand aapa and Vazir Miyan, and her husband Kamal uncle, nothing could stop her from bringing quality school education to Hyderabad. Starting with just one class in a garage in 1965, soon Khushnuma turned into the beautifully managed Nasr school.

My sister and my husband joined Nasr in 1967 in nursery, they were the second batch of students. Nasr used to be a co-ed school in the initial years. I feel proud to say I joined Nasr in 1971 in the nursery and completed my entire schooling from there. It was only after a few more years that the school became an exclusive girls' school.

Anees Aunty took our moral science class. She was very keen that her students don’t just get educated but they should also be taught the right values. I remember the Milad-un-Nabi jalsa that was organized year after year on the school premises. She appointed the best teachers for instruction, we were taught not just the regular subjects that are taught in ICSE, but also were trained in music and dance, theatre, poetry, karate, SUPW, cooking, girl guides, flower arrangement, regular sports such as football and throw ball and relay race etc.

Anees Aunty visited our classes regularly. We were given all our textbooks and notebooks by the school and were taken out every week to Bal Bhavan in Public Gardens for clay modeling and painting. We were also given a boat ride there sometimes.

I am saying all this only to reinforce her vision and far far-sightedness that she had for her students and the school six decades ago. This is no mean task. She is an achiever in letter and spirit.”

The school added just one class every year and built the school brick by brick and nurtured her students in such a way that the aim was not to merely give degrees but to prepare them for life. Those were not the days when having a career was important but just imagine the way she moulded the personality of her students.

Anees Aunty, because of you, many of us are today what we are. We owe you a lot. We always loved you and will continue to love you. May you rest in eternal peace.