The Allure of Aligarh: A Poetic Journey into the University City

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Author: Huma Khalil Category: Coffee Table Books, History, Politics & Current Affairs ISBN: 9789388302708 Binding: Hardback Dimensions: 10 x 10 inch Number of Pages: 296

Urdu and Aligarh are a match made in heaven

Every corner of Aligarh boasts of its centuries-old history. Apart from its culture and convention, it has also been the home base for some of the greatest poets the Indian subcontinent has ever produced.        

While the city does not have any monuments or tombs to exhaust you on your next visit, what it does have is that old-world charm whose ambience will consume you and break all the clichés of how you perceive a city’s history. You will realise that Aligarh is a character that you need to live up to, and its quirky nature will bind you and yet allow you to be free. Its distinctive, intimate, majestic, and discernible spirit has an emotional point of reference rather than a topographical one. It carries a simplicity that you will not just find anywhere. Be it the old and the new or science and poetry, Aligarh is where the union of such contradictions transpire.

But it is the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) that put the city on the world map. From witnessing historic movements to bringing poetic brilliance of its culture, every inhabitant of Aligarh wears AMU’s badge with pride. Several poets have expressed their unending love for she’r-o-shayari and honed their art within the walls of this majestic university. The alumni carry the love and respect for its institution and the city, both of which stand as a backbone of their creative journey.

Aligarh will blossom a sense of nostalgia . . . it will happen to you. You are bound to immerse yourself in the compendium of this timeless city.