In a gesture imbued with a lot of symbolism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has agreed to be the chief guest at the centenary celebrations of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), one of India's oldest universities, via video conferencing on December 22. He will attend the virtual function along with Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank. This is the first time in 56 years that a prime minister will be attending an AMU event, the Times of India said. 

Thanking Modi for accepting the invitation to participate in the celebrations marking 100 years of the university, Vice-Chancellor Professor Tariq Mansoor said, "The outreach of the university during this historical year would immensely help in the growth and development of the university and placement of our students in the private and public sectors."

Mansoor said President Ram Nath Kovind is expected to join other online centenary functions of the university.

"Centenary is a great landmark achievement in the history of any university. AMU and its various units as well as Alumni Associations have been organising various programmes attended by illustrious people from diverse fields through the virtual mode following the Government of India's guidelines to curb the spread of Covid-19 pandemic," said Mansoor.

Landmark AMU buildings and structures from the Administrative Block to the Centenary Gate, the Engineering College Road to the Polytechnic, Morrison Court Road, Victoria Gate, the University Mosque, Strachey Hall and the Sir Syed House would be illuminated on December 17 and 18 evening. There will be multi-coloured and engaging visual projections of creative lights and design, weaving in the rich and unique university heritage.

Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College was renamed as Aligarh Muslim University on December 1, 1920 and AMU was formally inaugurated as a university on December 17 in the same year by then V-C Mohammad Ali Mohammad Khan, popularly known as the Raja Sahib of Mahmudabad.

As a premier institute of higher learning, AMU has produced two Bharat Ratnas, the nation's highest honour  -- Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan also known as  Frontier Gandhi and former Indian president Zakir Husain.

Since its inception, the university has been making seminal contributions to different branches of knowledge and many of its students and faculty members have been bestowed top honors in India and abroad. The university draws students from all over the country as well as foreign countries, especially Africa, West Asia and Southeast Asia.