WUNRN
Women's Feature Service
By Surekha Kadapa-Bose
Muslim Girls-Only College - Mumbai - Students in
zoology lab.
(Credit: Surekha Kadapa-Bose\WFS)
Mumbai (Women's Feature Service) - The
corridors are buzzing with the chatter of girls, all clad in the ‘abaya’. The
principal, Prof. Kamala Balsubramanian, is on her daily rounds and they stop to
greet her warmly. There are about 1,250 students studying for their
undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in various streams on this campus.
Almost all of them are easy to interact with, seeing as they are eager to talk
about their studies, teachers, the principal and their dreams, even in the
presence of faculty members.
This would be just another day in any
Besides tackling severe deprivation and
difficulty, the people of Bhiwandi, which is a textile industry hub as well, constantly
fight another demon - a huge rift amongst its Hindu and Muslim population, a
'legacy' of the bloody riots of 1984 and 1992 that had left several hundreds
dead.
"But things have changed tremendously
since then, especially for our girls. And the credit goes to the college and
its faculty members for their support that has helped our kids," says a
group of happy parents, who were at the college to meet the faculty.
Education can be an eye opener; it can
change the way people treat each other; it can also help people understand and
come to terms with their past. And as most of the students at G.M. Momin belong
to the lower middle class or poor families and are first generation learners,
the impact of education entering their homes can easily be gauged by the
reactions of their parents.
But this change has not occurred overnight.
Established by the K.M.E. (Konkan Muslim Education Society), the college's
'empowerment through education' agenda has been on for over two decades now,
ever since it first opened its gates in 1989. "Initially, we had to go
from door-to-door asking people to send their daughter or daughters to
college," reveals Jayashree Thakre, a Chemistry lecturer, who also looks
after the Extension Education Unit.
Adds Prof. Balsubramanian, who took over as
principal in 2000, when the college strength was a mere 350, "In the last
10 years, through continuous parent-teacher interactions and thanks to a
growing awareness about educating women, our numbers have tripled."
The winds of change are definitely sweeping
through the Muslim community of Bhiwandi. Says Sama Aslam Sheikh, mother of
Amrin, a first year B.Sc student, "Our relatives and others from our
'quam' (community) were opposed to the idea of sending our daughters to pursue
higher studies. But despite our dire financial strain - my husband is an
autorickshaw driver - we want our daughter to continue her studies. I feel
strongly that our community will prosper and be considered progressive if our
girls get education."
In fact, when another student,
And the girls are certainly not letting
down the faith that their parents have reposed in them. Students of this
college excel in both academics and sports. Last year, G.M. Momin's girls had
bagged all the three top slots in Physics in the third year B.Sc final exams of
This list of achievers does not stop with
the Physics department. In 2010, Anam Shahid Momin of the Zoology department
got Rs 10,000 as prize money for scoring 80 per cent plus in her M.Sc First
Year. And she dreams of topping the university in her final year. Last year
also saw the tall and lanky Nazia Khan bag the first prize in the javelin throw
event at the Thane district level sports meet. When asked about the length of
her throw, Khan playfully says, "They didn't have that long a tape and so
they couldn't measure."
For the year 2008-2009, the college bagged
the second place in the Best College Awards that are given by the
There's a reason behind G.M. Momin's high
achievements. The facilities that it makes available to its students - a
fully-equipped IT department, research labs, provision for fashion studies and
even a good gym - enables them to not only pursue their studies seriously but
also encourages a healthy appetite for outdoor sports, leading to all-round
development. In fact, many are encouraged to participate in extra-curricular
activities and compete in college-level competitions held in colleges in Mumbai
and its suburbs. And to allay the fears of parents, of their girls travelling
alone, teachers regularly accompany those taking part outside Bhiwandi.
Besides, to facilitate poor or deserving students, there is also a heavy fee
concession and at times they are even allowed to pay in installments.
Prof. Subramanian is quick to give due
credit to the K.M.E. Society and especially to its president, Aslam Fakih, who
she believes has a vision for the community's future.
Sama Sheikh is a proud mom today because
her daughter is a student at G.M. Momin Women's College. Of course, it's little
wonder that she is happy, because she knows her daughter has the same
opportunities that some of the more illustrious alumni of this institution have
got. Take Huma Ansari, who following her graduation passed the judicial service
exam and is presently serving as a judge in a Pandharpur (Maharastra) court. Momin
Tehzeeunisa and Tripathi Sangeeta have joined the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
(BARC) and are doing Ph.D. in material sciences. Several others have returned
after doing their post graduation elsewhere to work as lecturers here.
Concludes Sheikh, "Outsiders have this
misconception that our girls, always seen clad in an 'abaya', cannot measure up
to the standards of excellence, partly also because Bhiwandi for several
reasons has got a bad image. But by educating our girls we want to tell them
that even with our trademark 'abaya' we can do wonders in this world."