Origin and History

Osmania University is named after its founder, Nawab Osman Ali Khan, the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad who rather through a farman or Royal Charter brought the University into existence in 1918. It is the seventh oldest in the Country and third oldest in South India. Though the need for the University for the Hyderabad State was felt, both by the intelligential and the people for a long time, the initiative came from a civil servant, Sir Akbar Hydari, who was then the Home Secretary to the State Government. Sir Hydari, in a memorandum to the Education Minister in Early 1917, emphasized the need to establish a University of Hyderabad with ‘Urdu’ as the medium of instruction “as it is the language of the widest currency in India, official language of the State, and it is a language which is understood by a vast majority of the population of the State.” He believed that higher education must have its foundations deep in national consciousness.

The propitious moment, however, came a few months later on 26th April, 1917 when a Farman was issued for the establishment of the University. The Farman also detailed the ‘Mission’ and ‘Objectives’ of the University to be that:

The ancient and modern, the oriental and occidental arts and sciences are synthesized in such a manner that the defects of the present system of education are-re ctified.

The ancient as well as modern methods of physical, intellectual and spiritual education are to be fully utilized along with an effort for the propagation of knowledge, the moral improvement of the students is regulated on the one hand, and research work of a high order in all branches of knowledge is conducted on the other.

Though the medium of instruction of the University was ‘Urdu’, an Aryan language, that has direct kinship with other languages of the country, instruction of English, as a language, was made compulsory for each student.

One of the basic ideals of Osmania University is to achieve an intellectual synthesis of oriental and occidental learning of the best that has been thought of and said, both in the East and in the West. Further it aims at a cultural synthesis (as reflected in its architectural variety), the development of a national ethos, and the creation of an academic and social environment in which ‘National Integration’ is not a nebulous idea but a tangible reality.

The birth of Osmania University almost coincided with the birth of a new order arising from the ashes of the First World War. Its origin was basically patriotic. It was a revolt against the supremacy of the foreign language in India. On the revolutionary experiment of using a regional language as a medium of higher education the Nobel Laureate poet, Rabindranth Tagore, observed:

“I have long been waiting for the day when, freed from the shackles of a foreign language, our education becomes naturally accessible to all our people. It is a problem for the solution of which we look to our Native States, and it gives me great joy to know that your State proposes to found a University in which instructions are to be given through the medium of Urdu. It is needless to say that your scheme has my fullest appreciation………………….”

Similarly, complimenting the ruler of the State, Sir Michael Sadler wrote:

“The proposal to make the experiment of recognizing the vernaculars as the medium of instruction in the Osmania University, requiring in addition a command over the English Language, is most opportune, and upon the successful issue much will depend…”

The establishment of Osmania University symbolizes a renaissance in the Indian educational system. Throughout its existence, of over seven decades and in spite of several vicissitudes, it has shown a remarkable resilience and has grown into one of the major universities of India. It has a vast sprawling campus set in picturesque and idyllic surroundings. Buildings of great architectural elegance and variety enhance its beauty. Availability of the latest facilities makes it a very modern University. Alumni of the University have distinguished themselves in several walks of life; they include outstanding figures in public life, like one of the former Prime Ministers, Chief Ministers, Ministers, Parliamentarians, Legislators, eminent scholars, educationists, diplomats, administrators, lawyers, doctors, engineers, scientists, writers, sportsmen and men of arts and culture. While quite a few of them have won international acclaim for their excellent work, and have contributed to the fair name of the country abroad, as a matter of great satisfaction, quite a few of them, who had their higher education and training abroad later, saw that their mission was here and have contributed significantly to the national effort.