KARACHI, Aug 31: The Sindh Madressatul Islam, one of the schools attended by the Father of the Nation, Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, which celebrates its 120th Foundation Day on Wednesday (today) , is in better shape than another institution having the honour of being the Quaid's alma mater, the Christian Missionary Society School.

Though the historical buildings of the Madressah, located on Nicole Road, now Aiwan-i-Tijarat Road, are in a relatively good condition due to the massive restoration and repair works carried out in the past couple of decades, they deserve more attention owing to their important role in the awakening of the Muslims of Sindh in the last century.

It is a measure of general apathy that a considerable portion of the huge plot of the Madressah land, that was donated to the institution for educational purposes, had been commercialized, and a large number of shops have been constructed on it, which has considerably damaged the look and historical character of the magnificent buildings.

The school's 80-feet-high clock tower, which is also reminiscent of the Empress Market's tower, and the Max Denso Hall, which had just been completed at that time, is also in a bad shape. The clock of the tower is not functioning, while the spiral, iron staircase, which leads to top has been closed down for its poor condition.

One of the mosques in the premises of the Madressah, where a bomb blast had occurred sometime back, was repaired temporarily. One of its four original cast-iron pillars, which had been destroyed, was replaced with a steel pillar, temporarily, while the process to get a cast-iron pillar, like the original one, was in progress.

The Pakistan Steel and the Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works are demanding around Rs500,000 for the pillar. Responding to Dawn queries, the Madressah's principal, Mohammad Ali Shaikh, said that no major repair or renovation works could be carried out as the required funds had not been provided for such projects since 1990.

He said that the buildings were badly in need of major repairs and renovation, as these were important national monuments. Mr Shaikh said that at the time of its nationalization in early 1970s, the institution was no more a single entity.

He said that the S M College, which was functioning in the Madressah's hostel premises, was now under the provincial government's control, while the Madressah was under the control of the federal government. He said that the playground, which was located between the Madressah and the college, could not be fully developed owing to a dispute between the two institutions.

HISTORY: The Sindh Madressahtul Islam was established by Hassanally Bey Effendi in 1885. Born in an Akhund family of Hyderabad, Mr Effendi started his career as a toll clerk at Jheruck on the Indus River near Thatta, but soon he changed his job and became a clerk in deputy Collector's office at Naushehra, where he learnt English from a Christian colleague.

Later, Mr Effendi joined the Indus Flotilla, where he met a chief judge of Karachi, Mr Middleman, who appointed him as a Serishtedar and translator in his court. Soon he was allowed to practice, though he did not have a degree in law.

Soon he became the first non-European public prosecutor, and remained in office for over 14 years. It was the turning point in his life. He joined Dayaram Jethmal's "Sindh Sabha" (established for the promotion of education, and which established the D J College and many other institutions), and became its vice-president, but later he realized that the Muslims could only be benefited if they had their separate organization.

He travelled to Aligarh, Calcutta and Hyderabad Deccan in 1882, and had collected a donation of Rs4,000 from the Nizam of Hyderabad and other donors. Mr Effendi met Justice Amir Ali, then a practising lawyer, and on his suggestion founded Sindh branch of the National Mohammedan Association, and became its president and later founded Sindh Madressah in 1885.

The title of 'Khanbahadur' was coffered on Mr Effendi in 1888 for his services for education. Later, he was appointed Turkish Consul, and the Sultan of Turkey sent him Majeedi Medal and afterwards also conferred the title of "Effendi" on him in 1889. Mr Effendi died on Aug 20, 1895, at the age of 65, and was laid to rest at Hyderabad.

He started the Madressah in a rented place in Boultan Market in 1885. Municipality gave generous aid for the smooth functioning of the Madressah. Soon the school buildings rose on the site of the "Municipal Camel Encamping Ground", and the adjoining "Kafilah Serai", which had witnessed the arrival of "Kafilahs" from the Central Asia until the late 1870s.

The place for the boarding house for the Madressah was also given by the Municipality free of charge. One deserving student from each of the 52 talukas of Sindh at that time were fed and educated free of charge at the hostel.

The foundation stone of the Madressah's main building was laid by the then viceroy to India, Lord Dufferin, on Nov 14, 1887, and it was completed in 1889 at a total cost of Rs197,188, half of which was contributed by the government, while the remaining cost was met by contributions from the Local Boards and contributions from philanthropists such as the Nawab of Junagarh and the Nizam of Deccan.

James Strachan designed the Sindh Madressah building with rooms grouped around a quadrangle, drawing inspiration from the Oxbridge colleges and the local courtyards.

The courtyards of the Madressah buildings are encircled by arched verandahs, which provide access to the classrooms. Mr Strachan, who designed the buildings free of cost, built the main double-storey structure in chiselled Gizri sandstone, his favourite material.

Two single-storey structures diagonally appended to the two corners of the building, are oriented to serve as mosques for students. The mosques were constructed with the contributions from Nawab of Junagarh and the Mir of Khairpur.

At that time, Mr Strachan had a special interest in Indo-Gothic architecture, and his signature could be seen in the form of pointed early English arches on the ground floor. However, the Tudor arch styleis used in the first floor, while the Orgive arch style has been used in the ground floor of the Madressah building.

The buildings' walls have been supplemented with square columns on the ground floor, and circular columns on the first floor. All the main beams are either made of wood or steel, while its roof is covered with Mangalore tiles.

Sindh Madressah is one of the few 'secular' buildings in Karachi, where Gothic imagery has been employed. The repetitive use of arches gives depth and character to this fine building, and provides an attractive backdrop for the large playground.

The Sindh Madressah grounds, spreading over an area of 31,404 square yards, provide ample space for recreational activities, mosques, staff accommodation and several boarding houses.

A boarding house for Talpur princes studying here was completed in 1901, the Hassanally Hostel was built in 1909 through private subscriptions, and the Khairpur Hostel was completed in 1910 with the funds provided by the Mir of Khairpur.

However, the quality of construction of the hostels is not comparable to the original school building. By 1911, Sindh Madressah emerged as a cosmopolitan institution of international repute. Its faculty comprising the Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and Jews. The students, besides native Sindhis, belonging to Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, etc also studied here.

In 1985, the ninety-year-old bungalow of the principal, which was about to be demolished, was saved by the timely intervention of conservationists. The old bungalow has now been converted into the Khanbahadur Hassanally Effendi Library. The Madressah also houses the M A Jinnah Museum, Sir Shahnawaz Bhutto Auditorium, Fine Arts Gallery, etc.

Besides Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, other famous alumni of the Madressah include eminent educationist Shamsul Ulema Daudpota, Allama I I Kazi, Sir Shahnawaz Bhutto, Sir Abdullah Haroon, Justice Syed Sajjad Ali Shah, Khanbahadur M Ayub Khuhro, Sir Ghulam Hussain Hidayatullah, Shaikh Abdul Majeed Sindhi, Ghulam Ali Allana, and barristers Hassanally A Rehman, A K Brohi, etc.