Insan School and Dr. Syed Hasan (Part I)

Contributed By: Dr. Equbal Wajid
Photos By: Md. Mudassir Alam

On March 2nd 1979, when I joined ‘Insan School’ at the age of 23 to work as a High School Teacher, I never thought that I am going to work with the Founder of such an Intuition; who will later, become an official nominee for the Noble Prize by the Government of India and will be awarded the National Padamshree award. Padamshree Dr. Syed Hasan a disciple of Dr. Zakir Hussain the former President of India and Professor Mohammad Mujeeb, the ex-vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, founded this Institution in 1966 in a remote area of north-east Bihar called Kishanganj. Now Kishanganj is a well known District of Bihar as it is a Muslim dominated vote bank for the politicians too. Mr. Syed Shahabuddin, [IFS Rtd], President of Muslim Majlis Mushawarat and the Convener of the Babri Masjid action committee has also won his Parliament seats twice from Kishanganj. The veteran journalist M. J. Akbar has also won the Parliament seat from Kishanganj once on the aspiration of the former Prime Minister of India Mr. Rajiv Gandhi.

Padamshree Dr. Syed Hassan is a graduate from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi in 1946. Mr. Akhlaqur Rahman Kidwai the former Governor of Bihar and the ex-Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission of India was among his seniors in Jamia Millia Islamia in primary school. After his graduation he was appointed as a primary teacher in Jamia Millia Islamia and soon he was sent to USA on a student-Visa. He took his MS degree in Education and later on he won his PhD degree in Educational Psychology. In 1964 he was awarded the Instructor of the year award in the State College of Forsberg, USA. At the same time he resigned and came back to India to serve his own Nation. He started a residential School at Kishanganj in 1966 which later become the Institution of National repute. Whilst Mr. Syed Shahabuddin was the sitting MP of Kishanganj, once he wrote in a letter addressed to the members of the School Committee.

“I regard these institutions as a National and Local asset and a model for the country” Many big politicians of both State and National levels praised the works of Padamshree Dr. Syed Hassan who was the only supremo of this institution. Mr. Karpuri Thakur the then Chief Minister of Bihar was one of them. When in 1978 Mr.Karpuri Thakur visited Insan School for the first time he became mad of it. When he saw the arrangements and discipline of the School, he said in his speech that the soul of Mahatma Gandhi verbalizes within Dr. Syed Hassan. Later on Karpuri Thakur nominated Dr. Syed Hassan as a State level member of the Steering Committee of the Adult Education Programme. Dr. Syed Hassan started and run near about 300 Adult Education Centers in the locality. The Instructors of the centers were being paid by the Insan School voluntarily. Step by step, Dr. Syed Hassan’s repute and fame reached at Delhi. Once, Mr. Anil Bordia, who was then the Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Human Resource Development Government of India, met Dr. Syed Hasan in an Adult Education Meeting headed by the Chief Minister. On his turn during introduction in the meeting Dr. Syed Hasan stood up and said “Syed Hassan, Insan School, Kishanganj, Purnia”. As the chief Minister heard him he called him and forced him to sit upon the dice side by side. The attendees were astonished to see this scene. Karpuri Thakur started singing the lines of the anthem of Insan School from the dice:

“Insan banege hum Insan banaey ge
Jineke tariqe hum seekhen ge sikhaien gge”
[Human we m turn to be and Human we make others too]
[ learn we will the art to live and teach we ill the art to live]

In his speech the Chief Minister praised this institution and asked the attendees to go to Kishanganj and see the institution. Mr.Anil Bordia was much impressed with Dr. Syed Hasan. He came to visit Insan School from Patna by road without any prior information and said “I am ahead of my schedule”. It was a rainy season and it was raining slightly when the Additional Secretary of the Government of India took an umbrella and stepped up to take a glance of the School campus in mud and rain. I was also following them. After a short visit Mr.Anil Bordia left for Patna and then to Delhi. When Anil Bordia was about to leave the campus the District Education Officer of Purnea, got the smell and rushed to Insan School to see him. Fortunately he met Mr. Anil Bordia at the gate for few minutes.

And so on, slowly day after days my golden 14 years passed in Insan School. When for the first time I was going to join the institution I have had heard about Dr. Syed Hassan that he is an educationist and psychologist. By my instinct which was ever thrusty for intellectuality I slowly became fond of him. When I met him for the first time I was not much impressed as he was not so out spoken, rather than a man of strength and of serious nature. I saw him second time in the staff meeting where he was trying to motivate the staff to be enthusiastic for the cause of education. It was a big hall, and near about 120 staffs were there. I sat in the last row. The meeting was about to over. Suddenly I saw Dr. Syed Hassan was dancing when he read a famous couplet of the notable Urdu poet Allama Iqbal.

Aaa tujh ko batata hun taqdeer e umum kiya hai
Shamseer o Sana awwal taoos o rubaab aakhir
[Come! and I will tell exactly what the fate of this Muslim Ummah is]
[It is! the sword and blade first; and the throne and viol later]

While reciting this Urdu couplet he twisted himself and raising his hands in the air in such a rhythmic way that I became fond of him. I decided to work with him and learn from him whatever I can.

This was my start in Insan School. Although we were being paid a little amount, but the company of Dr. Syed Hassan was much more valuable for us than money. Some of the teachers always like to be with him in their leisure hours. The School was always scheduled to run from morning to noon throughout the year. In the evening the office was always opened un-officially up to 09 o’clock. Some of the teachers were regular visitors of the evening session. I was also one of them. One Mr.Jehangir Malick [Teacher] and Maullana Nayeemuddin Quami [Teacher] were also among the evening visitors. All we do in the evening was nothing but listen to Dr. Syed Hassan, about his experiences in Jamia Millia Islamia and United States. This was our best entertainment.

I regard Dr. Syed Hassan as the best teacher I ever saw. He is the hero of the class rooms. He had been the winner of his class, both in United States and in India. When Dr. Syed Hassan is the classroom as a Teacher nobody can sit idle or dull. He created such interest in the class room which I never imagined. When I was appointed a Lecturer in the Urdu Department of Insan College; [an up gradation of Indian School] Dr. Syed Hassan use to teach Urdu to the students of my class. I use to sit in the back row and watch minutely what Dr. Syed Hassan actually does. He taught few poems form the famous poetic collection of Allama Iqbal “Baang e Dara”. The poem “Mahe Nau” “ Khizr e Raah” “ Naya Shiwala” and some more.

Some of our friends were surprised to see this, because they belief that when Dr. Syed Hassan will teach a lesson to the class, nobody can carry out the interest created by him. Secondly when the students will compare the teaching of Syed Hassan with a teacher, they will undermine their teachers as they may fail to create such interests. Surely it was my love and regard to Dr. Syed Hassan that I resisted all these ill feelings and learned the art of teaching with that great teacher in my own class.

The second most important thing with him was the quality to treat emotionally disturbed people. Off- course he was an eminent Psychiatrist. I have seen many such cases who has been returned uncured from the Mental Asylum of Ranchi, Bihar, got cured completely when they come under treatment to Dr. Syed Hassan. In comparison to other teachers I always use to spend my time whenever I saw any new or old patient with him. Dr. Syed Hassan’s way of treatment was based on Psychotherapy. He used to cure his patients through conversations. To my belief, I often felt confidence to talk to the patients and in the Vacation when I use to come to home I handled some of such cases successfully. Though; I don’t have any kind of degree in this field but I am confident enough with Psychotherapy, as I have succeeded in handling some emotionally disturbed cases in my area.

When I was in Mumbai in 1995, I met with Dr. Abdul Kareem Naik [Father of the Veteran Islamic Technocrat Dr. Zakir Naik] and I explained him my interest in Psychotherapy but he didn’t give me any chance to handle or assist such cases. Dr. Abdul Kareem Naik is himself a renowned Psychiatrist who has a strong back ground in Psychotherapy, as he had been the President of the All India Psychiatry Society for two or three times.

Padamshree Dr. Syed Hassan has worked voluntarily as a Psychiatrist for a long time. By the grace of Allah many people got cured of his therapy free of cost. He never took a single penny form any one for this service. Rather than he use to bear the food and residential expenses of the patients and their attendants. The first case which I saw there was a young man named Santosh. He was a local Bengali, from a poor family. During his treatment he climbed up on the roof of the School Bakery and started throwing the tiles one by one. Dr. Syed Hassan asked nobody to stop him. He seemed to stand idle during this act; more over he was helping him to feel support. This was a treatment of its own kind to which Dr. Syed Hassan use to speak as Supportive Psychotherapy. After half an hour Santosh was cooled down and he himself stepped down of the roof and sat peacefully in a corner of the school and slowly we saw that within a week or two he became a normal man who later he also worked an employee of the institution.

The second case which I saw was of a Hindu Sage. He stopped speaking and eating and declared that he is the God. He remained quite mute, never speaking even single word. Dr. Syed Hassan was trying his best to compel him to speak. It was a very interesting story. [to be Continued]

Disclaimer: The article carries the personal view of the contributor based on his personal experience. The author of the blog has not added anything from his side and not responsbile for any type of objections raised by anyone.