Mysore/Mysuru: Maintaining that former Vice-Chancellor of Goa and Mangalore Universities Prof. B. Sheik Ali was a highly talented scholar and a renowned historian, Rajyotsava awardee Dr. Maher Mansur said that Prof.Ali severely opposed the partition of the country during the freedom struggle.

He was speaking after inaugurating the one-day seminar on “Prof. B. Sheik Ali Hayath Aur Khidmaath – His life and views” organised at Kaveri auditorium in KSOU premises on Hunsur road here recently.

Maintaining that Prof.Sheik Ali strongly opposed the partition of the country at the end of British rule, Dr. Mansur said that Prof.Ali was well-versed in languages such as Urdu, Kannada, Hindi and English and has 55 works to his credit.

Highlighting the contributions of the former VC to the growth and promotion of Urdu language, he said that his (Ali) work ‘British rule in Mysore Kingdom’ has documented many important happenings then. Noting that the erstwhile Mysore Maharajas had lauded the knowledge of Prof.Ali, he said that the late VC, after his return from England, scripted 12 books in Urdu.

KSOU Finance Officer Khader Pasha, in his address, said that Prof.Ali had great concerns for education of poor Muslims and established educational institutions at Ghousianagar and other parts of the city. Prof.Ali had contributed a lot for the language when he served in the Department of Urdu, University of Mysore, he added.

KSOU Dean Prof. N. Lakshmi too spoke. KSOU Vice-Chancellor Dr. Sharanappa V. Halse, Registrar Prof. K.N. Murthy, Urdu Department Dean Prof. Ramanath Naidu, Registrar (Evaluation) Prof. K.B. Praveen, Dr. M.D. Nasrulla Khan, Dr. Syed Ishrath Fatima and others were present at the seminar.