Nawab C. Abdul Hakeem Sahib- A Beacon of Goodwill

 Nawab C. Abdul Hakeem Sahib- A Beacon                                of  Goodwill

    Nawab C. Abdul Hakeem Sahib was born in 1863 in Kilvisharam. He was the son of Janab C. Siddique Hussain Sahib. From a young age, he had a strong desire to learn and often walked from Visharam to Arcot just to study. Later in life, he dedicated much of his wealth  improving education across Tamil Nadu. He became a successful businessman and owned several tanneries. Because of his success in business, other business leaders called him the "Prince Merchant." 

    Nawab Sahib made many important contributions to society. He was the founding president of the Melvisharam Muslim Educational Society (MMES) and played a key role in its development. He donated Rs. 40,000 to build Islamiah High School and also built Islamiah Elementary School in 1937. To help MMES earn a steady income, he gave two buildings in Chennai that still generate rental income today. In 1926, he built the Government Hospital in Visharam, and in 1929, he was given the title of Sheriff of Madras. In 1931, he built two ladies' wards at Scudder Memorial Hospital and helped in building part of the Little Flower Convent in Ranipet.

    In 1927, he donated Rs. 25000 /- to the Government Boys High school in Arcot, now known as C. Abdul Hakeem Government Boys Higher Secondary School, which will complete 100 years of service next year. In 1934, he donated five acres of land to the Government Boys Higher Secondary School in Kaveripakkam and started a middle school in Tiruvalam. He also founded Muslim High School in Triplicane, Chennai in 1924, which has completed 100 years. Additionally, he donated a building for the C. Abdul Hakeem Hindu Muslim School in Chennai. And started the M.D. (Mission) School in Visharam to help underprivileged communities.

    In the Vellore district, he made many contributions to the Muslim community. From 1927 to 1933, he served as Vice-President and then President of the Vaniyambadi Muslim Educational Society. In 1933, he gave Rs. 50,000 to help turn Islamiah College into a First Grade College. He also led the Anjuman-e-Mufeede-Aam in Vaniyambadi until 1937. During a school function, he promised Rs. 15,000, and with the school adding Rs. 10,000, a building was purchased in Chennai that still provides rental income today. To support the Ambur Muslim Educational Society, he donated Rs. 35,000 to build the ‘C’ Market, which became a source of income for the school. He also gave land to the Hindu Higher Secondary School in Ambur and started a school in Kilakarai. In 1925, he donated Rs. 1 lakh to Madarsa E Baqiyathus Salihath, Vellore. 

    His generosity extended beyond Tamil Nadu. He donated to many institutions, including Aligarh Muslim University, Andhra University, Travancore University, Nadwathul Ulema Arabic Institute in Lucknow, National College in Cuttack, and Usmania College in Kurnool.

    Nawab Sahib also played a role in politics. He founded the Muslims Progressive Party on 24th July 1936 and was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in 1937. He served as a syndicate member of Annamalai University, President of the Chamber of Commerce, and as a Director of both Indian Bank and Central Bank. He was also President of the Muslim Educational Association of South India (MEASI) in 1924–25 and remained active in the organization for many years. In recognition of his service and generosity, the British Government gave him the title of “Nawab.”

Nawab C. Abdul Hakeem Sahib passed away on 28th January 1938. Even today, people remember him for his kindness, generosity, and lasting contributions to education and society.

 Many great men across the nation had expressed their grief and had penned down their condolence message. One of them are written here for the readers, one can assess his contributions for the society. The following were condolence messages recorded in the Madras Legislative Assembly debates,

1. A.T. Panneerselvam in the Madras Legislative Assembly that “he felt that the money he earned was for the use of the people and he placed it at their disposal”

2. Justice Basheer Ahmed Sayeed mentioned about his philanthropic deeds in the following words 

“In his charities he made no distinction between a temple and a mosque. His gift of an elephant to a temple, his gifts to other temples for renovation purpose, his gift to the  National Girls’ Schools, Mylapore and to the Ramakrishna Mission Students’Home, the several choultries he built, and the several mosques he built are very well known to the people of south India. The large donations he promised to the University, the Andhra University and the Aligarh University are yet to be fulfilled and in the midst of these great expectations the great benefactor has passed away from our midst’

Alhamdulillah,  I thank Dr. C. Mohammed Faheem Sahib, Associate Professor, Dept. of History, Islamiah college (Autonomous) Vaniyambadi, for sharing valuable inputs about C. Abdul Hakeem Sahib.

S.MOHAMMED SADATHULLAH 

MELVISHARAM