Editor’s Note: Jamia Journal Needs Your Help

Dear Reader

Anybody who is either presently attending or has already attended Jamia in the past knows that Jamia is one of the most vibrant and happening universities in India. It has a large student population with dozens of departments and centers of learning. The combination of the two has built an ecosystem that is brimming with creative energy. Everywhere you look on campus, you will see banners and posters for upcoming programs; and everywhere you turn there is some academic or cultural activity in progress. Jamia’s campus swarms with so much activity that for most people it is hard to keep track of what is taking place. It is not uncommon for one to learn of something of great importance only days after it has transpired.

And this happens only because people depend on their social networks for news and information. The bigger your network, the more you are in the know; and the smaller your friends circle the less informed you are. There was, and still is, an acute need in Jamia for an organized agency to gather information and then to disseminate it throughout the campus. What Jamia needs is a well-functioning newspaper. To cater to this need, Jamia Journal was founded in 2010 by one lone Jamia student, which happens to be me, Khalid Jaleel.

At the time the idea seemed almost Quixotic. I had no resources and no experience of running a newspaper. Not to mention, a social circle that did not extend beyond my classroom. I had a very vague idea of what I had to do to establish a newspaper. There was very little I had that could inspire confidence in the adventure I was gearing to set sail upon. However, there was one thing that instilled hope in me and gave me the confidence I needed to move forward on my idea. That source of confidence was my complete faith in the students of Jamia. I was convinced, if I made the initiative and called on students of Jamia to help in the endeavor they would respond in kind. To borrow a famous line from a movie, I believed, “if you build it, they would come.” I knew students would appreciate the initiative and join in to help realize its goal.

And just as I had expected, as soon as students learned of Jamia Journal’s existence, they came forward and volunteered their time and energy. They knew they would get no monetary compensation in return for their service, and yet they came and joined Jamia Journal. It’s been about two years, and the stream of students willing to help and support has never abated. Given the limited resources we had, we managed to exceed our own expectations. Our popularity grew on campus, and as time went by, we got noticed and recognized beyond the borders of our campus. We got profiled in a national daily, one of our reports even got cited in several newspapers. (Link)

Furthermore, aside from providing news and information, Jamia Journal offered students something equally important and valuable; Jamia Journal gave students a platform to speak and communicate with the rest of Jamia. Jamia Journal gave students space to speak on whatever they felt like talking about.

Although today we have established ourselves as the best source for news, information and opinion concerning Jamia, we feel Jamia Journal has yet to realize its full potential. What holds us back is the serious lack of funds. Jamia Journal runs on a shoe-string budget. As a student with no source of income, I had to depend on the generosity of my family to fund the project. But there is a limit to what they can do, and as a consequence, I barely manage to keep the website online. There was even an instance last year, where it seemed like Jamia Journal would have to be shut down because I was facing a situation where it did not seem like I would be able to pay our website’s hosting service, and would have to shut it down. But thankfully, that did not happen. However, there is no guarantee that it will not happen this year again.

By running Jamia Journal for over two years now, I believe, we at Jamia Journal have proven ourselves beyond a shadow of a doubt. Everybody now knows that Jamia Journal is a solid enterprise with the capability to deliver on its promise. The time, however, has come to take this student initiative to the next level. It is time for us to take Jamia Journal into the league of the professionals. It is time for Jamia Journal to become the envy of all universities in India.

So just like before, when Jamia Journal was nothing but an idea in my head, and I had nothing to go on except my complete and utter faith in the goodwill and the giving nature of my fellow university mates — I call upon the students, faculty and alumni of Jamia Millia Islamia, to help Jamia Journal. I especially call on the alumni to show their love for Jamia Journal.

Jamia Journal provides an excellent avenue to stay connected with your alma mater. No matter how willing the current students might be to help and contribute to Jamia Journal, their status as a student limits their capacity to make any financial contributions. Jamia Journal needs help in many different areas, but what we need above all else is financial support. Show your appreciation and your concern for Jamia Journal by making a worthy donation.

In conclusion I would like you to consider one very real possibility; if tomorrow when you go online and visit our website to check the latest news on Jamia, and instead find out that the site does not exist anymore, because without your financial support we had to close it down; would that affect you? Do you think you will miss Jamia Journal? Would you wish you could do something to bring it back online?

If the answer is yes, then do not leave this site without making a donation. Even the smallest gesture can make a difference.

Please donate now, and you’ll see the impact of your gift as we illuminate Jamia all year long.