-
How did a German Jew Gerda Philipsborn come to Delhi, India to help establish one of the top university of India ‘Jamia’. It was a place so distant and disconnected from her homeland.
Philipsborn's journey from being a German - a European women in colonial India - to becoming Jamia's Aapa Jaan (which she was fondly called at the university) began in 1933 when she traveled to India.
At the university Philipsborn encouraged Jamia's girls and women to play a more active role in society. When she joined the editorial team of Payam-e Ta'lim, Jamia's children's journal, she contributed articles that spotlighted the hobbies and interests of women and encouraged girls to write for the journal. Apart from her work with the children of Jamia, Gerda also helped its founders raise funds for the university.
She managed to make friends with the people of Jamia and even began teaching in the university's primary school. Like the rest of the teaches there, she worked for minimal wage and agreed to dedicate her life to serving the institution.
Many do not know the hidden gem who contributed for the development of one of the top university of India, when it was at its initiation stage.
Source and detailed reading refer below: