Noted historian and former Vice Chancellor of Mangalore and Goa Universities Professor B. Sheik Ali passed away at a private hospital in Mysuru on Thursday after a brief illness.
The funeral prayers of Prof Ali, 97, will be held at the Mosque in the Muslim Hostel complex in Saraswathipuram on Thursday evening. Prof Ali leaves behind a son and a daughter. His wife, a son, and a daughter had predeceased him.
Born on November 10, 1925, Prof Ali’s academic achievements include a first rank and gold medal in BA (Hons.) at the University of Mysore in 1945 before securing the second rank in MA at the University of Mysore in 1946. He obtained his first Ph.D. from the Aligarh Muslim University in 1954 and the second from the University of London in 1960.
He was the general president of the Indian History Congress at its 47th Session in 1986 and the founder president of the South India History Congress in 1985.
A recipient of the Rajyothsava award, Prof Ali served the University of Mangalore and the University of Goa as their first Vice Chancellor in the eighties.
Prof Ali has authored a total of 23 books in English and eight others in Urdu.
