Mehdi Hasan gave up AMU job to keep Sherwani alive

Story by ATV | Posted by Aasha Khosa | Date 18-10-2025

Mehdi Hassan at work

Mansooruddin Faridi & Saqib Salim/Aligarh

With a sparkle in his eyes and his hand holding a pair of scissors over a piece of cloth with the precision of a surgeon, on the long cutting board, he paused for a moment, looked up and said, "I was a lecturer in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, but my father's death changed everything. A mechanical engineer became a tailor to keep his family art and inheritance alive."

He is Anwar Mehdi, whose tone shows no disappointment or regret at his decision to change careers. This is because not only in Aligarh, he is known across the world as a 'sherwani expert,' as he, proudly, carried on the tradition at Mehdi Hasan Tailors - after his father's name - alive. Mehdi Hasan Tailors is a brand name and the pride of Aligarh Muslim University for 80 years. It's also popular across India for its unique sherwani. Several Presidents, Prime Ministers, political and social figures, and Bollywood stars have had their Sherwanis stitched from this place.

AMU students in Sherwani

Speaking to Awaz-The Voice at Mehdi Hassan Tailors in the Katara Mahal area of Civil Lines, Aligarh, Anwar Mehdi says that his father was an ordinary tailor who went to Mumbai in search of employment around 1944. He met Abdul Rais, an expert sherwani tailor, from whom he learned the art. Before partition, sherwanis were not very common in the country, but wearing sherwanis was a custom in Aligarh Muslim University, so his father came to Aligarh. In 1947, he opened that shop, which is today an iconic tailoring shop.

"I completed my M. Tech. While I had mastered the cutting of sherwani with my father during my student days, I took it over completely after he died in 1995. Although by then I had become a lecturer in the Mechanical Engineering Department, the passion to keep a family art alive took me from the Mechanical Engineering Department to the tailoring shop."

Mehdi Hasan and tailors

Anwar Mehdi said that Sherwani is actually a garment of the Mughal era and later the British, which has its roots in the clothing of the Turkish and Mughal courts. During the Ottoman Empire, the coat and cap of the Turks were very popular. The same style was later changed in India, the coat was lengthened and given a new look, which we know today as "Sherwani".

He says that from the end of the 19th century until after independence, most of the Nawabs, Rajas, and big landowners of India wore a Sherwani. If you look at their photos, almost all of them will be seen in a Sherwani, the reason being that this garment was considered a symbol of dignity and honour.

According to Anwar Mehdi, as far as Aligarh is concerned, due to the educational environment and the influence of the Muslim elite, the sherwani became a part of educational and cultural prestige. Therefore, it is often said that the "Aligarh sherwani" actually became a symbol of Indian elite culture, be it a doctor, a politician or a scholar. I can say that the sherwani is not a dress, but a symbol of culture, history and identity.

He says that leaders like Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru adopted the sherwani, and later many Presidents of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad, Dr Zakir Hussain and Dr APJ Abdul Kalam also wore it. Anwar Mehdi says that Mehdi Hasan Tailors has the honour of having made sherwanis for many Presidents of the country and other important personalities.

Jawaharlal Nehru in Sherwani

Anwar Mehdi says that not only honoured his enterprise, but also gave it recognition. He recalls making sherwanis for former Presidents VV Giri, R Venkata Raman, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, late President Pranab Mukherjee, former President Ram Nath Kovind, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Chief Ministers of various states like Mufti Sayeed, ND Tiwari, Farooq Abdullah, besides Governor Arif Muhammad Khan, Syed Sabt Razi, and other members of Parliament. Besides, he has stitched the dress for some judges of the Supreme Court.

When we met him, Anwar Mehdi was busy completing the sherwani orders on time before Sir Syed Day. He said while cutting the black sherwani, "When Dr Zakir Hussain was the Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia, my paternal uncle was in the Department of Islamic Studies. He introduced Zakir Hussain to my father. After that, Zakir Hussain became the Governor of Bihar, then the Vice President of the country and finally the President of the Republic of India. During these 18 years, a record 178 sherwanis were sewn for Dr Zakir Hussain. Which is a testament to our quality."

Speaking of Bollywood, Anwar Mehdi says that Majroh Sultanpuri loved sherwanis. Besides him, Javed Akhtar and Raj Babbar have also been using sherwanis made by him.

Recently, Saif Ali Khan's sherwani was also made by him. He says that one day, Saif Ali Khan's mother, Sharmila Tagore, called. She had requested that Saif Ali Khan be in Lucknow, so that he could give measurements for his sherwani. Saif Ali Khan called Mehdi, and he travelled to Lucknow to do the follow-up.

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Anwar Mehdi said the youth have the same enthusiasm for this traditional dress as they did in the past. He says that in view of Sir Syed Day, the order from the AMU, where it's a formal dress, increased. He says that he has seen respect and enthusiasm for the Sherwani in every era. "This is never going to end," he says.