Begum Abida Ahmed
First Lady of India
In role
24 August 1974 – 11 February 1977
PresidentFakhruddin Ali Ahmed
Prime MinisterIndira Gandhi
Vice PresidentGopal Swarup Pathak
B.D. Jatti
Preceded bySaraswati Bai
Succeeded byShrimati Sangamma
Personal details
Born17 July 1923
Badaun district, United Provinces, British India
Died7 December 2003 (aged 80)
New Delhi, India
Political partyIndian National Congress
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1945; died 1977)​
Children3
EducationAligarh Muslim University
President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed and First Lady Begum Abida Ahmed

Begum Abida Ahmed (17 July 1923 – 7 December 2003)[1][2][3] was an Indian politician, First Lady of India from 1974 to 1977, and the wife of the fifth President of India Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed (1974–1977).[4] She was twice member of the Lok sabha from Bareilly parliamentary constituency of Uttar Pradesh in 1980 and 1984.[5]

Early life

She was born on 17 July 1923 at Sheikhupur, Badaun, Uttar Pradesh to Mohammad Sultan Hyder 'Josh'.[1] Abida was educated from the Women's College, Aligarh and the Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.[6]

Career

First Lady of India

Begum is credited with having overhauled the presidential kitchen and ensuring Awadhi cuisine was included in its repertoire, as well as redecorating the rooms and upholstery of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.[7][8][9]

Member of Parliament

Abida was member of Lok Sabha, elected twice from Bareilly Lok Sabha constituency, Uttar Pradesh.[10]

  • She founded the society named "God's Grace" which was registered with the Registrar of Societies under the Indian Societies Registration Act.[11]
  • She was member of India Islamic Cultural Centre (IICC), a society registered in April 1981.
  • She formed Humsub Drama Group in 1974 for Urdu theatre.[12][13]

Tributes

Shamsul Hasan made a life-size statue of "Ghalib", which had been ordered by Ahmed.[14]

A train was named after her: the Abida Begum Express: Delhi Jn. - Raxaul. It has since been renamed. It is now called Satyagrah Express.[15]

Personal life

Abida and Fakhruddin had two sons and a daughter. The elder of their sons, Parvez Ahmed, is a doctor who contested the General Elections of 2014 in the Barpeta constituency as a candidate of the Trinamool Congress party.[16][17][18] Their other son, Badar Durrez Ahmed, served as a judge of the Delhi High Court and retired as Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.[19][20]

Abida was a badminton player and led the Assam team in the 1958 national championships.[21] She also played billiards and tennis.[21]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 8th Lok Sabha: Members Bioprofile Archived 15 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine Lok Sabha website.
  2. ↑ "LOK SABHA DEBATES: Obituary References". Lok Sabha. 23 December 2003. Archived from the original on 20 June 2006.
  3. ↑ "Loharu". Archived from the original on 15 October 2009. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
  4. ↑ Special, Judith (25 October 1974). "India's First Lady Moves Into the Official Spotlight". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  5. ↑ "PM condoles Death of Begum Abida Ahmed". PIB, Prime Minister's Office (India). 10 December 2003.
  6. ↑ "About the School". Archived from the original on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
  7. ↑ "All the Presidents' Meals: What is served at the First Table". The Indian Express. 16 September 2021. Archived from the original on 3 September 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  8. ↑ "From samosas to Lahori fish, nothing will taste the same without Atal Bihari Vajpayee's company". DailyO. Archived from the original on 3 September 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  9. ↑ "Feels Like Home". The Indian Express. 1 November 2020. Archived from the original on 3 September 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  10. ↑ "08 Lok Sabha | Indian Muslims". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
  11. ↑ "About - God's Grace School". Archived from the original on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
  12. ↑ "The royal touch". The Hindu. 7 January 2010. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  13. ↑ "Gender+ newsletter". The Times of India. 11 July 2022. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  14. ↑ The Queen of Oudh - Begum Hazrat Mahal in Papier Mache
  15. ↑ [IRFCA] Indian Railways FAQ: Train Names
  16. ↑ "The Orlando Sentinel 11 Feb 1977, page 48". Newspapers.com. Archived from the original on 3 September 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  17. ↑ "Former President's son to fight for TMC". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 3 September 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  18. ↑ "Former President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed's son files nomination". Business Standard India. Press Trust of India. 31 March 2014. Archived from the original on 3 September 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  19. ↑ "Justice Badar Durrez Ahmed". Kashmir Life. 22 March 2018. Archived from the original on 3 September 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  20. ↑ Sharma, Nalini. "May the Force be with you! Justice Badar Durrez Ahmed bids farewell to Delhi HC [Read speech]". Bar and Bench - Indian Legal news. Archived from the original on 9 July 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  21. 1 2 "How successive Indian presidents patronised sports and became champions too". The Indian Express. 30 May 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
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