Hajrah Begum

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Hajrah Begum
General Secretary of the National Federation of Indian Women
In office
1954–1962
Preceded byPost Created
Succeeded byRenu Chakravartty
Personal details
Born1910
Died20 January 2003(2003-01-20) (aged 92–93)
Political party
Montessori
Alma materLondon
OccupationPolitician

Hajrah Begum (1910-2003) was an Indian politician, a leader of the Communist Party of India and the former General Secretary National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) from 1954 to 1962 .

Hajra Begum was born into a wealthy family in 1910.[1] She grew up in Rampur.[2] Her father was a magistrate in Meerut.[2] Zohra Sehgal was her sister.[3] Hajra Begum was married to her cousin, but soon divorced and returned to her father's house along with her infant son.[2][4] During this period she became inspired by the Meerut Conspiracy Case, the judicial process against the Indian communist leadership.[2]

In 1933 Begum went to Great Britain with her son, to study

Rammanohar Lohia; all of whom except Lohia were also members of the underground CPI.[8] At the time she was one of only a handful female CPI members.[4]

She became the organising secretary of the All India Women's Conference in 1940, and edited its organ Hindi-language organ Roshni.[5][9] She was a frequent contributor to the weekly Qaumi Jang.[5] She was imprisoned at Lucknow Jail for five months in 1949, and worked in the underground after her release.[5]

She was a participant at the World Peace Conference in Vienna in 1952.[5] Hajra Begum was one of the founders of the National Federation of Indian Women and former General Secretary from 1954 to 1962.[5]

Hajra Begum died on 20 January 2003, after a prolonged period of illness.[5] She is survived by her daughter, Urdu theater director, Salima Raza, and granddaughter, actress Ayesha Raza Mishra.[10]

References