Begum Abida Ahmed | |
---|---|
First Lady of India | |
In role 24 August 1974 – 11 February 1977 | |
President | Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed |
Prime Minister | Indira Gandhi |
Vice President | Gopal Swarup Pathak B.D. Jatti |
Preceded by | Saraswati Bai |
Succeeded by | Shrimati Sangamma |
Personal details | |
Born | 17 July 1923 Badaun district, United Provinces, British India |
Died | 7 December 2003 (aged 80) New Delhi, India |
Political party | Indian National Congress |
Spouse | |
Children | 3 |
Education | Aligarh Muslim University |
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]
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]
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]
Abida was member of Lok Sabha, elected twice from Bareilly Lok Sabha constituency, Uttar Pradesh.[10]
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]
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]