Anees Fatima (1901–1979) also known as Lady Imam was an

Indian freedom fighter The Indian independence movement consisted of efforts by individuals and organizations from a wide spectrum of society to obtain political independence from the British, French and Portuguese rule through the use of many methods. This is a li ...

, politician, philanthropist and teacher from Patna, Bihar who played a significant role in the anti-colonial movement of

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

and is considered to be one of the founders of

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

. She was married to Sir Syed Ali Imam.

Early life

Anees received her early education from Badshah Nawaz Rizvi School. From a younger age, she actively participated in India's freedom struggle and fought against social injustices and the practice of

purdah Pardah or purdah (from Hindi-Urdu , , meaning "curtain") is a religious and social practice of sex segregation prevalent among some Muslim, Zoroastrian and Hindu communities. The purdah garment is the same as a burqa, or yashmak, i.e a veil ...

among both

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

and

Muslim women The experiences of Muslim women ( ''Muslimāt'', singular مسلمة ''Muslimah'') vary widely between and within different societies due to culture and values that were often predating Islam's introduction to the respective regions of the w ...

Career

During the

Non-cooperation movement Non-cooperation movement may refer to: * Non-cooperation movement (1919–1922), during the Indian independence movement, led by Mahatma Gandhi against British rule * Non-cooperation movement (1971), a movement in East Pakistan * Non-cooperatio ...

(1920–22), She organized large-scale protests against

liquor Liquor ( , sometimes hard liquor), spirits, distilled spirits, or spiritous liquor are alcoholic drinks produced by the distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar that have already gone through alcoholic fermentation. While the wo ...

shops in Patna with her daughter Mehmuda Sami. She was appointed to lead the committee sent by the All India Congress to England to protest the Montague-Chelmsford Reforms. This distinction made her the first woman from Bihar to embark on a political journey to England. In addition, she was active in the

civil disobedience movement Civil disobedience is the active and professed refusal of a citizen to obey certain laws, demands, orders, or commands of a government (or any other authority). By some definitions, civil disobedience has to be nonviolent to be called "civil". ...

(1930–34) and led a procession of nearly 3,000 women in Patna in 1938, resulting in warrants being issued against her by the British. Lady Imam was an independent candidate who contested and won the seat in the 1937 elections from Bihar. She was the first woman to be elected as an MLA from Bihar. She was a dedicated member of the Anjuman Tarraqi-e-Urdu, an organization that actively campaigned for the recognition of Urdu as the secondary language of Bihar. After independence, she supported the cause of education in Bihar and was an active member of the Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library and the Bihar Government Urdu Library.

Personal life

She was married to

Syed Ali Imam Sir Syed Ali Imam, KCSI (11 February 1869 – 31 October 1932), also known as Sir Saiyid Ali Imam, was an Indian Barrister and freedom fighter who was the first Indian to represent India at the round table of 1929. He served as Prime Minister ...

after the demise of his second wife, Mariam. In Ranchi, Bihar, Sir Syed Ali Imam commissioned the construction of a residence for the couple, designed in the style of a Scottish castle. It is referred to as "Anees Castle" by the local community, It is situated near the junction of Phulwari Sharif Road The construction of the castle was completed in 1932. Lady Anees Fatimah's husband died in the same year. Subsequently, she dedicated herself to her political career.

Legacy

A locality known as Anisabad is named in her honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fatima, Anees 1901 births 1979 deaths Bihari politicians Indian Shia Muslims Politicians from Patna 20th-century Indian women politicians