KirstenCyv at 10:40, 13 July 2023

2023-07-13T10:40:06Z

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{{Short description|Indian politician (1901–1979)}}
{{EngvarB}}
{{Use dmy dates}}{{Use Indian English}}

{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix = [[Lady]]
| name = Anees Fatima
| image = Anees Fatimah (née Karim), Lady Imam in 1924.png
| alt =
| caption = crop of photo by Bassano Ltd in 1924
| birth_name = Anees Karim Fatima
| birth_date = 1901
| death_date = 1979
| birth_place = [[Patna|Patna, Bihar]], [[British Raj|British India]]
| death_place = [[Patna|Patna, Bihar]], India
| children = 2
| occupation = [[Philanthropy|Philanthropist]], [[Resistance movement|Freedom Fighter]], [[Politician]]
| years_active = 1918 – 1970
| alma_mater = Badshah Nawaz Rizvi School
| spouse = [[Syed Ali Imam]]
| father =
| relatives = [[Syed Sultan Ahmed|Sir Sultan Ahmed]] (Cousin), [[Syed Hasan Imam]] (Brother-in-Law)
}}
'''Anees Fatima''' (1901 – 1979) also known as '''Lady Imam''' was an [[List of Indian independence activists|Indian freedom fighter]], [[Politician]], [[Philanthropy|Philanthropist]] and [[education]]ist from Patna, Bihar who played a significant role in the [[Decolonization|anti-colonial movement]] of [[Presidencies and provinces of British India|British India]] and is considered to be one of the founders of [[Bihar]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Fatima |first=Nikhat |title=Remembering Lady Anees Imam, One of the Founders of Modern Bihar |url=https://twocircles.net/2022sep29/447062.html |access-date=2023-07-11 |website=TwoCircles.net |language=en-US}}</ref> She was married to [[Syed Ali Imam|Sir Syed Ali Imam]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Anees Fatimah (née Karim), Lady Imam - National Portrait Gallery |url=https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp61574/anees-fatimah-nee-karim-lady-imam |access-date=2023-07-11 |website=www.npg.org.uk |language=en}}</ref>

==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]] among both [[Women in Hinduism|Hindu]] and [[Women in Islam|Muslim women]].<ref name=":0" />

==Career==
During the [[Non-cooperation movement|Non-Cooperation movement]] (1920–22), She organized large-scale protests against [[liquor |liquor shops]] in Patna with her daughter Mehmuda Sami. She was appointed to lead the committee sent by the [[All India Congress Committee|All India Congress]] to [[England]] to protest the [[Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms|Montague-Chelmsford Reforms]].<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms and Government of India Act, 1919 |url=https://selfstudyhistory.com/2015/01/29/montagu-chelmsford-reforms-and-government-of-india-act-1919/ |access-date=2023-07-11 |website=SELF STUDY HISTORY |language=en-US}}</ref> This distinction made her the first woman from Bihar to embark on a political journey to England. In addition, she was active in the [[Salt March|civil disobedience movement]] (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.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

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 [[Member of the Legislative Assembly (India)|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.<ref name=":0" /> After independence, she supported the cause of education in Bihar and was an active member of the [[Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Library|Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library]] and the Bihar Government Urdu Library.

==Personal life==
[[File:Anees Fatimah (née Karim), Lady Imam; Sir Saiyid Ali Imam.jpg|thumb|Anees Fatimah and Sir Saiyid Ali Imam in 1921]]
She was married to [[Syed Ali Imam]] 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,<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Gupta |first=Amitabha |title=A Castle in My Dreams |url=https://amitabhagupta.wordpress.com/2014/07/19/a-castle-in-my-dreams/ |access-date=2023-07-11 |website=Amitabha Gupta |language=en}}</ref> It is situated near the junction of Phulwari Sharif Road The construction of the castle was completed in 1932.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Eighty years after death, nobody cares for 'architect of Bihar' |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/content/327239/eighty-years-death-nobody-cares.html |access-date=2023-07-11 |website=Deccan Herald |language=en}}</ref> Unfortunately, Lady Anees Fatimah's husband passed away in the same year.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ahamed |first=Syed Naseer |title=Syed Ali Imam : Who stated that nationalism cannot be achieved by division and separation. |url=https://www.heritagetimes.in/syed-ali-imam/ |access-date=2023-07-11 |website=Heritage Times |language=en-US}}</ref> Subsequently, she dedicated herself to her political career.

==Legacy==
A locality known as Anisabad is named in her honor.<ref name=":0" />

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fatima, Anees}}

[[Category:1901 births]]
[[Category:1979 deaths]]
[[Category:Bihari politicians]]
[[Category:Indian Shia Muslims]]
[[Category:Politicians from Patna]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women politicians]]

Anees Fatima - Revision history

KirstenCyv at 10:40, 13 July 2023