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{{Short description|Indian politician}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Hajrah Begum
|image =
|birth_place =
|birth_date = 1910
|death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|2003|01|20|1910}}
|residence =
|nationality =
|office = General Secretary of the [[National Federation of Indian Women]]
|term_start = 1954
|term_end = 1962
|predecessor = Post Created
|successor = [[Renu Chakravartty]]
|party = [[Communist Party of India]]
| spouse = [[Z.A. Ahmed (Indian politician)|Z.A. Ahmed]]
|occupation = Politician
|education = [[Montessori]]
|alma_mater = [[London]]
}}
{{Progressive Writers' Movement}}

'''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.<ref name="Chambers2015">{{cite book|author=Claire Chambers|title=Britain Through Muslim Eyes: Literary Representations, 1780-1988|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tCeFCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT86|date=30 July 2015|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan UK|isbn=978-1-137-31531-1|page=86}}</ref> She grew up in [[Rampur, Uttar Pradesh|Rampur]].<ref name="Menon2003-95">{{cite book|author=Visalakshi Menon|title=Indian Women and Nationalism, the U.P. Story|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kV2fumLhRGwC&pg=PA96|year=2003|publisher=Har-Anand Publications|isbn=978-81-241-0939-7|pages=95–96}}</ref> Her father was a magistrate in [[Meerut]].<ref name="Menon2003-95"/> [[Zohra Sehgal]] was her sister.<ref name="Loomba2018">{{cite book|author=Ania Loomba|title=Revolutionary Desires: Women, Communism, and Feminism in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3axvDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT461|date=24 July 2018|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-351-20969-4|page=461}}</ref> Hajra Begum was married to her cousin, but soon divorced and returned to her father's house along with her infant son.<ref name="Menon2003-95"/><ref name="Loomba2018b">{{cite book|author=Ania Loomba|title=Revolutionary Desires: Women, Communism, and Feminism in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3axvDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT558|date=24 July 2018|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-351-20969-4|page=558}}</ref> During this period she became inspired by the [[Meerut Conspiracy Case]], the judicial process against the Indian communist leadership.<ref name="Menon2003-95"/>

In 1933 Begum went to Great Britain with her son, to study [[Montessori]] teaching course there.<ref name="Menon2003-95"/><ref name="Loomba2018b"/><ref name=hbmain/> During her studies in Britain, she was one of the first Indians to join the [[Communist Party of Great Britain]].<ref name="Menon2003">{{cite book|author=Visalakshi Menon|title=Indian Women and Nationalism, the U.P. Story|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kV2fumLhRGwC&pg=PA19|year=2003|publisher=Har-Anand Publications|isbn=978-81-241-0939-7|page=19}}</ref> She was part of the group of Indian Marxist students.<ref name="Menon2003-95"/> She visited the [[Soviet Union]] in 1935.<ref name=hbmain/> In 1935 Begum returned to India along with [[K.M. Ashraf]], [[Z.A. Ahmed (Indian politician)|Z.A. Ahmed]] and [[Sajjad Zaheer]].<ref name="Menon2003"/> Upon returning to India, she married Z.A. Ahmed and both became [[professional revolutionary|full-time party cadres]] of the [[Communist Party of India]].<ref name="Menon2003-95"/><ref name="Loomba2018b"/> She became active in the [[Congress Socialist Party]] in [[Allahabad]], where she organized railway coolies, press workers and peasants.<ref name="Menon2003-100">{{cite book|author=Visalakshi Menon|title=Indian Women and Nationalism, the U.P. Story|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kV2fumLhRGwC&pg=PA100|year=2003|publisher=Har-Anand Publications|isbn=978-81-241-0939-7|pages=100–101}}</ref> She was part of a core group of young leaders of the CSP in Allahabad, along with Z.A. Ahmed, K.M. Ashraf and [[Rammanohar Lohia]]; all of whom except Lohia were also members of the underground CPI.<ref name="Menon2003b">{{cite book|author=Visalakshi Menon|title=From Movement To Government: The Congress in the United Provinces, 1937-42|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U82GAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA180|date=11 September 2003|publisher=SAGE Publications|isbn=978-81-321-0368-4|pages=35, 180}}</ref> At the time she was one of only a handful female CPI members.<ref name="Loomba2018b"/>

She became the organising secretary of the [[All India Women's Conference]] in 1940, and edited its organ Hindi-language organ ''Roshni''.<ref name=hbmain/><ref name="Wadia2001">{{cite book|author=Avabai Bomanji Wadia|title=The Light is Ours: Memoirs & Movements|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hhzxAAAAMAAJ|year=2001|publisher=International Planned Parenthood Federation|isbn=978-0-86089-125-3|page=114}}</ref> She was a frequent contributor to the weekly ''[[Qaumi Jang]]''.<ref name=hbmain/> She was imprisoned at Lucknow Jail for five months in 1949, and worked in the underground after her release.<ref name=hbmain/>

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

Hajra Begum died on January 20, 2003, after a prolonged period of illness.<ref name=hbmain>{{cite book|title=Mainstream|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G1XhAAAAMAAJ|year=2003|publisher=N. Chakravartty|pages=4, 34}}</ref> She is survived by her daughter, Urdu theater director, Salima Raza, and granddaughter, actress Ayesha Raza Mishra.<ref name=aye20>{{cite web |url=https://www.picuki.com/media/2191479305201269939 |title=Burlington Hotel. Lucknow 1953. My Amma with her cousin Kiran Segal. My Nani Hajrah Begum with her sisters Zohra Segal and Uzra Butt and their father Mumtazullah Khan! |website=picuki.com |access-date=2020-10-14}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Communist Party of India politicians from Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Female politicians of the Communist Party of India]]
[[Category:1910 births]]
[[Category:2003 deaths]]

Hajrah Begum - Revision history

->SdkbBot at 14:19, 4 January 2022