| File:Lila Irene Clerides.png
| |
| Office | First Lady of Cyprus
|
|---|---|
| Term start | 28 February 1993 |
| Term end | 28 February 2003 |
| Predecessor | Androulla Vassiliou |
| Successor | Fotini Papadopoulos
|
| Born | 1921-10-31 |
| Born | Ahmedabad, British India |
| Died | Template:Death date and age |
| Place of death | Meneou, Larnaca District, Cyprus
|
| Spouse | Glafcos Clerides (m. 1947; her death 2007) |
| Children | Katherine
|
| Occupation | Actress
|
Lila-Irene Clerides (née Lila Erulkar; 31 October 1921 – 6 June 2007) was the First Lady of Cyprus briefly in 1974 and again from 1993 until 2003 during the presidency of her husband, Glafcos Clerides.[1][2]
Biography
Clerides was born in Ahmedabad, British India.[3] Her father, Dr Abraham Solomon Erulkar, was a prominent Indian Jewish medical doctor in Bombay, President of the Medical Council of India, and personal physician to Mahatma Gandhi.[4][5] A supporter of Indian nationalism, Dr Erulkar was a close associate of both Gandhi and Khan Abdul Ghani Khan.[4][6][7]
Clerides was raised in the Gujarati port city of Surat, as well as Bombay.[5][7] She lived and studied in Bombay until she moved to London when she was 11 years old.[8] Erulkar studied speech at the Royal Academy of Music and became a professional actress.[5][9]
Towards the end of World War II, Clerides was hired by the BBC World Service in London, where she worked with novelist George Orwell.[1] While working in London, she met her future husband, Cypriot Glafcos Clerides, a law student and gunner for the Royal Air Force (RAF), shortly after the end of the war.[1][2] Clerides had visited BBC's headquarters to see his sister, Chrysanthe, who also worked at the broadcaster.[2] Clerides met him in the office while he waited to see Chrysanthe.[2] The trio went out to the Vienna Café after work, and Clerides and Clerides began dating shortly afterwards.[2]
Clerides once recalled that she went on her first date with Clerides because he was a "craggy youth who had just been released from a concentration camp"[2] (Clerides had been held as a POW in Nazi Germany during World War II). After a few dates, Clerides proposed marriage to Clerides, who initially turned him down, telling him, "You were a prisoner of war and have seen no women, let's wait a little".[2] However, he persisted and she eventually accepted his proposal.[2] Clerides sent a letter to her father in India to ask his permission to marry Lila.[2] Dr. Erulkar replied to Clerides with a short telegram, but advised that the couple wait one year to marry, according to the account in Clerides' biography.[2] The couple complied to the request.[2]
After waiting one year, the couple married in a civil ceremony held in London in 1947.[2] Clerides converted to Greek Orthodox Christianity and chose "Irene" as her baptismal name.[2] The couple had one daughter, Katherine (nicknamed Katy), born in 1949, who would serve in the House of Representatives for the Democratic Rally party.[10]
First Lady of Cyprus
Clerides became First Lady in 1993. Upon their elevation to President and First Lady, Archbishop Chrysostomos I of Cyprus, the head of the Church of Cyprus, suggested that Clerides and Clerides have a church wedding,[2] which they did in 1995 at the ages of 76 and 74 respectively.[1]
In February 1997, Clerides and Clerides undertook an official, six-day state visit to her native India, including Mumbai.[5][8] During her tour, Clerides explained that India's independence movement helped her understand Cyprus' move towards independence from the United Kingdom.[8] She also spoke of her admiration for India, saying, "I love India. I love the people. I love its history. I was brought up as an Indian and I have to admit that my pride in India is noticed by everybody. I have not changed in that in one iota."[8]
Death
Clerides suffered from deteriorating health during her later years.[1] She spent several weeks in hospital during the summer of 2007, but was discharged about one week before her death.[1] Clerides died at her family home in Meneou, just outside Larnaca, on 6 June 2007, at the age of 85.[1] She was survived by her husband, who died in 2013, and daughter, Katherine, who died in 2025.[11] She was buried in a family plot in a cemetery in Nicosia.[12]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Indian born wife of former Cypriot president dies. Reuters News(July 12, 2007). Retrieved June 28, 2019.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 'A most devoted couple'. Cyprus Mail(November 17, 2013). Retrieved June 28, 2019.
- ↑ India–Cyprus Relations. Ministry of External Affairs (India). Retrieved June 28, 2019.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Long-standing antagonists due to meet in New York for peace talks. Irish Times(1997-07-03). Retrieved June 28, 2019.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Coming Home to India. Outlook (Indian magazine)(1997-02-26). Retrieved June 29, 2019.
- ↑ Sunbeds and snipers as President Kovind goes to the beach in Cyprus. News Nation(September 5, 2018). Retrieved June 29, 2019.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 President Pratibha Patil to cement close ties with Cyprus. Deccan Herald(October 28, 2009). Retrieved June 29, 2019.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 India-born former first lady of Cyprus passes away. Ramesh Ramachandran(June 20, 2007). Retrieved June 29, 2019.
- ↑ Glafkos Clerides, Greek Cypriot Leader Who Sought Unification, Is Dead at 94. New York Times(November 15, 2013). Retrieved June 28, 2019.
- ↑ Profile Glafcos Clerides. BBC News(January 3, 2003). Retrieved June 28, 2019.
- ↑ Glafcos Clerides - obituary. The Daily Telegraph(November 15, 2013). Retrieved June 28, 2019.
- ↑ Indian born wife of former Cypriot president dies. The National Herald(November 19, 2003). Retrieved June 28, 2019.