Lady Anees Fatima | |
|---|---|
 Crop of photo by Bassano Ltd in 1924 | |
| Born | Anees Karim Fatima 1901 (1901) |
| Died | 1979 (aged 77–78) Patna, Bihar, India |
| Alma mater | Badshah Nawaz Rizvi School |
| Occupations | Philanthropist,Freedom fighter, politician |
| Years active | 1918–1970 |
| Spouse | Syed Ali Imam |
| Relatives | Sir Sultan Ahmed (cousin),Syed Hasan Imam (brother-in-law) Sir Khuda Bakhsh (uncle) |
Anees Fatima (1901–1979) also known asLady Imam was anIndian freedom fighter, politician, philanthropist and teacher from Patna, Bihar who played a significant role in theanti-colonial movement ofBritish India and is considered to be one of the founders of modernBihar.[1] She was married toSir Syed Ali Imam.[2]
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 ofpurdah among bothHindu andMuslim women.[1]
During theNon-cooperation movement (1920–22), She organized large-scale protests againstliquor shops in Patna with her daughter Mehmuda Sami. She was appointed to lead the committee sent by theAll India Congress to England to protest theMontague-Chelmsford Reforms.[3] This distinction made her the first woman from Bihar to embark on a political journey to England. In addition, she was active in thecivil 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.[1][4]
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 anMLA 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.[1] After independence, she supported the cause of education in Bihar and was an active member of theKhuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library and the Bihar Government Urdu Library.
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She was married toSyed 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,[4] It is situated near the junction of Phulwari Sharif Road. The construction of the residence was completed in 1932.[5] Lady Anees Fatimah's husband died the same year.[6] Subsequently, she dedicated herself to her political career.
A locality in Patna known as Anisabad is named in her honor.[1]