Former mayor worked tirelessly to earn the mega city tag for Ahmedabad
Aneesa Begum Yusuf Ali Mirza, during whose mayoral tenure Ahmedabad was declared a mega-city, died on Tuesday. She was 56 and is survived by three sons.
When she took charge of the mayor’s office in April 2003, she had expressed confidence about getting the cooperation and support of the members of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) while pursuing her dream of converting Ahmedabad into a mega city. Two years later, her dream finally came true.
Mirza had also upheld the tradition of putting development above party politics, when she became the mayor.
She took to active politics in 1969 when she joined the Congress. In 1987, she was given the party ticket to contest from the Raikhad ward, from where she emerged victorious. She went on a winning spree since then and earned the nickname of aapa (elder sister). Though she maintained the impression of having a stiff upper lip, she was very much concerned about the downtrodden, especially the slum dwellers.
She fought many a pitched battle for their rights, despite her failing health. Perhaps her fighting skills came from her love of chess. She was a great patron of the game in the city.
A double post-graduate, Mirza did her MA in History from St John's College, Agra and MA in English from University of Udaipur where she also did her LLB before coming to Ahmedabad in 1968.
The daughter of a former judge of the Rajasthan High Court, Mirza had done social work under the guidance of Mridula Sarabhai and Hemlata Hegishte, well-known social workers of their time.
Mirza was known for her erudition and subtle political sarcasm while speaking in the AMC general board meetings. She was also known for her penchant for quoting Urdu couplets and Hindi dohas during her speeches.
Her spotless white dress had become her trademark identity on the AMC premises. She was also a great fan of famous Urdu poets and authors and had maintained family relations with many of them.
Watching her argue over delicate literary topics at select gatherings – be it poetry or prose – used to be a sheer delight. At the same time, she tirelessly championed the cause of the homeless and did not shy away from taking up the cudgels for their rights.
Courtesy : www.expressindia.com
Aneesa Begum Yusuf Ali Mirza, during whose mayoral tenure Ahmedabad was declared a mega-city, died on Tuesday. She was 56 and is survived by three sons.
When she took charge of the mayor’s office in April 2003, she had expressed confidence about getting the cooperation and support of the members of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) while pursuing her dream of converting Ahmedabad into a mega city. Two years later, her dream finally came true.
Mirza had also upheld the tradition of putting development above party politics, when she became the mayor.
She took to active politics in 1969 when she joined the Congress. In 1987, she was given the party ticket to contest from the Raikhad ward, from where she emerged victorious. She went on a winning spree since then and earned the nickname of aapa (elder sister). Though she maintained the impression of having a stiff upper lip, she was very much concerned about the downtrodden, especially the slum dwellers.
She fought many a pitched battle for their rights, despite her failing health. Perhaps her fighting skills came from her love of chess. She was a great patron of the game in the city.
A double post-graduate, Mirza did her MA in History from St John's College, Agra and MA in English from University of Udaipur where she also did her LLB before coming to Ahmedabad in 1968.
The daughter of a former judge of the Rajasthan High Court, Mirza had done social work under the guidance of Mridula Sarabhai and Hemlata Hegishte, well-known social workers of their time.
Mirza was known for her erudition and subtle political sarcasm while speaking in the AMC general board meetings. She was also known for her penchant for quoting Urdu couplets and Hindi dohas during her speeches.
Her spotless white dress had become her trademark identity on the AMC premises. She was also a great fan of famous Urdu poets and authors and had maintained family relations with many of them.
Watching her argue over delicate literary topics at select gatherings – be it poetry or prose – used to be a sheer delight. At the same time, she tirelessly championed the cause of the homeless and did not shy away from taking up the cudgels for their rights.
Courtesy : www.expressindia.com