Shyam Kumari Khan née Nehru (20 October 1904 – 9 June 1980) was an Indian lawyer, freedom fighter, politician and social worker. She was a member of the

Rajya Sabha The Rajya Sabha, constitutionally the Council of States, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India. , it has a maximum membership of 245, of which 233 are elected by the legislatures of the states and union territories using si ...

from 1963 to 1968.

Career

Khan studied at

Allahabad University , mottoeng = "As Many Branches So Many Trees" , established = , type = Public , chancellor = Ashish Chauhan , vice_chancellor = Sangita Srivastava , head_label ...

and was the first woman to become secretary, vice-president and president of the Allahabad University Union in the years 1924–28. A lawyer by profession, she defended

Yashpal Yashpal (3 December 1903 – 26 December 1976) was a Hindi-language writer who is sometimes considered to be the most gifted writer since Premchand. A political commentator and a socialist, he wrote in a range of genres, including essays, ...

, a writer, freedom fighter and political prisoner, during his trial in 1932 when he was imprisoned for his attempts to overthrow the British Empire. In 1932, she joined the Khilafat Movement and the Civil Disobedience Movement and led women freedom fighters along with Kamala Nehru. She was also one of the prominent women leaders during the Salt March along with her mother Uma Nehru. After Independence, she remained active as a social worker. On 30 May 1952, she became one of the founding members of the Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW) along with other notable personalities such as Indira Gandhi, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur and

B. Shiva Rao Benegal Shiva Rao (26 February 1891 – 15 December 1975) was an Indian journalist and politician. He was a member of the Constituent Assembly of India and an elected representative of the South Kanara constituency in the First Lok Sabha (later n ...

. She later became the General Secretary of ICCW. Under the chairmanship of Radha Raman and Shyam Kumari Khan, the ICCW organized an International Children's Fair in Delhi which was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on 17 October 1969. She was also a founding member of the

Indian Humanist Union The Indian Humanist Union (IHU) is an Indian Humanist organisation established in 1960 by Narsingh Narain. The genesis of the Indian Humanist Union lay in an earlier society called the Society for Promotion of Freedom of Thought (SPFT) establishe ...

, of which she became an elected chairman after the death of

Narsingh Narain The Indian Humanist Union (IHU) is an Indian Humanist organisation established in 1960 by Narsingh Narain. The genesis of the Indian Humanist Union lay in an earlier society called the Society for Promotion of Freedom of Thought (SPFT) establishe ...

in 1972. She was a member of the

from 11 December 1963 to 2 April 1968.Khan, Shrimati Shya Kumari
on the Rajya Sabha website.

Personal life

Born on 20 October 1904, she was the eldest child of Shamlal Nehru and Uma Nehru. Her father Shamlal was the first cousin of India's first Prime Minister

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

. She married Abdul Jamil Khan on 7 December 1937 under the Special Marriages Act, 1872, and later came to be known as 'Shyam Kumari Khan'. Shyama Kumari Nehru married in her late 30s, and was considered to be past "marriageable age". When she married Abdul Jamil Khan they faced censure from her family. However, she was financially independent as she was a practicing lawyer and they were able to resist the pressure and marry. Her family later came around. They had two children, Kabir Kumar Khan and Kamala Kumari Khan. She died on 9 June 1980, aged 75.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Shyam Kumari Indian independence activists from Uttar Pradesh Rajya Sabha members from Uttar Pradesh 1904 births 1980 deaths Nehru–Gandhi family Women in Uttar Pradesh politics Indian National Congress politicians from Uttar Pradesh Politicians from Lucknow Women Indian independence activists 20th-century Indian women politicians 20th-century Indian politicians University of Allahabad alumni 20th-century Indian lawyers 20th-century Indian women lawyers Women members of the Rajya Sabha