Dr. Shaukatullah Shah Ansari (12 May 1908 – 29 December 1972) was an Indian politician, physician, diplomat, and physician who was elected to the Indian Parliament from the

Bidar Bidar (/ biːd̪ər/) is a city in the north-eastern part of Karnataka state in India. It is the headquarters of Bidar district, which borders Maharashtra and Telangana. It is a rapidly urbanising city in the wider ''Bidar Metropolitan area ...

parliamentary constituency for the first

Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-past ...

of India.

Early life

Shaukatullah Shah was born on 16 June 1908 in

Yusufpur Yusufpur and Mohammadabad is a twin town in the Ghazipur district of Uttar Pradesh, India. This town is actually a business hub for other near by districts like Ballia, Mau, Buxar etc. notable person: Dr. Sri Govind Rai medical practitioner and ...

- Mohammadabad in

Ghazipur Ghazipur is a city in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Ghazipur city is the administrative headquarters of the Ghazipur district, one of the four districts that form the Varanasi division of Uttar Pradesh. The city of Ghazipur also constitute ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

. His father, Amjadulla Shah, was a district judge at

Mirzapur Mirzapur () is a city in Uttar Pradesh, India, 827 km from Delhi and 733 km from Kolkata, almost 91 km from Prayagraj (formally known as Allahabad) and 61 km from Varanasi. It is known for its carpets and brassware industries, and the folk ...

. Shaukatullah Shah received his early education at home. Thereafter he got enrolled at Aligarh Muslim University for higher studies. He obtained his bachelor degree in sciences and doctor of medicine from

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

high school,

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

and

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. He was adopted by former president of

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...

Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari (25 December 1880 – 10 May 1936) was an Indian nationalist and political leader, and former president of the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League during the Indian Independence Movement. One of the founders of t ...

. He started practicing medicine in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

in 1937 with his dispensary in

Chandni Chowk The Chandni Chowk, also known as Moonlight Square is one of the oldest and busiest markets in Old Delhi, India. It is located close to the Old Delhi Railway Station. The Red Fort monument is located at the eastern end of Chandni Chowk. It was bu ...

near fountain. Educated in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

at a time when the European intellectual atmosphere was surcharged with socialism and its struggle against fascism (with the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

about to break out), Shaukat studied

socialism Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

under the influence of the Popular Front before his return to India. When he left Paris there was a growing threat of politicized right-wing violence in the streets of the city, while on the left, there was the Popular Front pulling together Radicals (a centrist group), socialists and communists. In 1938, on his return to India, Shaukat moved to 41-Rajpur Road in a rented house after his uncle died. Dar-as-Salam, the

haveli A ''haveli'' is a traditional townhouse, mansion, manor house, in the Indian subcontinent, usually one with historical and architectural significance, and located in a town or city. The word ''haveli'' is derived from Arabic ''hawali'', mean ...

of Dr.

was sold. Shaukat house at Rajpur Road was a shelter for political activists and progressive writers like

Majaz Asrar-ul-Haq (19 October 1911 – 5 December 1955), better known as Majaz Lakhnawi, was an Indian Urdu poet. He is known for his romantic and revolutionary poetry. He composed ''ghazals'' and ''nazms'' in Urdu language, Urdu. He was the mater ...

and

Suryakant Tripathi Suryakant Tripathi "Nirala" (21 February 1897 – 15 October 1961) was an Indian poet, novelist, essayist and story-writer who wrote in Hindi. He was also an artist, who drew many contemporary sketches. Biography Tripathi was born on 2 ...

. Shaukat regularly helped

Communist Party of India Communist Party of India (CPI) is the oldest Marxist–Leninist communist party in India and one of the nine national parties in the country. The CPI was founded in modern-day Kanpur (formerly known as Cawnpore) on 26 December 1925. H ...

(CPI) with financial support due to his commitment towards socialism. He drifted away from the CPI in 1939 when the demand of Pakistan surfaced and the left party supported it. Shaukat fought a losing battle organizing the Nationalist Muslims under the banner of ''Azad Muslim Board''. As the president of AMB he rejected the very idea of the two nation theory and its demand for the creation of Pakistan.

Career

As an

Indian independence activist The Indian independence movement consisted of efforts by individuals and organizations from a wide spectrum of society to obtain political independence from the British, French and Portuguese rule through the use of a many methods. This is a l ...

he actively participated in the

Non-cooperation movement The Non-cooperation movement was a political campaign launched on 4 September 1920, by Mahatma Gandhi to have Indians revoke their cooperation from the British government, with the aim of persuading them to grant self-governance.

. After independence was achieved he was appointed to the position of Counsellor in the Indian Embassy in

Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

in 1948. In 1951, Ansari was elected to the first

from

, Hyderabad State. As a member of

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

, he served on the Advisory Committee for External Affairs. In 1954 and 1955, he went to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

as member of the Indian delegation. In 1957, Dr Ansari went to

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

as Chairman of the

International Control Commission The International Control Commission (ICC), or in French la Commission Internationale de Contrôle (CIC), was an international force established in 1954. More formally called the International Commission for Supervision and Control, the organisati ...

. From July 1958 to September 1960 he served in similar capacity on the

in Vietnam. He represented India at the

International Labour Conference The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and ol ...

in Geneva in 1955. In 1960, he was appointed Ambassador of India to Sudan and Congo. He assumed office as

Governor of Orissa The governor of Odisha is the head of state and representative of the president of India in the Indian state of Odisha. The governors have similar powers and functions at the state level as those of the President of India at centr ...

on 31 January 1968 and held the post until 1971. Agreeing with the request of

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 ...

, he contested

Second Lok Sabha The Second Lok Sabha (5 April 1957 – 31 March 1962) was elected after the 1957 Indian general election. The 2nd Lok Sabha lasted its full tenure of five years till 1962. 15 sitting members from Rajya Sabha were elected to 2nd Lok Sabha after ...

general election in 1957 from his native Rasra Constituency but lost to Sarjoo Pandey, the candidate from

. In this electoral contest former

Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...

Chandra Shekhar Chandra Shekhar ( 17 April 1927 – 9 August 2015) was an Indian politician who served as the 8th Prime Minister of India, between 10 November 1990 and 21 June 1991. He headed a minority government of a breakaway faction of the Janata Dal with ...

secured the third spot garnering twenty percent of the total votes.

Positions held

* Counsellor, Indian Embassy in Turkey, 1947–48 * Member, Delhi University Court, 1947—49 * Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha),

1951-1957 * Member of the Indian Delegation to the United Nations, 1954, 1955 * Chairman, International Commission for Supervision and Control, Laos and Vietnam 1957 - 1960 * Ambassador to Sudan, 1960 * Ambassador to Congo, 1960 * Governor of Odisha, 1968-71

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ansari, Shaukatullah Shah 1908 births 1972 deaths 20th-century Indian medical doctors India MPs 1952–1957 Ambassadors of India to Sudan Geneva College alumni Governors of Odisha Medical doctors from Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha members from Hyderabad State People from Bidar People from Ghazipur University of Paris alumni Uttar Pradesh politicians Indian expatriates in France

Early life

Career

Positions held

See also

References