Rafi Ahmed Kidwai (18 February 1894 – 24 October 1954) was a politician, 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 ...

and a socialist. He hailed from

Barabanki Barabanki is a city and a municipal board in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is administrative headquarters of Barabanki district. The city is about 30 km east of Lucknow, the state capital. It has a population of 146,831 with a dens ...

District of

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 ...

, in north India.

Early life

Rafi Ahmed was born in the village of Masauli, in

Barabanki district Barabanki district is one of the five districts of Faizabad division (officially ''Ayodhya division''), in the central Awadh region of Uttar Pradesh, India. Barabanki city is the administrative headquarters of Barabanki district. Total area of Ba ...

(now in

Death

Kidwai died in Delhi on 24 October 1954. He had heart failure after experiencing an attack of

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, co ...

while delivering a speech. His burial site, at his home village, was covered by a Mughal-style mausoleum. According to historian

Paul Brass Paul Richard Brass (November 8, 1936 – May 31, 2022) was an American political scientist known for his research on the politics of India. He was professor emeritus of political science and international relations at the Henry M. Jackson School o ...

, "A formidable fund-raiser for Congress movements and elections, he distributed his largesse to all and sundry, but died in debt, leaving behind only a decaying house in his home village."

Legacy

The

Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Award The Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Award was created in 1956 by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in 1956 to recognize Indian researchers in the agricultural field. The award is named after Indian Independence activist Rafi Ahmed Kidwai. Award ...

was created in 1956 by the

Indian Council of Agricultural Research The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is an autonomous body responsible for co-ordinating agricultural education and research in India. It reports to the Department of Agricultural Research and Education, Ministry of Agriculture. Th ...

(ICAR) in 1956 to recognize Indian researchers in the agricultural field. Awards are distributed every second year, and take the form of medals, citations, and cash prizes. In November 2011, the Postal Staff College in Ghaziabad was named as the Rafi Ahmed Kidwai National Postal Academy. There is also a street named after him in

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

. There is a street named after him in Wadala Mumbai. The

Parliament of India The Parliament of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the president of India and two houses: the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of the ...

has a portrait of Kidwai in a Committee Room. Rafi Ahmed Kidwai also played a major role in donating 20 acres of the campus land and Rs. 100,000 for the radiotherapy machine for the establishment of cancer care hospital in Bangalore Karnataka state, India which is named after him - Kidwai memorial institute of oncology.

References

External links

Biography from the Government of India's Ministry of Information
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kidwai, Rafi Ahmed 1894 births 1954 deaths First Nehru ministry Indian Muslims Indian independence activists from Uttar Pradesh Aligarh Muslim University alumni Indian socialists People from Barabanki district India MPs 1952–1957 Members of the Central Legislative Assembly of India Prisoners and detainees of British India Members of the Constituent Assembly of India Lok Sabha members from Uttar Pradesh People from Bahraich district Muslim socialists

Early life

Death

Legacy

References

Further reading

External links