Tara Ali Baig (8 August 1916 – 1989) was a social reformer, writer, and first Asian woman President of the

International Union for Child Welfare The International Save the Children Union (french: L’Union Internationale de Secours aux Enfants) was a Geneva-based international organisation of children's welfare organisations founded in 1920 by Eglantyne Jebb and her sister Dorothy Buxton, wh ...

in Geneva.

Biography

She was born in Mussoorie on 8 August 1916 and went to school in Darjeeling, Switzerland and Dhaka. She married the diplomat Mirza Rashid Ali Baig and was famous artist

Anjolie Ela Menon Anjolie Ela Menon (born 17 July 1940) is one of India's leading contemporary artists. Her paintings are in several major collections, including the NGMA, the Chandigarh Museum and the Peabody Essex Museum. In 2006, her triptych work "Yatra" w ...

’s aunt. In 1937 she was appointed to the first Planning Committee as the convener of a group to examine the social and economic disabilities of women. Shortly after Independence her husband was posted abroad, and during their tour she established the Women’s International Club in Indonesia and later a similar club in Iran. When her husband became Chief of Protocol in Delhi she built up the

Indian Council for Child Welfare Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

of which she later became President, and she also helped Indira Gandhi (q.v.) to Indianise the style of entertainment for state banquets at Rashtrapati Bhavan. In 1977, she was elected president of the

in Geneva, the first Asian and the first woman to hold the post. She was a member of the Tibetan Homes Foundation and was president of the SOS Children’s Villages of India for 22 years (1967 to 1989). From 1968 onwards, she was vice president of the SOS Kinderdorf International, Austria. She was the architect of the Child Welfare Policies in the Five Year Plans and a member of the National Children’s Board from 1975. Her books include the autobiographical ''Portraits of an era''; the biography '' Sarojini Naidu;'' ''The Moon in Rahu: an account of the Bhowal sannyasi case''; ''Women of India''; ''India’s Woman Power;'' and many children’s books such as ''Indrani''; ''The Enchanted Jungle;'' and ''The Forbidden Sea''.worldCat author listing
/ref> Her talks over All India Radio and her historical and cultural programmes on television were very popular. She received an honorary degree from the Tehran School of Social Work in 1965; a gold medal and special award from the

in 1984, the National Award for Child Welfare in 1984; and an honorary degree of Doctor of Law from Alberta University, Canada in 1988.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baig, Tara 1916 births 1989 deaths Women writers from Uttarakhand Indian social reformers Indian women activists People from Mussoorie 20th-century Indian women writers 20th-century Indian writers Writers from Uttarakhand Indian expatriates in Switzerland