Naheed Abidi | |
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![]() Naheed Abidi, calls on Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India | |
Born | 1961 India |
Occupation(s) | Indian scholar and writer |
Spouse | Ehtesham Abidi |
Children | a son and a daughter |
Awards | Padma Shri |
Website | Official web site |
Naheed Abidi is an Indian scholar of Sanskrit [1] and writer. In 2014, she was honoured with Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, for her contributions to the field of literature by the Government of India. [2] She has received many awards and accolades for her contribution to Sanskrit literature & philosophy, notable among them are: Nawab Raza Ali Khan Award, 2018 for Sanskrit Language by Hon'ble Governor UP, Sri Ram Naik ji. [3] The Late Smt. Chandrawati Joshi Sanskrit Bhasha Puraskar 2015 awarded by Gyan Kalyan Datavya Nyas, 6 Raisina Road, New Delhi. Janani Jagriti Darshan Samman by Ramayanam Trust, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. Vikram Kalidas Puraskar by Kalidas Samiti, Government of M.P.; Dara Shikoh Sammaan & Yuva Pratibha Sammaan by Akhil Bhartiya Vidwat Parishad, Varanasi.
Conferring Padma Shri award upon me is like honouring the Sanskrit world and it will inspire Muslims for Sanskrit learning. I am highly grateful to the scholars of Sanskrit and Persian who encouraged me in my objective of exploring the uniting the bond between the two faiths. Sanskrit is a rich language, which has the quality of promoting harmony and peace in the society. says Naheed Abidi [4]
Abidi was born in 1961, in a Shia Muslim zamindari family at Mirzapur, [5] in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. [6] Choosing Sanskrit as her subject, Abidi did her graduation at the Kamla Maheshwari Degree College and secured her MA from the K. V. Degree College, Mirzapur. [5]
She moved to Varanasi, an ancient seat of Sanskrit scholarship after her marriage with Ehtesham Abidi - a Senior Advocate in the city. [4] [5] Varanasi is deemed holy by the Hindu text Garuda Purana. [7] She went on to secure a doctoral degree (PhD) from the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith (MGKV), a public university in the city, and published her thesis titled as Vedic Sahitya Mein Ashvinon Ka Swaroop (The Utility and Form of Ashvin brothers in Vedic Literature) in 1993. [8] She received her D.Litt. degree from Lucknow University (Sanskrit) in 2009.
In 2005, Abidi started working as a lecturer without any pay at Banaras Hindu University. Soon after, she joined the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith to work as a part-time lecturer on a daily wage scheme. However, the Sanskrit scholar, known as the first Muslim female to have worked as a lecturer in Sanskrit, had difficulties finding a regular job. [8] Her first book was published in 2008 and was titled Sanskrit Sahitya Mein Rahim - which is an account of the Sanskrit leanings of the renowned poet, Abdul Rahim Khan-e-Khana. [1] This was followed by Devalayasya Deepa, [9] a translation of Chirag-e-Dair, written by poet, Mirza Ghalib. [4] The third book was Sirr-e-Akbar, [10] a Hindi translation of 50 Upanishads, earlier translated by the Mughal prince, Dara Shikoh into Persian. She has published a Hindi translation of Vedanta, translated into Persian by Dara Shikoh and also the Sufi texts by the prince. [1] [4] [8] [11]
Abidi lives with her spouse Ehtesham Abidi and her two children, a son and a daughter, [4] [5] in V.D.A. colony in the Shivpur area of Varanasi. [12] She also serves as an Executive Council member at the Sampurnanad Sanskrit University. [5]
Abidi was conferred with Padma Shri, in 2014, by the Government of India, for her services to literature. [2] She has also been conferred DLitt by the Lucknow University. [5] Abidi met Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India on 9 September 2014 at the latter's residence and presented two of the books written by her. [13] The meeting was announced by Modi through a photo on his Google Plus page [14] and the video of the meeting was displayed on the personal web site of the Prime Minister. [11] In 2016, She was honored with the Yash Bharati Award by UP government at a function held in Lucknow. [6]
Award | Awarded by | Year |
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Padma Award (Padma Sri) | President of India | 2014 |
‘Yash Bharti’ Sammaan | Government of Uttar Pradesh | 2016 |
Late Nawab Raza Ali Khan Award | Raza Library, Rampur, Uttar Pradesh | 2018 |
Late Smt. Chandrawati Joshi Sanskrit Bhasha Puraskar | Sri Gyan Kalyan Datavya Nyaas, New Delhi | 2015 |
Janani Jagriti Darshan Samman | Ramayanam Trust, Ayodhya, U.P. | 2011 |
Vikram Kalidas Puraskar | Kalidas Samiti, Govt. of M.P. | 2009 |
Dara Shikoh Sammaan | Akhil Bhartiya Vidwat Parishad | 2007 |
Yuva Pratibha Sammaan | Akhil Bhartiya Vidwat Parishad | 2006 |
Attended and presented in more than 200 National and International seminars and conferences: the most recent one being the World Conference organized by Madrasa Ayatullah Zafar-ul Millat (June 2018) in Iraq & Iran on the topic “Shia Azadari in India”, which also hosted many notable clerics & educationists.