Fatima Zakaria

Fatima Zakaria (17 February 1936 – 6 April 2021) was the editor of the Mumbai Times, and later the Sunday editor of The Times of India. She also served as the editor of the Taj magazine of the Taj Hotels.

Fatima Zakaria
Born17 February 1936[1][2]
Bombay, British India
DiedApril 6, 2021(2021-04-06) (aged 85)
Aurangabad, India
Alma materIsabella Thoburn College[3]
SpouseRafiq Zakaria
Children4, including Fareed Zakaria
RelativesAsif Zakaria (nephew)
Arif Zakaria (nephew)
AwardsPadma Shri (2006)

Career

In 1958, she established an institution of childcare and a Women's Industrial Home in Mumbai, that fulfilled the educational and healthcare needs of over 500 underprivileged children.[4]

In 1963, Zakaria began her career in journalism as a children's columnist in The Illustrated Weekly of India and worked as Khushwant Singh's assistant editor.[5] She joined The Times of India in 1970 and rose through the ranks to become Sunday edition editor.[6] As the editor, she interviewed prominent figures like Indira Gandhi, Margaret Thatcher, J.R.D. Tata, Jayaprakash Narayan, and then prime minister Morarji Desai, Charan Singh.[4]

Zakaria joined the Taj Group of Hotels to establish the first-rate five-star hotel, The Taj Residency, on the campus of Maulana Azad College of Arts and Science in Aurangabad. She became editor of the coffee table magazine Taj.[7] Her office was located in the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai. Thereafter, she introduced a hotel management course in alliance with a British university. She was on the board of Institute of Hotel Management, Aurangabad.[8] She was the president of Maulana Azad Education Society (MAES) and chairman of Maulana Azad Educational Trust (MAET), both in Aurangabad.[4]

The award Padma Shri was conferred on her by the Government of India in 2006. She received the award from President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam for her extensive work in the field of education.[9]

Zakaria is regarded as a secularist and she took special care to cater to the educational needs of the Muslims.

Personal life

Zakaria was the second wife of Rafiq Zakaria, who was an Indian politician and Islamic religious cleric.[10] She was the step-mother of 2 children. The elder, Tasneem Zakaria Mehta, is an art historian and writer, living in Mumbai. The second is Mansoor Zakaria, a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur who is now a partner in a wealth management firm.

Her elder biological son, Arshad Zakaria,[11] runs a hedge fund while her younger biological son, Fareed Zakaria, is a political commentator and journalist, and host of Fareed Zakaria GPS on CNN.

Death

Zakaria died from COVID-19 at the Kamalnayan Bajaj Hospital in Aurangabad on 6 April 2021.[3][12]

References
  1. "معروف صحافی اور تعلیمی جہدکار پدم شری فاطمہ زکریا کا انتقال، ملک بھر میں غم کا ماحول– Urdu News". News18 Urdu. 7 April 2021.
  2. "Trust summary: MDD Trust". mddtrust.mahaonline.gov.in.
  3. Prakash, Meghna (12 April 2021). "Watch: Indian-American Journalist Zakaria's Tribute to His Mother". The Quint. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  4. "Noted educationist, journalist Padmashri Fatma Zakaria passes away". Lokmat English. 6 April 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  5. Fernando, Benita (7 April 2021). "Former editor Fatma Zakaria dies at 85". The Indian Express. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  6. "Siblings - Achievers, not Inheritors". the-south-asian.com. February 2003.
  7. "The new Taj". Arlington, VA: Tata Sons Ltd. 12 November 2001. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
  8. "Board". Indian Institute of Hotel Management, Aurangabad. Archived from the original on 24 October 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
  9. "Padma Awards Directory (1954-2009)" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 May 2013.
  10. "Dr. Rafiq Zakaria remembered". Two Circles. 16 July 2010.
  11. "Arshad Zakaria appointed Merrill Lynch co-president". Rediff.com India Limited. 8 October 2001. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
  12. "Veteran Journalist, Fareed Zakaria's Mother, Padma Shri Fatima Zakaria Dies Aged 85". The Cognate. 6 April 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
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