Najma Heptulla Age, Wiki and Bio

Najma Heptulla

Quick Info

ProfessionPolitician
NationalityIndian
Date of Birth13/04/1940
Age84 years
BirthplaceBhopal State, British India (Now, in Madhya Pradesh, India)

Bio/Wiki

Real NameSayyida Najma bint Yusuf
Full NameNajma Akbarali Heptulla

Physical Stats & More

Eye ColourBlack
Hair ColourBlack

Educational Qualification(s)

SchoolMotilal Vigyan Mahavidyalaya (MVM) Bhopal
College/UniversityVikram University, Ujjain
Degree(s)
  • M.Sc. (Zoology)
  • Ph.D. (Cardiac Anatomy)

Personal Life

Zodiac sign/Sun signAries
ReligionIslam
Caste/SectDawoodi Bohra Muslim
Address16, Teen Murti Lane, Delhi
Hobbies
  • Reading and Writing
  • Listening to Music
  • Playing Badminton and Squash

Relationships & More

Marital StatusMarried
Marriage DateDecember 7, 1966

Family

Husband/SpouseAkbarali A. Heptulla (1966–2007)
Children
SonNone
Daughters3
Parents
FatherSayyid Yusuf bin Ali AlHashmi
MotherSayyida Fatima bint Mahmood

Career

Political PartyBharatiya Janata Party (2004-Present)
Political Journey
  • Elected to Rajya Sabha in 1980
  • Served as Deputy Chairperson of Rajya Sabha in 1985-86 and 1988-2004
  • Became general secretary of Congress in 1986
  • Headed women parliamentarians' group of Inter-Parliamentary Union in 1993
  • Elected as President of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) in 2000
  • Nominated as President of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in 1999-2002
  • Left Congress and joined BJP in 2004
  • Became Union Minister of Minority Affairs in 2014
  • Became Governor of Manipur in 2016

Favourites

FoodHyderabadi Biryani
PoliticianAtal Bihari Vajpayee
Actors
  • Dilip Kumar
  • Shammi Kapoor
Films
Bollywood
  • Shaheed (1948)
  • Mughal-E-Azam (1960)
Hollywood
  • Mackenna's Gold

Some Lesser Known Facts

Najma Heptulla engages in smoking and drinking.
Her family is of Arab descent and claims to be Sayyid.
She is a second cousin to actor Aamir Khan.
She is the grand-niece of Indian Independence activist Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.
Her husband, Akbarali A. Heptulla, played a significant role in formulating the newspaper 'Patriot.'
She ran for the Vice-Presidential elections in 2007 but was unsuccessful.
She was the sole Muslim minister in Narendra Modi's cabinet when appointed Union Minister Of Minority Affairs.
She has written extensively on various topics like human social security, environment, women's reforms, and sustainable development.
She authored publications such as 'India’s Progress in Science and Technology: Continuity and Change' in 1986.
She was appointed as Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia in 2017.