Historian and author Rana Safvi

The sixth Yamin Hazarika Woman of Substance Award for the year 2020 was conferred on historian and author Rana Safvi on September 22. The virtual award ceremony was attended by a host of prominent personalities.

Rana Safvi is a passionate believer in India’s Ganga Jamuni tehzeeb (syncretic culture) which she documents through her writings, podcasts and videos.

In 2011, she started the Twitter forum #shair which was responsible for popularising Urdu online. It is a unique platform which is still going strong with over 20,000 members.

She has published seven books so far on culture, history, and monuments of India. These are Tales from the Quran and Hadith, the Delhi Trilogy: Where Stones Speak, The Forgotten Cities of Delhi and Shahjahanabad the Living City of Old Delhi. She has translated both the editions of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan ‘s seminal work on Delhi – Asar us Sanadid, Dastan e Ghadar and four accounts of 19th and 20th century Delhi from Urdu to English.

She is also a regular contributor to various national newspapers and magazines. Her blog ranasafvi.com is a repository of cultural, literary and historical heritage

The award is instituted by a collective of women professionals in memory of Northeast’s first woman to join Central Police Service, Yamin Hazarika who was DCP Delhi Police. The award recognizes and celebrates women who have made a notable contribution to the greater good of society.

Yamin Hazarika was the first woman from Northeast India to be selected for the NCT of Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Island, Lakshawadeep, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli Police service (DANIPS), a federal police service in India, administering Delhi and the Union Territories in 1977.

Hazarika succumbed to cancer in the year 1999, but her great trail of legacy lives even today inspiring millions, especially women in the law enforcement sector.

The awardees for the previous years include author Indrani Raimedhi, athlete Tayabun Nisha, actor Moloya Goswami, environmental activist Purnima Devi Barman and social activist Hasina Kharbhih. This year the event was held online following COVID-19 protocols. The event was moderated by Tinat Atifa Masood.

Diplomatic editor at The Hindu, Suhasini Haidar and Assam DGP Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta were also present, among others, during the occasion.

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Avatar photo
About TNM NewsDesk

-

The News Mill is a Guwahati-based digital media with focus on content from across Northeast India and beyond. We can be reached through [email protected]