HYDERABAD: He timing could not have been better for Begum Bilkees Idris Latif to be conferred with the Padma Shri award for her contribution in social work.
The renowned social worker was busy with the first anniversary celebration of her son’s city-based magazine till evening. Soon the news broke out and the landline at her home kept buzzing.
“I could not believe my ears when my son called me up to say that I was selected for the award and my name was on the scroll bar of news channels. It took me a while to come back to normalcy,” she told to The New Indian Express and added “I have not received official confirmation yet.” Begum Bilkees, wife of former chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshall Idris Hasan Latif, has been associated with many civil society organisations working for empowerment of women and providing primary education to children living in slums in Hyderabad and Mumbai.
The Padma Shri award winner has been active in the field of literature and is a well-known figure in the Hyderabad literary circles.
“Working with the children of Dharavi (Asia’s biggest slum located in Mumbai) has given me immense satisfaction,” said the president of National Society for Clean Cities.
She is also associated with Population First, a Mumbaibased NGO, which works on population and health issues within the framework of women’s rights and social development.