Fatima Zakaria

{{Infobox person

| name = Fatima Zakaria

| birth_date=17 February 1936{{Cite web|url=https://urdu.news18.com/news/nation/west-india-veteran-journalist-fatima-r-zakaria-and-educational-activist-fatima-zakaria-passes-away-in-aurangabad-moh-snm-350726.html|title=معروف صحافی اور تعلیمی جہدکار پدم شری فاطمہ زکریا کا انتقال، ملک بھر میں غم کا ماحول– Urdu News|date=7 April 2021|website=News18 Urdu}}{{Cite web|url=https://mddtrust.mahaonline.gov.in/InstituteDetails/TrustSummary.aspx?str=/sho7NhKfh7nTQj01CgERq+lUVQzTKZu|title=Trust summary: MDD Trust|website=mddtrust.mahaonline.gov.in}}

|birth_place = Bombay, British India

| death_date = {{death_date and age|6 April 2021|17 February 1936}}

|death_place = Aurangabad, India

| spouse = Rafiq Zakaria

| children = 4, including Fareed Zakaria

| relatives = Asif Zakaria (nephew)
Arif Zakaria (nephew)

| alma_mater = Isabella Thoburn College{{cite news |last1=Prakash |first1=Meghna |title=Watch: Indian-American Journalist Zakaria's Tribute to His Mother |url=https://www.thequint.com/coronavirus/watch-indian-american-journalist-zakarias-tribute-to-his-mother |access-date=22 April 2021 |work=The Quint |date=12 April 2021 |language=en}}

| awards = Padma Shri (2006)

}}

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.

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.{{cite news |title=Noted educationist, journalist Padmashri Fatma Zakaria passes away |url=https://english.lokmat.com/aurangabad/noted-educationist-journalist-padmashri-fatma-zakaria-passes-away/ |access-date=22 April 2021 |work=Lokmat English |date=6 April 2021 |language=en}}

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.{{cite news |last1=Fernando |first1=Benita |title=Former editor Fatma Zakaria dies at 85 |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/former-editor-fatma-zakaria-dies-at-85-7261816/ |access-date=22 April 2021 |work=The Indian Express |date=7 April 2021 |language=en}} She joined The Times of India in 1970 and rose through the ranks to become Sunday edition editor.{{cite web |title=Siblings - Achievers, not Inheritors | url=http://www.the-south-asian.com/feb%202003/Siblings.htm |date= February 2003 |publisher=the-south-asian.com }} 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.

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.{{cite web |url=http://www.tata.com/company/Media/inside.aspx?artid=Ibc33/tt8WA= |title=The new Taj |accessdate=2011-02-14 |date=12 November 2001 |publisher=Tata Sons Ltd |location=Arlington, VA |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716193301/http://www.tata.com/company/Media/inside.aspx?artid=Ibc33%2Ftt8WA%3D |archivedate=16 July 2011 }} 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.{{cite web |title=Board |url=http://www.ihma.ac.in/board.htm |date= |publisher=Indian Institute of Hotel Management, Aurangabad |access-date=10 May 2012 |archive-date=24 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171024191038/http://ihma.ac.in/board.htm |url-status=dead }} She was the president of Maulana Azad Education Society (MAES) and chairman of Maulana Azad Educational Trust (MAET), both in Aurangabad.

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.{{cite web|title=Padma Awards Directory (1954-2009) |publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs |url=http://www.mha.nic.in/pdfs/LST-PDAWD.pdf |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510095705/http://www.mha.nic.in/pdfs/LST-PDAWD.pdf |archivedate=2013-05-10 }}

Zakaria is regarded as a secularist and she took special care to cater to the educational needs of the Muslims.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}

Personal life

Zakaria was the second wife of Rafiq Zakaria, who was an Indian politician and Islamic religious cleric.{{cite web |title=Dr. Rafiq Zakaria remembered |url=http://twocircles.net/2010jul16/dr_rafiq_zakaria_remembered.html |date=16 July 2010 |publisher=Two Circles }} 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,{{cite web | url=http://www.rediff.com/money/2001/oct/08zak.htm | title=Arshad Zakaria appointed Merrill Lynch co-president | accessdate=2011-02-14 | date=8 October 2001 | publisher=Rediff.com India Limited}} 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.{{Cite web|date=2021-04-06|title=Veteran Journalist, Fareed Zakaria's Mother, Padma Shri Fatima Zakaria Dies Aged 85|url=https://thecognate.com/veteran-journalist-fareed-zakarias-mother-padma-shri-fatima-zakaria-dies-aged-85/|access-date=2021-04-06|website=The Cognate|language=en-GB}}