Looking for information on Hilla Rustomji Faridoonji (1872–1956)
The All India Womens Conference is a 93 year old all women organisation founded in 1927 by Mrs Margaret Cousins.It is popularly known as AIWC.It has about 500 branches all over the country from Kanyakumari to Kashmir ,with its Head Office in Delhi.AIWC is a Non Governmental Organization which works mainly for the upliftment of women & children belonging to the lower strata of society.
Our Head Office located in Sarojin House , 6 Bhagwandas Road , New Delhi has a full fledged Library called the MCM Library. Here we have a record of the past Presidents as well as the Minutes of all the Conferences held as also the work done till date. But information regarding some past Presidents is not upto date & as such we are trying to collect as much information as possible so that the future generations will learn about our rich legacy & also about these esteemed women who have worked selflessly while they were at the helm of affairs all through out.
So it is in this regard that I would like to have some information about Mrs Hilla Rustomjee Faridoonji who was the 9th President of AIWC in 1934. Very little is known about her & hence this is to request you to kindly help us in learning about her childhood ,education, family & home. It would be great if I could connect to her kith & kin who will give me this valuable information.
I hereby assure you that this information will be only for the AIWC Records & will not be used for any other purpose whatsoever.
Hilla Rustomji Faridoonji (1872–1956) was an Indian educationist and political activist. She was secretary of the Women’s Education Fund Association.At the All India Women’s Conference meeting in Madras in 1931-2, Faridoonji proposed the removal of caste distinctions and the abolition of separate schools for different religious sects. In 1935, she served as President of the AIWC, and continued as a patron on the Standing Committee of the Conference. She was a close associate of Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay and became a close friend of Mahatma Gandhi.
She was one of the first administrators of Lady Irwin College when it opened in 1932. She was its convenor and treasurer and continued to work for the college until her death. In 1954 she opened the college’s postgraduate accommodation in her role as President of the All India Women’s Education Fund Association. The main hall of residence is now known as the Hilla Faridoonji Hall in her memory.
Warm greetings
This is Mashal here I am the great-grandson of Mrs. Hilla Rustomji Faridoonji, Mummy Ji as we called her. My father Faridoon Khan was the third child of Mrs. Roshan Abdul Ghani, the second daughter of Mummy Ji. Mrs. Roshan A Ghani was married to the eldest son of ‘The frontier Gandhi’, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Abdul Ghani Khan.
My aunt Zarin Ghani Walsh lives in Bombay and on account of her ill health I visit her frequently in India. I remember my aunt telling us stories about Mummy Ji and how affectionate she was towards her grandchildren. I have come to know about the achievements of Mummy Ji just recently after going through some old records.
Sincere regards,
Mashal Khan
itsmashal357@yahoo.com