Begum Rehana Jalal-ud-din

Begum Rehana Jalal-ud-din(born Feb 13, 1913 and died, April 13, 2002),also known as Barkat Begum, comes from a reputed Syed (Sayyid) family of Kashmir, India. Originally hailing from the remote Karen sector, the family members distinguished themselves in various fields in the Valley. Her eldest brother, the Honorable Judge Nazir Ahmed Shah, was a senior member of the state Judiciary, and her eldest sister, Begum Agha (fondly known as Aapa Jee, was a homemaker). Her other brothers and sisters include, Begum Me'raj Qureshi (Educator), Syed Ahmed Shah (A decorated member of the Kashmir Armed Forces, and later the Jammu and Kashmir Police Force [http://www.jandkpolice.org/] ), Dr. Sayed Naseer Ahmed (A noted Physician, Winner of 1984 Padma Shri for Medicine), Syed Zameer Ahmed (Former member of the armed forces, and Entrepreneur) and Dr. Mahmuda Ali Shah (Educator, Winner of 2006 Padma Shri for Literature and Education [http://www.hindu.com/2006/01/26/stories/2006012616481600.htm] [http://www.indianmuslims.info/people/list_of_padma_awardees.html] )

Married to Aga Jalal-ud-din, an officer in the Maharaja Hari Singh's Forestry Department at a young age, she continued her schooling, with support from her loving husband. She was one of the few Muslim women from Kashmir to pursue further studies abroad, when she was awarded a scholarship to study at the University of Chicago in the 1950s. On her return, she dedicated her life to develop school education in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, first as an officer in the government, and on her retirement, by founding one of the few English Medium schools in the valley, the Lowood Garden School. Her legacy of education is instilled deeply in her children, who have also excelled in their respective fields of expertise.

Children of Begum Rehana and Aga Jalal-ud-din:

1. Son, Honorable Justice Syed Aga Nasser, Retired as a senior member of the state judiciary.
2. Daughter, Mrs. Amina Gran, Linguist, and broadcaster.
3. Daughter, Begum Khurshid Bakshi [http://www.kashmirnetwork.com/bgm/family.htm] , Educator, and social worker. Also, wife of former Prime Minister Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad [http://www.kashmirnetwork.com/bgm/]
4. Son, Zafar Ahmed, Engineer and Poet, Retired as Chief Engineer.
5. Daughter, Begum Sughra Hafeez, Intellectual, and Educator, retired as Principal, Government College for Women, Srinagar.
6. Son, Shams Ahmed Khan, IPS, Retired as Inspector General of Police, Jammu and Kashmir
7. Daughter, Begum Qudsiah Shah, Educator