How Kaifi Azmi got a postal address for his ancestral village, recalls his daughter and actress Shabana Azmi

In an exclusive conversation with ETV Bharat, Shabana Azmi recalled that her father Kaifi Azmi was attached to his roots and took several initiatives to develop his ancestral village.

Azamgarh: In order to get postal recognition for his ancestral village Mijuan in the Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh, legendary poet Kaifi Azmi wrote a lyrical application to the then Union Telecommunication Minister Mohsina Kidwai. This was one of many contributions of the famed Bollywood lyricist to develop his ancestral village despite opposition from several quarters.

The revelation was made by Azmi's equally famous daughter and prominent actress Shabana Azmi. In an exclusive conversation with ETV Bharat, Azmi, who was in Mijuan village to celebrate the 104th birth anniversary of her legendary father, said her father was attached to his roots. "We are glad that his Abba's (Kaifi Azmi) efforts have come to fruition," Shabana told ETV Bharat. She said that Kaifi Azmi passed away in 2002, but it is satisfying that his village has come a long way in progress and development. "I am happy to see the way our village is flourishing because when Kaifi Sahib was alive, people used to oppose him a lot."

He would tell me that "some efforts bear fruit after you are no longer around but they never go waste." Shabana said that her father founded the Minjuan Welfare Society for the empowerment of women. "Today hundreds of people get employment opportunities through this initiative. Women are progressing," she said.

She regretted that women continue to be undermined in society as cases like rape are increasing and the role of police in handling these cases is not satisfactory. "Instead of tracking down the perpetrators, the women are being blamed. This situation will not change until women are not given equal rights and made equal partners in development,' she said. Shabana religiously arrives in the village from Mumbai every year to be with the womenfolk, who have been empowered by an initiative taken in the 1980s by Kaifi Azmi. Shabana said that her father used to say that action is important irrespective of whether you see the results in your lifetime or not.