Syeda Saiyidain Hameed is former member of India’s Planning Commission. She has written fiction and non-fiction on women’s issues, modern Indian history, South Asia and Urdu poetry.
She was Chancellor of Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad, and founder-member of various organizations. She was member of the National Commission for Women, and was awarded the Padma Shri in 2007.
