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Mohammad Hamid Ansari
The Vice President, Shri Shri M. Hamid Ansari during the release of his book ‘Citizen and Society’ at Rashtrapati Bhavan in 2016.jpg
Ansari in 2016
Vice President of India
In office
11 August 2007 – 11 August 2017
President Pratibha Patil
Pranab Mukherjee
Ram Nath Kovind
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
Narendra Modi
Preceded by Bhairon Singh Shekhawat
Succeeded by Venkaiah Naidu
Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations
In office
January 1993 – January 1995
President Shankar Dayal Sharma
Preceded by Chinmaya Gharekhan
Succeeded by Prakash Shah
Ambassador of India to the United Arab Emirates
In office
6 June 1976 – 24 January 1980
President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
B. D. Jatti (acting)
Neelam Sanjiva Reddy
Preceded by S. E. H. Rizvi
Succeeded by Lalit Mansingh
Personal details
Born (1937-04-01) 1 April 1937 (age 88)
Calcutta, Bengal, British India (present-day Kolkata, West Bengal, India)
Political party Independent
Spouse Salma Ansari
Children 3
Relatives Afzal Ansari (nephew)
Sibgatullah Ansari (nephew)
Mukhtar Ansari (nephew)
Alma mater Aligarh Muslim University
Awards Padma Shri

Mohammad Hamid Ansari (born April 1, 1937) is an Indian leader who worked as a diplomat and later served as the Vice President of India from 2007 to 2017.

He joined the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) in 1961. This meant he represented India in other countries. Over 38 years, he was India's ambassador to countries like Australia, Afghanistan, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. He also represented India at the United Nations from 1993 to 1995. Later, he became the vice-chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University from 2000 to 2002. Before becoming Vice President, he was the chairman of the National Commission for Minorities from 2006 to 2007.

Ansari was first elected as the Vice President of India on August 10, 2007. He started his term on August 11, 2007. He was re-elected on August 7, 2012, and took his oath from Pranab Mukherjee, who was the President of India at that time. His second term began on August 11, 2012. He chose not to run for a third term in 2017. His time as Vice President is one of the longest in Indian history, similar to Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.

About Mohammad Hamid Ansari

The Vice President, Shri M. Hamid Ansari calling on the President of Nepal, Ms. Bidya Devi Bhandari, in New Delhi on April 18, 2017
Vice President M. Hamid Ansari meeting the President of Nepal, Bidya Devi Bhandari, in New Delhi, April 18, 2017.

Mohammad Hamid Ansari was born on April 1, 1937, in Kolkata, India. His parents were Mohammad Abdul Aziz Ansari and Aasiya Begum. Even though his family's original home is in Yusufpur, Ghazipur, in Uttar Pradesh, he spent his early years in Kolkata. His family has a long history, connected to the Sufi saint Abdullah Ansari. His ancestors came to India in 1526 with the Mughal emperor Babur.

He is also related to important figures in Indian history. He is the grand-nephew of Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari, who was a president of the Indian National Congress and a freedom fighter. He is also a cousin to three politicians from Uttar Pradesh: Afzal Ansari, Sibaghatullah Ansari, and Mukhtar Ansari.

Ansari went to St. Edward's School, Shimla for his early education. He earned his Bachelor's (B.A.) and Master's (M.A.) degrees in political science from Aligarh Muslim University. He is married to Salma Ansari, and they have two sons and one daughter.

His Career Journey

Diplomatic Roles

The Prime Minister of Nepal, Shri Madhav Kumar Nepal calls on the Vice President, Shri Mohd. Hamid Ansari, in New Delhi on August 19, 2009
Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari with the former Prime Minister of Nepal, Madhav Kumar Nepal.

After joining the Indian Foreign Service in 1961, Ansari worked in Indian missions in various cities like Baghdad, Rabat, Brussels, and Jeddah. From 1976 to 1980, he was India's ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. During this time, he helped get land for the Indian School from Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He also served as India's ambassador to Australia (1985–1989), Afghanistan (1989–1990), Iran (1990–1992), and Saudi Arabia (1995–1999).

From 1993 to 1995, he was India's permanent representative of India to the United Nations. This means he was India's main voice at the UN. His colleague, T. P. Sreenivasan, noted that Ansari strongly defended India against false claims about human rights abuses in Jammu and Kashmir. His appointment showed India's commitment to being a fair and diverse nation.

Academic Work

After his diplomatic career, Ansari became a visiting professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University from 1999 to 2000. On May 23, 2000, he was appointed as the vice-chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University. After leaving this role in 2002, he was a visiting professor at Jamia Milia Islamia from 2003 to 2005.

Leading the National Commission for Minorities

On March 6, 2006, Ansari became the chairman of India's National Commission for Minorities (NCM). This commission works to protect the rights of minority groups in India. In June 2007, he supported a decision by St. Stephen's College in Delhi to reserve some seats for Dalit Christians. He resigned from this position when he was nominated to become India's Vice President.

Vice Presidency (2007–2017)

First Term as Vice President

GNLU Vice President of India
Vice President Ansari with the then Chief Minister of Gujarat, the Governor of Gujarat, and some Supreme Court of India judges at the Gujarat National Law University.
Mohd. Hamid Ansari being received by the Governor of Orissa, Shri M.C. Bhandare and the Chief Minister of Orissa, Shri Naveen Patnaik, on his arrival at Biju Patnaik Airport, Bhubaneswar in Orissa on March 01, 2012
Vice President Ansari with former Odisha governor M.C. Bhandare and Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik.
The Vice President, Shri Mohd. Hamid Ansari inspecting the guard of honor, on his arrival at the Bhubaneswar Airport in Orissa on October 20, 2010
Vice President Ansari inspecting the guard of honor at Biju Patnaik International Airport.

On July 20, 2007, the ruling group in India, the UPA-Left, chose Ansari as their candidate for Vice President. Ansari said he felt "humbled" by their decision. He won the 2007 Indian vice-presidential election by a large number of votes against his opponent, Najma Heptullah.

Second Term as Vice President

The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee administering the oath of Office of the Vice President to Shri Mohd. Hamid Ansari at a Swearing-in-Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on August 11, 2012
The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, giving the oath of office to Shri Mohd. Hamid Ansari at a ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, on August 11, 2012.

For the 2012 Indian vice-presidential election, the UPA again nominated Ansari. The opposition group, the NDA, nominated Jaswant Singh. The NDA criticized Ansari's actions in the Rajya Sabha (one of India's parliament houses) during a debate on a bill. However, Hamid Ansari was re-elected on August 7, 2012. He won against Jaswant Singh by a significant margin. Ansari was the first person to be re-elected as Indian Vice President since Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan in 1957.

When Ram Nath Kovind became President of India in 2017, Ansari became the first Indian Vice President to serve under three different Presidents. He holds the record for the longest time served as Vice President of India.

His Views and Contributions

Ansari is an expert on West Asia. He has written about the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and has expressed opinions that sometimes differed from India's official stance on countries like Iraq and Iran. For example, he questioned India's vote against Iran's nuclear program at the International Atomic Energy Agency. He believed India's decision was not fully based on its own judgment.

In 2006, he led a group focused on building trust among different communities in Jammu and Kashmir. This group's report was accepted in 2007. One important recommendation was to recognize the right of Kashmiri Pandits to return to their original homes. The report stated this right should be clear and part of state policy.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Mohammad Hamid Ansari para niños

  • List of vice presidents of India
  • Syed Akbaruddin
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