Khwaja Abdul Hamied
Encyclopedia
Dr. K. A. Hamied was a vehemently nationalist Indian Scientist who graduated from Allahabad University
and held M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the Humboldt University of Berlin
(also known as Berlin University); he was a disciple of M.K. Gandhi and former founder professor along with Dr. Zakir Husain
of the Jamia Milia Islamia in Aligarh, now based in Delhi
. Dr. Hamied was an honorary professor and a member of the executive council of the Aligarh University, member of the Senate of Bombay University and a fellow of the Royal Institute of Chemistry
, UK. He was also a member of the Bombay Legislative Council from 1937–1962, refusing the offer of becoming a Muslim Minister in the cabinet in Bombay. Hamied also served as Sheriff of Bombay.
During the last four decades of his life, he played an important role in raising the pharmaceutical and chemical industry in India
to an extraordinarily high level through founding the firm Cipla
.
An article in The New York Times
about Cipla
and its founder's eldest son Yusuf Hamied
(now Chairman of Cipla) talked in part about Dr. K.A. Hamied's personal history:
"His father was a follower of Mahatma Gandhi's brand of Indian nationalism whose family chipped in to send him to study chemistry in England, India's colonial master, in 1924. Instead, he changed ships and went to Humboldt Germany, then the world's leader in chemicals. On a Berlin lake, he met a Lithuanian Jewish socialist -- Mr. Hamied's mother. They fled as Germany was shifting into Nazi hands, and the Chemical, Industrial and Pharmaceutical Laboratories, later known as Cipla, was founded in 1935."
Dr. K.A. Hamied was born in Kachchh, Gujarat.
(Source: K.A. Hamied: An Autobiography: A life to remember, published by Lalvani Publishing House in 1972)
Allahabad University
Allahabad University , is a premier Central University located in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. Its origins lie in the Muir Central College, named after Lt...
and held M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the Humboldt University of Berlin
Humboldt University of Berlin
The Humboldt University of Berlin is Berlin's oldest university, founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin by the liberal Prussian educational reformer and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt, whose university model has strongly influenced other European and Western universities...
(also known as Berlin University); he was a disciple of M.K. Gandhi and former founder professor along with Dr. Zakir Husain
Zakir Hussain (politician)
Dr. Zakir Hussain , was the third President of India from 13 May 1967 until his death on 3 May 1969. He was the first elected Muslim president of India....
of the Jamia Milia Islamia in Aligarh, now based in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
. Dr. Hamied was an honorary professor and a member of the executive council of the Aligarh University, member of the Senate of Bombay University and a fellow of the Royal Institute of Chemistry
Royal Institute of Chemistry
The Royal Institute of Chemistry was a British scientific organisation.Founded in 1877 as the Institute of Chemistry of Great Britain, its role was to focus on qualifications and the professional status of chemists, and its aim was to ensure that consulting and analytical chemists were properly...
, UK. He was also a member of the Bombay Legislative Council from 1937–1962, refusing the offer of becoming a Muslim Minister in the cabinet in Bombay. Hamied also served as Sheriff of Bombay.
During the last four decades of his life, he played an important role in raising the pharmaceutical and chemical industry in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
to an extraordinarily high level through founding the firm Cipla
Cipla
Cipla Limited is a prominent Indian pharmaceutical company, best-known outside its home country for manufacturing low-cost anti-AIDS drugs for HIV-positive patients in developing countries...
.
An article in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
about Cipla
Cipla
Cipla Limited is a prominent Indian pharmaceutical company, best-known outside its home country for manufacturing low-cost anti-AIDS drugs for HIV-positive patients in developing countries...
and its founder's eldest son Yusuf Hamied
Yusuf Hamied
Yusuf Khwaja Hamied is a leading Indian scientist who serves as chairman of Cipla, a socially conscious generic pharmaceuticals company founded by his father Khwaja Abdul Hamied in 1935....
(now Chairman of Cipla) talked in part about Dr. K.A. Hamied's personal history:
"His father was a follower of Mahatma Gandhi's brand of Indian nationalism whose family chipped in to send him to study chemistry in England, India's colonial master, in 1924. Instead, he changed ships and went to Humboldt Germany, then the world's leader in chemicals. On a Berlin lake, he met a Lithuanian Jewish socialist -- Mr. Hamied's mother. They fled as Germany was shifting into Nazi hands, and the Chemical, Industrial and Pharmaceutical Laboratories, later known as Cipla, was founded in 1935."
Dr. K.A. Hamied was born in Kachchh, Gujarat.
(Source: K.A. Hamied: An Autobiography: A life to remember, published by Lalvani Publishing House in 1972)