in Photo: Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh is greeted at Vidya Bhawan’s Diamond Jubilee Function by President Riaz Tehsin

Great nations write their autobiographies in three manuscripts – the book of their deeds, the book of their words and the book of their art, John Ruskin once said. If we go by that definition, one name that comes to mind which has contributed to the nation’s three manuscripts of deeds, words and art is Riaz A. Tehsin – a distinguished humanitarian, an educationist par excellence and a preeminent patron of culture and arts.

Early Life and Childhood

Born on 20 September 1938 in a progressive family of Udaipur (Rajasthan), Riaz Tehsin is the son of the then Vice Mayor T. H. Tehsin, who later officiated as the Acting Mayor of the Udaipur Municipal Corporation. A social worker and nature lover, T. H. Tehsin was also an associate of Manikya Lal Verma and Mohan Lal Sukhadiya during the Independence Movement.

During his childhood, Riaz Tehsin’s inspiration came from his father as well as his mother Khursheed Banu, who, in spite of having a severe disability, worked for the emancipation of women. She was the Vice President of the Rajasthan Branch of All India Women’s Conference (AIWC), of which Maharani Gayatri Devi was the President. [Read more...]