Vimala Sharma

Vimala Devi Sharma (c. 1927 – August 15, 2020) was an Indian social worker, women's rights activist, and politician. Sharma served as the First Lady of India from 1992 to 1997 and the Second Lady of India from 1987 until 1992 during the tenures of her husband, the late President Shankar Dayal Sharma. She was also elected to the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly in 1985, representing the Udaipura constituency, and headed the Madhya Pradesh Social Welfare Board for several terms.[1]

Vimala Sharma
First Lady of India
In role
July 25, 1992 – July 25, 1997
PresidentShankar Dayal Sharma
Preceded byJanaki Venkataraman
Succeeded byUsha Narayanan
Minister of State of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
In office
March 6, 1993 – May 16, 1996
Prime MinisterP. V. Narasimha Rao
Preceded byPushpa Shah
Succeeded byL. K. Advani
Second Lady of India
In role
September 3, 1987 – July 24, 1992
Preceded byJanaki Venkataraman
Succeeded byUsha Narayanan
Personal details
Bornc. 1927
DiedAugust 15, 2020 (age 93)
Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
Political partyIndian National Congress
Spouse(s)Shankar Dayal Sharma (?–1999; his death)

Sharma died in August 2020 while recovering from COVID-19.[1][2]

Biography

Vimala Sharma was originally from Rajasthan and spent most of her early life in Jaipur.[3] She married Shankar Dayal Sharma, who later became President of India from 1992 to 1997.

Sharma was a social worker by profession.[1] She headed the Madhya Pradesh Social Welfare Board, which oversees social services in the state, for several terms.[1]

In 1985, Vimala Sharma was elected to the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly, representing Udaipura, as a member of the Indian National Congress party.[1] Sharma became the first female MLA to hold the Udaipura seat in its history.[4] (Her husband, Shankar Dayal Sharma, was also elected as the first MLA from the same Udaipura seat upon the district's creation in 1962).[4] She declined to seek re-election to the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly after her husband became Vice President of India.[4]

She then served as the Second Lady of India from 1987 until 1992 before becoming First Lady of India in 1992 during her husband's presidency. Much of her work focused on women's rights.[1] During her time as First Lady, Sharma also simultaneously served as Minister of State of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution from 1993 to 1996 and Minister of State for the Ministry of Women and Child Development from 1993 until 1996.

Towards the end of his presidency, Vimala and Shankar Dayal Sharma, who lived in Bhopal, began to discuss where they would live after his retirement from office.[3] First Lady Vimala Sharma advocated for a move to her hometown on Jaipur, which had better hospitals and medical facilities than Bhopal, as her husband was in declining health at the time.[3] However, the couple ultimately chose to retire to a home in Delhi.[3] Former President Shankar Dayal Sharma died on December 26, 1999, just 2 years after leaving office .[5]

Vimala Sharma remained highly involved in social and charitable organizations throughout her later life, especially in the Bhopal and Raisen districts, according to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.[2]

In June 2020, Sharma developed breathing difficulties, a symptom of COVID-19. She exhibited low oxygen levels on June 5th and tested positive for COVID-19 on June 6, 2020.[6] Sharma was immediately admitted to the AIIMS Trauma Centre in New Delhi, where she was treated for COVID-19 for 18 days.[6] Her condition continued to deteriorate for the first four days of her hospitalization before she began to show some improvement to her health.[6] Sharma received high flow oxygen through a nasal cannula and was given antibiotics, but was not placed on a ventilator.[6] She was discharged from AIIMS Hospital on June 25, 2020, but still required 2-3 litres of nasal oxygen per hour during her recovery.[6] Vimala Sharma, who was 93-years old at the time of her diagnosis and hospitalization, was one of the oldest coronavirus patients to be released from the hospital in Dehli during the pandemic, though she never completely recovered from the illness.[6]

Vimala Sharma died in Bhopal on August 15, 2020, at the age of 93, less than 2 months after her hospitalization for COVID-19.[1][2] Indian President Ram Nath Kovind tweeted his condolences, writing, "Sad to hear about the demise of Mrs. Vimala Sharma, wife of former President Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma. My condolences to his family and loved ones."[1] Vice President Venkaiah Naidu and Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan also sent public condolences.[1][2]

References
  1. "Former President Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma's wife Vimala Sharma is no more". Newsroom 24x7 Network. 2020-08-15. Archived from the original on 2020-09-05. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
  2. "VP Venkaiah Naidu, MP CM Shivraj Chouhan Condole Death of Former President Shankar Dayal Sharma's Wife". Network18 Group. 2020-08-15. Archived from the original on 2020-09-06. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
  3. "Outgoing President S.D. Sharma finally decides to settle down in Delhi". India Today. 1997-07-07. Archived from the original on 2020-09-05. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
  4. "1985 में उदयपुरा सीट से जिले की पहली महिला MLA बनी थी विमला देवी शर्मा". Naidunia. 2020-08-16. Archived from the original on 2020-09-06. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
  5. "Former President Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma passes away". Embassy of India, Washington, D.C. 1999-12-27. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
  6. Saxena, Astha (2020-06-26). "Wife of former President Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma recovers from coronavirus at 93". Indian Express. Archived from the original on 2020-08-07. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
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