Tara Ali Baig (1916-1989)
Founder, SOS Children’s Villages
Tara Ali Baig was a writer and social reformer. She held many responsibilities during her lifetime including being the first Asian woman President of the International Union for Child Welfare in Geneva; Founder of Indian Council for Child Welfare and President of SOS Children’s Villages of India for 22 years from 1967 to 1989.
She was a prominent architect of the Child Welfare Policies in the Five Year Plans, during her time, as well as a member of the National Children’s Board, for several years since its inception in 1974. Her books include a biography of Sarojini Naidu, ‘The Moon in Rahu’, ‘Women of India’, ‘India’s Woman Power’, and many children’s books such as ‘Indrani’, ‘The Enchanted Jungle’, and ‘The Forbidden Sea’. Her talks on All India Radio and her historical and cultural programmes on television were very popular.
She received an honorary degree from the Tehran School of Social Work in 1965; a gold medal and special award from the International Union for Child Welfare in 1984; the National Award for Child Welfare in 1984; and an honorary degree of Doctor of Law from Alberta University, Canada in 1988.
