Jeelani Bano was born on 14 July 1936 in Badayun,[4] in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh to Hairat Badayuni,[6] a known Urdu poet.[2] After her schooling, she enrolled for intermediate course when she married Anwar Moazzam, a poet of repute and a former head of the Department of Islamic Studies at the Osmania University and shifted to Hyderabad.[7] She continued her education to secure a master's degree (MA) in Urdu.[3][4]
She started writing at an early age, reported to be at the age of eight,[7] and her first story, Ek Nazar Idhar Bhi (A Glance Hither), was published in 1952.[2] She is credited with 22 books comprising anthologies starting with Roshni ke Minar and novels beginning with Aiwaan-e-ghazal. Her list of books include an autobiography, Afzane[8] and a collection of her correspondence with other writers, Door ki Aawaazen.[2][7] One of her stories, Narsayya Ki Bavdi, has been made into a 2009 feature film, Well Done Abba by the renowned filmmaker, Shyam Benegal.[7][9] Many of her books have been translated into other languages.[3][7][10][11]
Bano received the Andhra Pradesh Sahitya Akademi Award in 1960, followed by the Soviet Land Nehru Award in 1985.[2][3] She received the Qaumi Haali Award from the Haryana Urdu Academy in 1989.[2][3] The Government of India honoured her with the civilian award of Padma Shri in 2001.
Jeelani Bano, a former Chairperson of the non governmental organization for women's rights, Asmita,[7] lives in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad.[2][4] She is also associated with Youth for Action of which she is a former chairperson, Child and Women Human Rights, a forum of the International Human Rights Association of India as its principal advisor[7] and maintains associations with radio and television.[3]
