PRESENT HEAD OF HOUSE: Sheikh WARIS AHMAD HABIBULLAH, present Taluqdar of Saidanpur since December 1991 (8-A, Somerset Palace, Sofia College Lane, Mumbai - 400026, India)

Film Director, also known as Waris Hussein, born 9th December 1938 in Lucknow, he moved to the U.K. with his family in 1947; educated at Eton College, Cambridge College and the Slade School of Fine Art; he directed the pilot episode of the Dr. Who series, "The Unearthly Child" in 1963; he directed the first of his feature films, "A Touch of Love" in 1969, and returned to television soon afterwards; he moved to Hollywood and directed a number of TV films and mini-series, returning to the U.K. often, in order to direct a number of film projects, culminating in the film, "Sixth Happiness" in 1997.

PREDECESSORS AND SHORT HISTORY: Estate holders were....

• Sheikh WAJAHATULLAH, Taluqdar of Saidanpur, married and had issue.

  • Sheikh Inayatullah (qv)

• Sheikh INAYATULLAH, joint Taluqdar of Saidanpur, Manager of Mahmudabad Estate 1891/1905, married and had issue. He died after 1910.

  • Sheikh Muhammed Habibullah (qv)

• Sheikh AMJADULLAH, joint Taluqdar of Saidanpur, fl.1910

• Sheikh MUHAMMED HABIBULLAH O.B.E., Taluqdar of Saidanpur; 5th Vice-Chancellor of Lucknow University; Manager of Mahmudabad Estate 1905/1931; Deputy Commissioner, Saharanpur; married Begum Inam Habibullah [née Inam Fatima of Kakori], died 1975, educated at Lucknow University, M.L.A. (U.P.) 1934/1947; President, Women's League of the Muslim League, in 1938, she became the first Muslim woman to be elected as President of the Lucknow University Students’ Union, she also joined the Muslim League, and played an active role in the All India Muslim League Students Federation and related political activities; she was elected to the UP Legislative Assembly and had established the women’s wing of the Muslim League; Member Legislative Council; Member, Lucknow Municipal Council; Founder, Avadh Degree College (first degree college for girls); Founder, Taleemgah Niswan, educational society for minority women; Founder Member, Lady Irwin College Delhi; and had issue, three sons and one daughter.

  • Maj.Gen. (retd.) Sheikh Isha'at Bahadur Habibullah (qv)

  • Sheikh Ali Bahadur Habibullah, born 1909, educated at Clifton College, Brighton; married 1933, Attia Hosain, born 20th October 1913 in Lucknow, died 23rd January 1998 in London, Novelist and short story writer, educated at Martiniere College, Lucknow and Isabella Thoburn College, Lucknow, graduating in Politics and Economics; daughter of Shahid Hosain Kidwai of Gadia, and his wife, Begum Nisar Shahid Hosain (née Nisar Habibullah), and had issue. He died 11th November 1982.

    • Sheikh Waris Ahmad Habibullah [Waris Hussein] (qv)

    • Shama Habibullah, Film Director; born 1941.

  • Major-General Sheikh Inayat [Enaith] Bahadur Habibullah D.S.O., educated at Clifton College, Brighton; Founder and first Commandant of National Defence Academy, Khadakvasla in 1952; Deputy Commander in Chief of the Malaysian Forces; he was a highly decorated soldier, having been decorated with the D.S.O. while serving in Africa campaign as part of the 16th cavalry - premier tank regiment; married 1938, Shrimati Hamida Begum Sahiba B.A. (Hons.) (BIO);, born 20th November 1917, daughter of Nawab Nazir Yar Jung Bahadur, Chief Justice of Hyderabad High Court, and had issue, one son and two daughters.

    • Sheikh Wajahat Habibullah B.A. (Hons.), I.A.S. (ret'd.), born 30th September 1945, educated at Doon School, Dehra Dun (Senior Cambridge, 1961), at St Stephens' College, University of Delhi, Delhi (Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) History, 1965 and Master of Arts (History), 1967); he also achieved a Certificate, Frontiers in Infrastructure Finance, from the World Bank Institute, Goa, in 2002; Member of the Indian Administrative Service from 2nd July 1968 to 30th September 2005 when he retired; Member, Advisory Council, Brookings Doha Center, International Advisory Council, Doha, Qatar; Member, Advisory Council, USIP Education and Training Center, Washington DC; Chairman, Board of Governors, National Institute of Technology, Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir); his awards include, the Lala Ram Mohan History Award; Delhi University (1967), the Rajiv Gandhi Award for Excellence in Secularism (1994), Gold Medal for Distinguished Service; Governor of Jammu & Kashmir (1996); his work experience includes, teacher of Ancient Indian history and modern Constitutions at St. Stephen’s' College, Delhi from July 1967 to May 1968; he served in the State of Jammu & Kashmir in various capacities from July 1968 to June 1982; Director and then Joint Secretary, Prime Minister's Office, New Delhi from June 1982 to September 1987: Administrator of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, South India from September 1987 to January 1990: Special Commissioner, Anantnag and then Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir (Jammu & Kashmir) from February 1990 to June 1991 and again from July 1993 to November 1993: Joint Secretary, Department of Industrial Development, Ministry of Industry, Government of India from June 1991 to October 1991: Secretary, Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, from October 1991 to July 1993; Officer on Special Duty Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India, New Delhi from June 1994 to November 1994: Minister, Community Affairs, Embassy of India, Washington D.C. from November 1994 to August 1999 as well as Minister Education 1998/1999: Vice Chairman and Chief Executive of J&K Lakes & Waterways Development Authority, Srinagar, from September 1999 to August 2000: OSD and then Director, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie [11.9.2000] - [10.1.2003]; Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Consumer Affairs, New Delhi [15.1.2003] - [24.9.2003]; Senior Fellow, United States Institute of Peace, Washington D.C., [1.10.2003] - [31.7.2004]; Secretary, Ministry of Textiles Government of India [1.8.2004] - [9.12.2004]; Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Government of India [9.12.2004] - [30.9.2005]; Chief Information Commissioner of India [26.10.2005] - [20.10.2009]; Member of the World Bank's Info Appeals Board from July 2010; Chairman of the Miniority Commission of India; author of a number of (publications); married Shahila Begum Sahiba, former joint secretary and now life Member, Indian Council for Child Welfare and former Chairperson State Welfare Board, Lakshadweep, and has issue, two sons. (Habibullah Estate, 11 Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Hazratganj, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India)

      • Sheikh Amar ul-Waris Habibullah, he is a prominent polo player and was instrumental in reviving the Polo competition in Lucknow recently; married Jyotsna, she has organised the Mango Festival at Saidanpur, and has issue, two sons.

        • Enaith Habibullah, aged 7 years.

        • Rafay Habibullah, aged 4 years,

      • Sheikh Saif ul-Waris Habibullah

    • Nazli Habibullah, married Isha'at Hussain, born 2nd September 1947, he is a chartered accountant of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (FCA); educated at The Doon School, Dehradun to 1963, then attended St. Stephen's College, Delhi (B.Econ.) and later attended the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School; joined the Tata Group in 1981, holding various positions till he was appointed to the Board of Tata Sons as Executive Director on 1st July 1999 and as Finance Director on 28th July 2000, and has issue.

      • Shazmeen Hussain, married 28th January 2006 in Lucknow (div.), Rajkumar Syed Shaad Ali, son of Raja Syed Muzaffar Ali of Kotwara, and his second wife, Rani Subhashini Ali.

    • Rummana Habibullah, born 1952 in Bangalore, she was an artist and was one of the pioneers of conceptual art and politically-engaged art in India; throughout the 1990's, she participated in exhibitions and events organized by SAHMAT, alongside other politically-conscious artists and performers, her work has been exhibited worldwide, including at Tate Modern, in London, National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), in Mumbai, Smart Museum, in Chicago, the 3rd Asia Pacific Triennial, in Brisbane, Australia, and at Talwar Gallery; her work is included in the permanent collection of the Queensland Art Gallery, in Queensland, Australia; she married Isha'at Hussain. She died of cancer in 1999.

  • Tazeen Habibullah [Begum Tazeen Faridi], born 1920 in Lucknow, Vice-President of International Council of Women; Minister of Social Welfare, Sindh; she played a prominent role in A.P.W.A. which formally came into being in 1949 and she became A.P.W.A.’s secretary general in 1956; she worked with The Planning Commission 1956/1967 where she set up the first welfare sector; she represented Pakistan at the 14th session of the Status of Women’s Commission; she was associated with many other organisations, ranging from The Red Crescent to the Fatimid Foundation; she was awarded the Sitara-e-Khidmat and the Tamagha-e-Quaid-e-Azam; author of The Changing Role of Women in Pakistan, 1960; married 1944, Sri A. R. Faridi, an officer in the Royal Indian Navy, shortly after World War II, he joined Burmah Shell and ultimately became its first Pakistani Chairman, later he headed the Pakistan Steel Mills; and had issue. She died 2nd January 2010.

    • Shahla Faridi

    • Tasmeen Faridi

    • Taufiq Faridi

• Maj.Gen. (retd.) Sheikh ISHA'AT BAHADUR HABIBULLAH, Taluqdar of Saidanpur -/1991, educated at Clifton College, Brighton; Chairman and Managing Director, Pakistan Tobacco Co. 1961; President, Overseas Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Chairman, International General Insurance Co., and Pakistan Advisory Board of Grindlays Bank 1968-1983; Director, Pakistan Burmah Shell, Pakistan Petroleum Ltd., Burshane, and Glaxo; married 4th December 1942 in Lucknow, Nawabzadi Jahanara Begum, born 1915, daughter of Nawab Abdus Samad Khan of Najibabad, and his wife, Sahibzadi Aliya Sultan Begum of Loharu, Author of "Remembrance of Days Past: Glimpses of a Princely State during the Raj" (2001); and had issue, two daughters. He died in December 1991 in Karachi, Pakistan.

  • Muneeza Habibullah, born 17th January 1944, married Sri Shamsie, and has issue.

    • Kamila Shamsie, born 1973 in karachi, educated at Hamilton College, USA (BA in creative writing), UMass, Amherst, USA (MFA in creative writing).

  • Naushaba Habibullah, born 3rd September 1948.

• Sheikh WARIS AHMAD HABIBULLAH, Taluqdar of Saidanpur (see above)