Shama Mohamed


Shama Mohamed is an Indian politician and National Media Panelist of the Indian National Congress. A dentist by profession, she is a champion of several social causes and is the trustee of the Zoya Charitable Trust, an NGO which works for the underprivileged in society, irrespective of caste, creed or political affiliation. She actively participated in rehabilitation efforts during and in the aftermath of the Kerala Floods of 2018. She campaigned extensively for the Congress during the 17th Lok Sabha Elections., especially in Wayanad, the constituency of Congress President Rahul Gandhi.

Personal life

Shama was born in New Mahe in Kerala, and moved to Kuwait at the age of two. She completed her primary education from the Indian School, Kuwait. She lived in Kuwait till 1990, when Iraq invaded the country. She took a liking to Bharatanatyam from the young age of seven and is an adept Bharatanatyam Dancer. She also actively participated in Sports, and is a Gold Medalist in inter-school 100 and 200-meter dash. She decided to pursue Medicine after high school, and went on to obtain her bachelor's degree in Dental Surgery from Mangalore University. She is a passionate advocate of education for all, Women's rights., Primary healthcare, Population Control, Infrastructure and the plight of manual scavengers in India.
She is married and has two children.

Career

After graduating from Mangalore University, Shama began her dental practice in New Delhi. Incidentally, she came across an opportunity to work as a Journalist in Zee News. At that time, she could read and write in Hindi but couldn't speak it well. Always wanting to accept new challenges, Shama took up this exciting new role and was fast to master the language as well as the nuances of the Job. In the course of her work, she interacted with several NGOs which worked with different sections of society. One of her assignments led her to work closely with Asha Nivas, an NGO for girl children. She was deeply moved by her interaction with these children, and a desire to make a difference in society came forth. After her stint with journalism, Shama resumed her practice as a Dentist. All this while, she started taking a keener interest in social service and politics. In 2015, Shama embarked upon her political career by joining the Indian National Congress. She is a spokesperson of the Congress, and frequently appears on live televised debates as the party's representative. As a spokesperson, she often emphasises the pluralistic, secular fabric of India and is an outspoken critic of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party government. On 31 December 2018, she was appointed media panelist by Rahul Gandhi. She is also a motivational speaker, having spoken at several events and programmes across the country, where she encourages listeners to take an active interest in politics and contribute to nation building.

Social work

Shama has actively participated in rehabilitation efforts after the tragic Kerala Floods by visiting relief camps, interacting with survivors, and by donating and distributing aid materials to the needy. She has travelled across the length and breadth of Kerala to interact with people, especially women and children, to understand their concerns and try to formulate solutions. She is the chief trustee of the Zoya Charitable Trust, an NGO working in the service of the underprivileged. ZCT has conducted several eye camps where prescription glassed have been given free of cost and free cataract surgeries have been conducted. ZCT has also funded Higher Education for BPL children with exemplary academic records, as well as for Nursing Students with similar criteria. ZCT has also donated a children's playground for St Antony's school in Kerala. ZCT recently constructed a house for two elderly ladies, Narayani and Dakshayani, and possession was handed over to them by Shama.

National & overseas engagements