Renuka Chowdhury
Minister of Tourism, India

Born on August 13 to an Air Force officer's family in Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, Smt. Renuka Chowdhury received her education in various cities in India. She did her Post Graduation in Industrial Psychology and joined Socio-Political field. Elected twice to the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament), she became one of the youngest members of the Upper House. She was given the epithet of the Nightingale of Parliament by the then President of India.

Smt. Renuka Chowdhury's political career has seen steady rise in her stature in the state and national politics. In her second term as Member of the Upper House, she became Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare. Subsequently, she was elected to the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament) in 1999 and then again in 2004. In her second term in the Lower House, she has been given the responsibility of Union Minister of State for Tourism with Independent Charge.

She has diverse interests and has been associated with several social and cultural organisations working in the field of women and child welfare and development. She has written many articles and short stories for children. She is a voracious reader and has also keen interest in agriculture, gardening and music, especially classical music.

She has widely travelled to various countries in the world. She has special interest in art collection from across the globe. She is also the recipient of several national and international awards.