Background
She was born in 1913 in Lucknow in a taluqdar background. Attia was born in Lucknow and went to the local Louisiana Martiniere Girls" College. She was the daughter of Sheikh Shahid Husain Kidwai and Nisar Fatima, the daughter of Syed Maqbool Hussain Alvi of Kakori.
Education
She studied at Isabella Thoburn College from the age of fifteen and Lucknow University.
Career
She moved to Britain in 1947. She moved to Britain in 1947 and became a broadcaster for the British Broadcasting Corporation, hosting a popular women"s radio programme. Attia"s niece is the Pakistani author Muneeza Shamsie and her great-niece is author Kamila Shamsie.