Jennifer Hashmi was born in Bradford in 1938. She was educated in Bingley Grammar School and trained as a speech therapist in Leicester School of Speech Therapy. After practicing as a speech therapist in Yorkshire for three years she completed a two-year theology course at College of Ascension, Birmingham. In 1964 she sailed to India and lived mainly in Delhi for forty-one years. Until 1976 she served in the Church of North India as Parish Worker, initially for St. James Church in old Delhi, and later in the parish of Ajmer in Rajasthan. She was also during part of this time manager o fa holiday home in Shimla. In 1977 she married Salman Hashmi who was principal of Zakir Husain College, University of Delhi. They had a son and a daughter. In 2004 her husband passed away, and at the end of 2005 Mrs Hashmi returned to Britain with her daughter. She now lives in London with her daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren.