Muthulakshmi Reddy

Muthulakshmi Reddy
Muthulakshmi Reddy, c. 1912
Born(1886-07-30)30 July 1886
Thirukokarnam, Pudukkottai State, India
(now in Pudukkottai District,
Tamil Nadu, India)
Died22 July 1968(1968-07-22) (aged 81)
Madras, Madras State
(now Chennai, Tamil Nadu), India
Known forSocial Reformer, Women's Rights Activism and Writing
SpouseSundara Reddy
ChildrenS. Krishnamurthi
S. Rammohan
RelativesGemini Ganesan (nephew)
AwardsPadma Bhushan (1956)

Muthulakshmi Reddy (also spelled Reddi in some British Indian sources; 30 July 1886 – 22 July 1968) was an Indian medical practitioner, social reformer and Padma Bhushan award recipient.[1][2]

Muthulakshmi Reddy was appointed to the Madras Legislative Council in 1926.[3] This nomination marked the beginning of her lifelong effort to "correct the balance for women by removing social abuses and working for equality in moral standards″. She was a women's activist and social reformer.[4][5]

She had a number of firsts to her name: the first female student to be admitted into a men's college, the first woman House Surgeon in the Government Maternity and Ophthalmic Hospital, the first woman Legislator in British India, the first Chairperson of the State Social Welfare Advisory Board, the first woman Deputy President of the Legislative Council, and the first woman in the Madras Corporation. She built Avvai Home in 1931.[6][7]

Reddy was born in the princely state of Pudukkottai of Tamil Nadu.[8] In spite of various constraints faced by girls in India of her time, she completed her higher education and was admitted into the medical profession. In 1907, she joined the Madras Medical College, where she achieved a brilliant academic record.[9] With several gold medals and prizes to her credit, Reddy graduated in 1912 to become one of the first female doctors in India. Soon after, she came under the influence of Annie Besant, and then of Mahatma Gandhi.[10]

Her name was included in the first national flag hoisted on Red Fort in 1947.

  1. ^ Kamatchi, M. (2016). "Muthulakshmi Reddy: The First Medical Woman Professional in South India". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 77: 612–623. ISSN 2249-1937. JSTOR 26552689.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Padma Awards was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Hartog, P. J.; Selby-Bigge, L. A.; Ahmed, S. Sultan; Anderson, G.; Narendranath; Reddi, S. Muthulakshmi; Statham, R. M. (1929). Interim Report of the Indian Statutory Commission Review of Growth of Education in British India by the Auxiliary Committee Appointed by the Commission. Calcutta, Central Publication Branch.
  4. ^ Yadav, Karan (30 July 2019). "Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy: The unsung feminist of India". India Today. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  5. ^ "Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddi: A Powerful Face of Nationalist Feminism". The Wire. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  6. ^ https://www.avvaihome.org/ [bare URL]
  7. ^ Devika, V. R. (26 April 2018). "Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy, a rebel with a cause". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  8. ^ Kumar, Sneha (28 May 2018). "Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy: Founder Of Adyar Cancer Institute | #IndianWomenInHistory". Feminism In India. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  9. ^ "The inspiring story of Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy, Who broke barriers in Education, Medicine and Law". DailyRounds. 31 July 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  10. ^ Madras medical college – history Archived 10 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine