Now Reading: Muthulakshmi Reddy broke barriers in medicine and public life
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Muthulakshmi Reddy broke barriers in medicine and public life
Born in 1886 in Pudukkottai, Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy became the first woman student at Maharaja’s College and, in 1907, the first woman admitted to Madras Medical College. She graduated with a gold…
The Story in Brief
Born in 1886 in Pudukkottai, Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy became the first woman student at Maharaja’s College and, in 1907, the first woman admitted to Madras Medical College. She graduated with a gold medal and became the first woman house surgeon at the Government Maternity and Ophthalmic Hospital in Madras, now Chennai.
She later became India’s first woman legislator, the first woman deputy president of the Madras Legislative Council and the first woman in the Madras Corporation. The Hindu reports that she campaigned against child marriage and the devadasi system, supported women’s property rights, education and healthcare, and helped create Avvai Home and the Adyar Cancer Institute. She received the Padma Bhushan in 1956.
The Indian Opinion
The lazy version of reform history treats progress as the work of a few celebrated individuals, while another dismisses institutions as symbols without examining their use. Reddy’s record resists both claims. Her medical training informed work on law, education, sanitation and shelter, linking reform to daily needs. The fair test is practical: do women and girls today gain safer healthcare, education and legal rights because such institutions still function?
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
