Remembering Dr Muthulakshmi Reddi, The First Female Legislator Of India, On Her 133rd Birthday

'Game-changer' is a term we use loosely today. But back in the early 20th century, there was a woman who lived up to its true meaning, and in every sense of the term.

Today marks the 133rd birthday of Dr Muthulakshmi Reddi, the first woman legislator of India, a fierce campaigner for women's rights, an educator, a surgeon and the driving force behind India's leading cancer institute. She broke one barrier after another with sheer determination and transformed the lives of millions.

The Government of Tamil Nadu announced yesterday that government hospitals in the state will celebrate her birth anniversary as ¡®Hospital Day' every year. We also woke up to a Google doodle honouring the pioneer that Muthulakshmi Reddi was! Created by artist Archana Sreenivasan, the doodle aptly showcases Dr Reddi guiding young girls and women.

Today's Google doodle

Dr Reddi had a humble beginning. She was born on the July 30, 1886 in Pudukottai, Tamil Nadu to Narayanaswami Iyer, a principal of the Maharaja College at the time, and Chandramma, a former devadasi.

Muthulakshmi Reddi was born a genius, and her academic prowess was proof of that. When she applied to Maharaja College, Pudukkottai for an undergraduate course, the principal wrote to her saying that they didn¡¯t enroll women. The Raja of Pudukkottai, Martanda Bhairava Thondaman, stepped in and got her the admission. She was the first woman in Pudukottai to pursue college education in an all-male college.

Google

She became the first woman doctor of India in 1912, and the first woman House Surgeon in the Government Maternity Hospital, Madras. She co-founded the Women¡¯s Indian Association in 1918, and as the first woman member (and vice president) of the Madras Legislative Council, she helped raise the minimum age for marriage for girls, and pushed the Council to pass the Immoral Traffic Control Act along with the devadasi system abolishment bill.

At the Heartog Commission- Google Arts and Culture

Many years later, Dr Muthulakshmi lost her sister to a misdiagnosis of rectal cancer and this personal loss led her to build a specialised institution for cancer care.

Interestingly, when she approached the government of Tamil Nadu to ask for land for the cancer institute, the then-minister asked her, "Why a cancer hospital? People only die of cancer?" And just like that he rejected her application. But she did not give up.

With the help of WIA, Dr Reddi set up a fund to raise money for her cancer institute independently. Initially, she laid the foundation for the Adyar Cancer Institute in 1954, in a small hut. Today, it has grown to a 500-bed hospital with a research wing, a college of oncological sciences and a division of preventive oncology.

In 1956, Dr Muthulakshmi was awarded the Padma Bhushan for her achievements. She passed away in 1968 at the age of 81. But it's up to us to truly keep her legacy alive. Talk about her more, discuss her achievements more and bring her up in a lot more of your conversations. Heroes needs to be celebrated everyday and not just on one specific day.