This is the story of India’s first women legislator. But why in science-blog I am mentioning a story of a legislator? Because……She was not only a doctor. She was a fighter.
Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy (Reddi) was born on
July 30, 1886 in Madras presidency of erstwhile British India. Her father was
S. Narayanaswami, a Brahmin by caste was the principal of Maharaja`s College.
Her mother Chandrammal belonged to the Isai Velala caste, a caste whose women
danced and sang in temples (traditionally called Devadasi; I am not mentioning
here but you must read about this tradition). Her father was ostracized
from his family since he married a devadasi. Narayanaswami, thus, came close to
the family of his in-laws and also to the tradition and issues of the Devadasi
community. Even then, S. Narayanaswami sent Muthulakshmi to school against the
tradition. Witnessing the enthusiasm of child Muthulakshmi to learn, her
teachers decided to teach her subjects beyond those instructed by her father.
At the onset of puberty, her formal school education was discontinued but her
tutoring continued at home. Her mother started searching a suitable groom for
her but Muthulakshmi had something else written in her destiny. She was
against the patriarchal social concept of subordination of women to men and
rebelled whenever she heard people say that only boys needed education. After
she passed her matriculation, she applied to Maharaja’s college which was an
all men college. But she was denied admission as she was a female who also
belonged to the Devadasi tradition. But looking at her enthusiasm to study, Martanda
Bhairava Thondaman, the Maharaja of Pudukottai, granted her admission along
with a scholarship. Thus she became the first girl student to get admission
into a men’s college.
Against the wish of her father of becoming a
school teacher, Muthulakshmi took admission to Madras Medical College in 1907 completing
her medical education in 1912. She, thus, became the first female doctor from Madras
Medical College. Following that she joined as the house surgeon at the Government
maternity and Ophthalmic Hospital in Chennai and became the first female house
surgeon in that hospital. She later married Dr. D. T. Sundara Reddy on the
demand that he promised to “always respect me as an equal and never cross my
wishes.” She left for London for her higher education. But on the call of Women’s
Indian Association (WIA), she returned back after sometime to join Madras
Legislative Council in 1927. She was elected to the post of Vice-President,
making her the first Indian woman member of a Legislative Council. She joined
politics so that she could work on the front to uplift the condition of women
in India.
Muthulakshmi Reddy led the agitation for
municipal and legislative franchise for women. She was concerned about the
orphans, especially girls. She arranged for them free boarding and lodging and
started the Avvai Home in Chennai. Her primary objective was to eradicate the
gender inequality from Indian society. As part of her work with the Hartog Education
Committee, she travelled extensively across the country to study the progress
of women’s education. She was the only woman member of the committee. It would
not be an honest attempt if I do not mention briefly some of her social
reforms:
§ Established the
minimum marriage age of 21 for boys and 16 for girls.
§ Passed a bill to
prevent the immoral trafficking of women and children
§ Abolished the
Devadasi system in Tamil Nadu
§ Provided
scholarships to Harijan girls
§ Involved in setting
up public toilets for men and women
§ Resisted the social
abuses faced by women
§ Started Cancer Relief
Fund.
Having lost her sister to cancer at an early age, she
dreamt of opening a cancer center where anyone could get world-class treatment.
Overcoming several hurdles, she could finally bring into life her dream of that
cancer institute which we all today recognize as Cancer Institute (WIA) or Adyar
Cancer Institute Chennai providing high-end treatments in cancer. Its foundation
stone was laid down by the then Prime Minister of India Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru
in 1952 and the hospital started functioning in 1954. Today, Cancer Institute
(WIA) has around 535 hospital beds, a full-fledged research division, a preventive
Oncology department, and the Dr Muthulakshmi College of Oncologic Sciences and
serve around 80,000 patients per year. A fact from the hospital’s website says
that “of the hospital beds, only 40% are paying beds and the remaining are
general beds where patients are boarded and lodged free of cost. 40% of the
patients are treated totally free and remaining patients pay a nominal amount”.
“Muthulakshmi
herself was inspired to start the institute as a result of a personal
bereavement. She lost her sister to undiagnosed cancer in1923. She had nursed
her through her last painful days. Amidst her grief, she vowed to establish a
specialised hospital for the treatment of cancer. She was inspired by the
emerging advances in cancer treatment in the West and in 1925 spent a year at
Royal Marsden Hospital, in London, to specialise in the subject.”
Dr. Muthulakshmi
was awarded Padma Bhushan for by Government of India for her exceptional work
for women rights & condition and for her work that led to Adyar Cancer
Institute.
Goggle dedicated a Google Doodle on 30th
July 2019 on the birthday of Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy and mentioned:
“Constantly breaking barriers throughout her life, Reddy was a
trailblazer, who devoted herself to public health and the battle against gender
inequality, transforming the lives of countless people, especially young
girls,”
Honouring the dedicated work of Dr.
Muthulakshmi Reddy, the state government of Tamil Nadu has declared on July
30, 2019 that July 30 will be celebrated as the Hospital Day. Though Dr.
Muthulakshmi is not with us today but her tireless efforts of breaking the
barriers for social causes must inspire us always.
References:
http://www.winentrance.com/general_knowledge/muthulakshmi-reddy.html#gsc.tab=0
https://www.dailyrounds.org/blog/not-just-a-doctor-the-inspiring-story-of-dr-muthulakshmi-reddy/
https://feminisminindia.com/2018/05/29/muthulakshmi-reddy-medical-practitioner/
http://cancerinstitutewia.in/CIWIA/about%20the%20institute.html
https://thewire.in/women/dr-muthulakshmi-reddi-nationalist-feminism
Comments
Post a Comment