Google fetes India's first woman legislator Muthulakshmi Reddi with doodle

Google doodle, on Tuesday, marked the 133rd birth anniversary of Muthulakshmi Reddi. The educator-lawmaker worked tirelessly for developing public health policies, and the cause of gender equality. The doodle which depicts Reddi showing the way to young girls, is illustrated by Bangalore-based guest artist Archana Sreenivasan.
Reddi who was born in Pudukkottai, Tamil Nadu on July 30, 1883, went down in history for being the first woman to work as a surgeon in a government hospital and the first female legislator in the history of British India.

As a young girl, Reddi resisted her parents’ plan for an early arranged marriage, convincing them she deserved an education. After passing her exams, she attended Maharaja College, formerly an all-boys school. Despite threats of students pulling out from the school, she won a scholarship, graduated with honors, and went on to be the first female student in the Department of Surgery at Madras Medical College. This was just one of her many firsts. She also went on to become one of the first women doctors in India in 1912, and the first woman house surgeon in the Government Maternity Hospital, Madras.

Reddi also co-founded the Women's Indian Association in 1918. She was the first woman member (and vice president) of the Madras Legislative Council — making her the first female legislator in India. It was due to her efforts that she helped raise the minimum age for marriage for girls and pushed the Council to pass the Immoral Traffic Control Act, and the Devadasi system abolishment Bill.

She resigned from the Council to support the Salt Satyagraha. When 3 devadasi girls knocked on her door in 1930, she established the Avvai Home to shelter and educate girls.

In 1914, she married a doctor named Sundara Reddi on the understanding that he treat her as an equal. Working for the upliftment of women and battling gender inequality, she supported Gandhi’s efforts for Indian independence.

After losing her sister to cancer, Reddi launched the Adayar Cancer Institute in 1954. One of the most respected oncology centers in the world, it treats some 80,000 patients each year.

Constantly breaking down barriers throughout her life, Reddi was a trailblazer who devoted herself to public health and the battle against gender inequality, transforming the lives of countless people—especially young girls. She was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1956 in recognition of her service to the country. She passed away in 1968 at the age of 81.