Muthulakshmi Fought For Her Education So That We Could Get Ours
Do you feel as a woman, now is the best time to be alive? Okay, if not the best, let’s just say it is far better than what it used to be. We're making progress, day by day. And we owe this freedom to a lot of great women of India, who are today lost in the pages of history.
One of those great women of India worth mentioning today, as we gear up to celebrate Teacher's Day is, Muthulakshmi Reddy. Born in 1886 in the primarily rural but princely state of Pudukottai, in Tamil Nadu, after her matriculation, Muthulakshmi stunned her family by opting for higher studies, much to the dismay of orthodox naysayers.
The ‘well-wishers’ erupted in protests and all sorts of objections were raised. Thankfully, the Raja of Pudukottai overruled all these objections and permitted her admission to the Maharaja College.
Did you know, that she was the first female student to be admitted in a men’s college, and then went onto become the first house surgeon in the Government Maternity and Ophthalmic Hospital, and also, the first woman legislator in British India? But, of course it wasn’t a cakewalk for her.
Muthulakshmi’s mother Chandrammal was eagerly looking for a prospective groom for her teenaged daughter, but the streak of rebellion had taken over little Muthulakshmi and she put her foot down in order to pursue further studies. Not only that, she even went ahead and got married at the ‘ripe’ age (as per society standards) of 27, with a man of her own choice and one uncompromising promise; “Respect me as an equal and never cross my wishes.”
Did we mention that all this happened in the year 1914! Yes. It sounds unbelievable, right? How could a woman possibly stand up for herself in those times, for the lack of a better word, oppressive?
Not only this, just when she was enjoying the fruits of a flourishing medical career, she gave it all up to get into the Madras Legislative Council and work towards the upliftment of women’s status in our society. The monumental step being abolishing the Devadasi system. Being a daughter of a devadasi, she was aware of the second-hand treatment these women get, hence she worked toward getting it abolished altogether. It didn’t stop there, she went on to open a home for women and girls, rescued from the brothels to give them a second chance at life. She also introduced a scheme of free education for girls up to class eight. Isn’t that amazing?!
While researching on her, I realised we had #TakeCharge women from very early on, dating back precisely to 1886, but do we find their mentions in our History books. As far as I can remember, I never read about Muthulakshmi’s plausible contribution and here she was, working tirelessly to make sure that women like me get the opportunity to showcase their worth.
Shouldn’t we be celebrating these great women of India, the likes of Muthulakshmi Reddy, as role models? Don’t we owe these women the recognition they deserve, at least in our textbooks?
I am glad that this Teachers’ Day, I could take name of another excellent and selfless teacher, along with the name of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, in whose memory we celebrate the contribution made by our gurus or teachers.
Happy Teachers’ Day SHEROES. We are going to bring you more such stories of women who made a significant dent in the accepted scheme of things, yet they are hardly celebrated for their contribution. That is going to change starting today.
