Dr. S. Muthulakshmi Reddy – Pioneer Woman Doctor, First Woman Legislator of British India (1926), Devadasi Abolition, Avvai Home & Adyar Cancer Institute | TNPSC Notes

Dr. S. Muthulakshmi Reddy (1886–1968) of Pudukkottai was a doctor, legislator and social reformer. She was one of the earliest Indian women to qualify in medicine at Madras Medical College (1912), became the first woman legislator in British India when she was nominated to the Madras Legislative Council in 1926, and was elected its Deputy President, led the campaign to abolish the Devadasi system, founded the Avvai Home for destitute girls and the Cancer Institute (WIA), Adyar, and received the Padma Bhushan (1956).

தமிழில் படிக்க

These notes are written for TNPSC Group 1, 2/2A and 4 aspirants and are meant to be complete on their own. Muthulakshmi Reddy is a core topic in the unit History, Culture, Heritage and Socio-Political Movements of Tamil Nadu (women's movement, social reform, Devadasi abolition, role of women in Tamil Nadu's public life). Her role in the Civil Disobedience period and in women's organisations comes under History, Culture of India and Indian National Movement; Hospital Day and the Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy Maternity Benefit Scheme are asked under Indian Economy and Development Administration in Tamil Nadu (social welfare and health schemes). Read each section, then use the tables, quick revision table and key points at the end.

Muthulakshmi Reddy at a Glance

Early Life and Family

• Born: 30 July 1886 in Pudukkottai, then a princely state and now a district of Tamil Nadu.
• Father: S. Narayanaswami Iyer, Principal of the Maharaja's College, Pudukkottai.
• Mother: Chandrammal (also written Chandramma), who came from a Devadasi family. Because of this marriage, her father's orthodox relatives cut ties with the family.
• Childhood: at a time when girls were taken out of school at puberty and married early, her father encouraged her studies. When she reached puberty she was withdrawn from school, but she continued to study at home with tutors.

Her mother's background is important for exam answers: Muthulakshmi Reddy saw at first hand how the Devadasi system and child marriage limited girls' lives, and this shaped her later work as a reformer.

Breaking Barriers in Education (1902–1907)

• 1902 – Matriculation: she passed the matriculation examination after studying at home.
• Maharaja's College, Pudukkottai: the college, until then only for boys, hesitated to admit a girl, and some parents objected. The ruler of Pudukkottai ordered that she be admitted and gave her a scholarship.
• She was thus the first girl student of the Maharaja's College, Pudukkottai.

Medical Studies and Early Career (1907–1914)

• 1907: she joined Madras Medical College; she was the only woman student in her class and the first woman student in its Department of Surgery.
• 1912: she completed her medical course with distinction, winning several medals and prizes.
• House Surgeon: she became the first woman House Surgeon at the Government Maternity and Ophthalmic Hospital, Madras.
• Marriage (1914): she married Dr. Sundara Reddy, a physician,. From then on she was known as Muthulakshmi Reddy (also spelt Reddi).
• Higher studies: she later went to England for higher medical studies.

Exam tip: the first Indian women doctors in the country as a whole were Anandibai Joshi and Kadambini Ganguly, who qualified in 1886 – the year Muthulakshmi Reddy was born. For Tamil Nadu questions, remember her as the pioneer woman doctor of the Madras Presidency and a first in several Madras institutions.

Women's Indian Association and Stri Dharma

• The Women's Indian Association (WIA) was founded in 1917 at Adyar, Madras, with Annie Besant as its first president and Margaret Cousins and Dorothy Jinarajadasa among its founders. Muthulakshmi Reddy was one of its leading members from the early years.
• She edited Stri Dharma, the WIA's journal, which carried news and views on women's education, suffrage and social reform.
• She later served as president of the WIA.
• 1926 – Paris: she represented Indian women at the international women's suffrage congress in Paris and described the partial franchise that women had won in Madras.
• The WIA later backed both her major institutions – the Avvai Home and the Cancer Institute (WIA), whose name still carries the initials of the association.

First Woman Legislator in British India (Madras Legislative Council)

The Madras Presidency was among the first in India to let some women vote: in 1921 the Madras Legislative Council passed a resolution giving the vote to women on the same property terms as men. A later change opened the way for women to become members. The WIA asked that a woman be nominated, and the Government nominated Muthulakshmi Reddy.

• Entry: the Government nominated her to the Madras Legislative Council in 1926 (she was a member from December 1926 to 1930), and she became the first woman legislator in British India. Some books and websites give 1927; the nomination year is 1926.
• Deputy President: the Council elected her unanimously as its Deputy President – the first woman in India to hold such an office.
• To take up this public role she gave up her medical practice.
• Book: she described her work in the Council in My Experience as a Legislator (1930).

Her Work in the Council (1926–1930)

During her years in the Council she raised many issues concerning women and children. The main ones are listed below.

Campaign Against the Devadasi System

Under the Devadasi system, young girls were "dedicated" to temples. Over time the practice had become a cover for the exploitation of girls. Muthulakshmi Reddy, whose own mother came from a Devadasi family, made its abolition her main cause.

• Inside the Council: she spoke and moved measures against the dedication of girls; her Devadasi abolition bill of 1930 did not pass at that time.
• Outside the Council: she wrote and spoke widely against the practice and gave shelter to girls who left it.
• Allies: Moovalur Ramamirtham Ammaiyar also campaigned against the system and wrote the novel Dasigalin Mosavalai (1936) exposing the system. The Self-Respect Movement of Periyar also campaigned against it.
• Result: the Madras Devadasis (Prevention of Dedication) Act, 1947 – passed soon after Independence, during the ministry of O. P. Ramaswamy Reddiyar (Omandur Ramasamy Reddiyar) – made dedication of girls illegal and allowed Devadasi women to marry.

Exam tip: the campaign and the 1930 bill were Muthulakshmi Reddy's; the Act was passed in 1947, under the Omandur Ramasamy Reddiyar ministry. Do not say that she passed the Act in 1930.

Resignation from the Council (1930)

• During the Civil Disobedience Movement, Mahatma Gandhi was arrested after the Salt Satyagraha (1930).
• In protest against Gandhi's arrest, Muthulakshmi Reddy resigned from the Madras Legislative Council in 1930.
• She had also supported women's participation in the Civil Disobedience Movement.

All India Women's Conference and the Hartog Committee

• All India Women's Conference (AIWC): founded in 1927 at Pune with Margaret Cousins as its moving spirit. Muthulakshmi Reddy served as its president.
• Hartog Committee: she was the only woman member of the Hartog Committee, the auxiliary committee of the Simon Commission that reviewed the growth of education in British India (report 1929).

The Avvai Home (Avvai Illam)

• Origin: in 1930 three young girls from Devadasi families, whom no hostel would admit, came to her house for shelter. She took them in, and this was the beginning of the Avvai Home.
• Year: the Avvai Home's own account and Tamil Nadu sources give 1930; several other sources give 1931.
• Purpose: a home for destitute and orphaned girls and for women rescued from Devadasi dedication and from brothels.
• Growth: it began in her residence and is now at Adyar, Chennai, with a residential home and a school.
• The name honours the Tamil poet Avvaiyar.

Other Public Roles

• Madras Corporation: she was the first Alderwoman (woman alderman) of the Madras Corporation (1937).
• State Social Welfare Advisory Board: she was its first Chairperson.
• Women's franchise: she led agitation for women's right to vote and stand in municipal and legislative elections.

Cancer Institute (WIA), Adyar

The death of her sister from cancer moved Muthulakshmi Reddy deeply, and she resolved to start a hospital where cancer patients could be treated whatever their means.

• Under the Women's Indian Association she started a Cancer Relief Fund.
• Her son Dr. S. Krishnamurthi and Dr. V. Shanta ran the hospital in its early years; Dr. Shanta later led the Institute for decades.
• Today it is a large comprehensive cancer centre treating patients from across India, many of them free of charge.

Honours and Memorials

Her "Firsts" – Table for Quick Recall

Death

Muthulakshmi Reddy died on 22 July 1968 in Madras (Chennai), aged 81, a week before her 82nd birthday. Her work is continued by the Avvai Home and the Cancer Institute (WIA) at Adyar.

Key Terms

Writing Mains Answers on Muthulakshmi Reddy (Group 1 / Group 2)

Descriptive papers ask about her role in women's emancipation and social reform in Tamil Nadu. Build your answer on these points, each supported by a fact from the notes above.

Muthulakshmi Reddy's contribution to women's emancipation in Tamil Nadu (about 150–250 words)

• Introduction: doctor, legislator and reformer from Pudukkottai (1886–1968); first woman legislator in British India (1926).
• Education as example: first girl at the Maharaja's College, Pudukkottai; Madras Medical College 1907–1912; first woman House Surgeon at the Government Maternity and Ophthalmic Hospital.
• Legislative reform: Deputy President of the Madras Legislative Council; worked on Devadasi abolition, suppression of immoral traffic, raising the age of marriage, women's franchise.
• Institutions: Avvai Home (1930) for destitute girls; Cancer Institute (WIA), Adyar (1954).
• Organisations: WIA (editor of Stri Dharma, later president); AIWC president; only woman on the Hartog Committee.
• Legacy: Padma Bhushan (1956); 30 July is Hospital Day; maternity benefit scheme bears her name.
• Conclusion: she joined medicine, law-making and social service to widen the space for women in public life.

Abolition of the Devadasi system (about 150 words)

• Problem: dedication of young girls to temples had become a means of exploitation.
• Campaign: Muthulakshmi Reddy raised it in the Council and moved a bill for abolition in 1930.
• Support: Moovalur Ramamirtham Ammaiyar (novel Dasigalin Mosavalai, 1936) and the Self-Respect Movement.
• Rehabilitation: Avvai Home gave shelter and education to girls who left the system.
• Outcome: Madras Devadasis (Prevention of Dedication) Act, 1947, under the Omandur Ramasamy Reddiyar ministry.

Muthulakshmi Reddy as a pioneer of public health (about 100 words)

• Pioneer woman doctor and House Surgeon; proposed a special hospital for women and children.
• Cancer Relief Fund under the WIA – foundation stone by Nehru (1952) – Cancer Institute (WIA) opened in 1954 with 12 beds.
• Today Tamil Nadu marks her birthday as Hospital Day and runs a maternity benefit scheme in her name.

Practice: Match the Following

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• First woman doctor of India? No – Anandibai Joshi and Kadambini Ganguly qualified in 1886. Muthulakshmi Reddy is the pioneer woman doctor of the Madras Presidency and a "first" in several Madras institutions.
• Devadasi Act year: her bill was in 1930; the Act came in 1947, under the Omandur Ramasamy Reddiyar ministry.
• Council year: she was nominated in 1926 and sat from December 1926; some books give 1927. She was nominated, not elected by voters.
• Reason for resignation (1930): protest against Gandhi's arrest during the Civil Disobedience Movement – not the Quit India Movement (1942).
• Two dates in July: born 30 July 1886 (Hospital Day); died 22 July 1968.
• Padma Bhushan, not Padma Vibhushan: she received the Padma Bhushan (1956). Dr. V. Shanta of the same Institute received the Padma Vibhushan.
• Cancer Institute dates: foundation stone 1952 (Nehru); opened 1954 – do not swap them.
• WIA vs AIWC: WIA – founded 1917 at Adyar (journal Stri Dharma); AIWC – founded 1927 at Pune. She led both.

Quick Revision Table

TNPSC Key Points (PYQ-style facts)

• Born: 30 July 1886, Pudukkottai. Died: 22 July 1968, Chennai.
• Parents: S. Narayanaswami Iyer (Principal, Maharaja's College) and Chandrammal.
• Matriculation 1902; first girl student of the Maharaja's College, Pudukkottai (admitted by order of the ruler).
• Madras Medical College 1907–1912; first woman House Surgeon, Government Maternity and Ophthalmic Hospital, Madras.
• Married Dr. Sundara Reddy, 1914.
• First woman legislator in British India – nominated to the Madras Legislative Council in 1926 (at the WIA's request; some sources 1927).
• First woman Deputy President of a legislative council in India (elected unanimously).
• Resigned from the Council in 1930 in protest against Gandhi's arrest.
• Moved the Devadasi abolition bill (1930); Act passed in 1947 (Omandur Ramasamy Reddiyar ministry).
• Worked for the suppression of immoral traffic and for raising the age of marriage.
• Book: My Experience as a Legislator (1930). Edited Stri Dharma (WIA journal).
• Later WIA president; AIWC president; only woman on the Hartog Committee.
• Avvai Home founded in 1930 (some sources 1931) – now at Adyar, Chennai.
• First Alderwoman of Madras Corporation (1937); first Chairperson, State Social Welfare Advisory Board.
• Cancer Relief Fund (WIA); foundation stone by Nehru 1952; Cancer Institute (WIA), Adyar, 1954 (12 beds).
• Padma Bhushan: 1956.
• 30 July = Hospital Day in Tamil Nadu; Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy Maternity Benefit Scheme (Rs 18,000).
• Google Doodle: 30 July 2019 (133rd birth anniversary).

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy called the first woman legislator of British India?

At the request of the Women's Indian Association she was nominated to the Madras Legislative Council in 1926 (some sources give 1927), becoming the first woman member of a legislature in British India. The Council then elected her unanimously as its Deputy President, making her the first woman to hold that office in India.

What was her role in the abolition of the Devadasi system?

She campaigned against the dedication of girls to temples both inside and outside the Council and proposed a bill to abolish the system in 1930. It did not become law at that time, but her campaign, supported by Moovalur Ramamirtham and the Self-Respect Movement, prepared the ground for the Madras Devadasis (Prevention of Dedication) Act, 1947.

Why did Muthulakshmi Reddy start the Avvai Home?

In 1930 three young girls from Devadasi families whom no hostel would admit came to her house for shelter. She took them in, and this became the Avvai Home, a home for destitute girls and women that later added a school. The Home's own account gives 1930 as the founding year; several other sources give 1931.

How did the Adyar Cancer Institute begin?

Her sister's death from cancer made her resolve to build a cancer hospital. She started a Cancer Relief Fund under the Women's Indian Association; Jawaharlal Nehru laid the foundation stone in 1952, and the Cancer Institute (WIA) began working in 1954 in a small hut with 12 beds.

Which honours and schemes recall Muthulakshmi Reddy today?

She received the Padma Bhushan in 1956. Tamil Nadu government hospitals observe her birthday, 30 July, as Hospital Day; the State's Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy Maternity Benefit Scheme gives financial help to poor pregnant women; and Google honoured her with a Doodle on 30 July 2019, her 133rd birth anniversary.

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