Muthulakshmi Reddy
Topic: The National Movement: Gandhian Era · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Muthulakshmi Reddy was a doctor and social reformer from Madras. She was one of the first women doctors in India. In 1926 she was nominated to the Madras Legislative Council and became the first woman legislator in British India. She was soon made the Council's deputy president. She fought against the devadasi system, under which girls were "dedicated" to temples and often exploited. She also worked for the health of women and children.
Example
In 1930 she resigned from the Madras Council to protest against Gandhi's arrest during the Civil Disobedience Movement. Her campaign helped lead to the Madras Devadasi (Prevention of Dedication) Act of 1947. She also founded the Adyar Cancer Institute in Madras.
Related concepts
- All India Kisan Sabha
- Swami Sahajanand Saraswati
- FICCI
- G.D. Birla
- Jamnalal Bajaj
- All India Trade Union Congress
- Communist Party of India
- Meerut conspiracy case
- Women in the civil disobedience movement
- Women's Indian Association