New Delhi: Celebrating the Indian educator, lawmaker, surgeon, reformer and country's first female legislator, Google on Tuesday paid a tribute to Muthulakshmi Reddi on her 133rd birth anniversary with a doodle boasting of her legacy.
The illustration by a Bangalore-based artist Archana Sreenivasan features Reddi as a determined and strong lady.
Google in its note on Reddi, described her as the "first female student admitted to prestigious Indian institutions, the first woman to work as a surgeon in a government hospital, and the first female legislator in the history of British India."
Born to Narayanaswami Iyer, Principal of the Maharaja College in Pudukkottai, Tamil Nadu in 1886, Reddi completed higher education following which she joined the Madras Medical College in 1907. And in 1912, she became one of the first woman doctors in the country.
After a successful medical career, Reddi decided to join the Madras Legislative Council in 1926 and became the first woman legislator of India. Following her stint, Reddi fought for raising the legal age of marriage from 16 to 21. She also battled against girls' exploitation. In another move, she abolished the Devadasi system and shut down brothels by passing the Immoral Traffic Control Act.
However, her legislature was short-lived as she resigned in 1930 following a protest which started after the imprisonment of Mahatma Gandhi.
She was a staunch supporter of Gandhian ideology and worked for the upliftment of women and fought for gender equality. She also supported Gandhi's efforts for India's independence.