Violet Alva: Difference between revisions

'''Violet Hari Alva''' (24 April 1908 – 20 November 1969) was an [[India]]n lawyer, journalist and politician, and [[Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha|Deputy Chairperson]] of the [[Rajya Sabha]], and member of the [[Indian National Congress]] (INC).<ref name="death">{{cite newspaper |title=Violet Alva dead |newspaper=The Indian Express |date=20 November 1969 |pages=1, 6}}</ref><ref name="rj">{{cite web|url=http://rajyasabha.nic.in/rsnew/deputy_chairman/former_deputy_chairmen.asp|title=Former Deputy Chairmen of the Rajya Sabha|publisher=[[Rajya Sabha]] Official website}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.veethi.com/india-people/violet_alva-profile-4327-19.htm|title=Violet Alva|website=veethi.com|access-date=19 August 2017}}</ref> She was the first woman lawyer to appear before a High Court in India and the first to preside over the [[Rajya Sabha]].

Alva was born Violet Hari on 24 April 1908 in [[Ahmedabad]]. She was the eighth of nine children. Violet's father, Reverend Laxman Hari, was one of the first Indian pastors of the Church of England. Having lost both her parents when she was sixteen, her older siblings provided for her education till her matriculation at Bombay's Clare Road Convent. She graduated from St. Xavier's College, Bombay and Government Law College. For a while thereafter, she was a professor of English at the [[Indian Women's University]], Bombay.

In 1944, she was the first woman advocate in India, to have argued a case before a full High Court bench. In 1944, she also started a women’s magazine, ‘The Begum’, later renamed as ‘Indian Women’. From 1946 to 1947, she served as the deputy chairman of Bombay Municipal Corporation. In 1947, she served as an Honorary Magistrate in Mumbai; and from 1948 to 1954, she serves as the President of the Juvenile Court. She was actively involved with numerous social organisations such as Young Women’s Christian Association, the Business and Professional Women’s Association and the International Federation of Women Lawyers. She was also the first woman to be elected to the Standing Committee of the All India Newspaper Editors Conference in 1952.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.streeshakti.com/bookV.aspx?author=8|title=StreeShakti – The Parallel Force|website=www.streeshakti.com|access-date=19 August 2017}}</ref>

In 1952, Alva was elected to the [[Rajya Sabha]], the Upper House of the [[Indian Parliament]],where she made significant contributions to family planning, rights of animals subjected to research and defence strategy, especially the naval sector. She cautioned the government to be careful when dealing with foreign capital and supported linguistic states.<ref name="mem">{{cite web |url=http://rajyasabha.nic.in/rsnew/pre_member/1952_2003/a.pdf|title=Rajya Sabha Members Biographical Sketches 1952 – 2003 :A|publisher=Rajya Sabha website}}</ref> After the second Indian General Election in 1957, she became Deputy [[Council of Ministers of the Republic of India#Ministers of State|Minister of State]] for [[Ministry of Home Affairs (India)|Home Affairs]].

In 1962, Alva became the [[Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha]], thereby becoming the first female to preside over the [[Rajya Sabha]] in its history. She served two consecutive terms in Rajya Sabha. Her first term commenced on 19 April 1962 and continued till 2 April 1966. Her second term began with her election to the office of Deputy Chairman on 7 April 1966 and she held the position till 16 November 1969.<ref name="mem" /><ref name="bio">{{cite web|url=http://rajyasabha.nic.in/rsnew/pre_member/1952_2003/deputy.pdf|title=Biographical Sketches of Deputy Chairmen Rajya Sabha|publisher=[[Rajya Sabha]] website}}</ref>