Rukmini Lakshmipathi: Difference between revisions

'''Rukmini Laxmipathi''' (also spelled as '''Rukmani Lakshmipathi''', {{lang-ta|ருக்மிணி லக்ஷ்மிபதி}}; 6 December 1892 – 6 August 1951) was an [[India]]n independence activist and politician belonging to the [[Indian National Congress]]. She was the first woman to be elected to the Madras Legislature and the first to serve as a minister in the [[Madras Presidency]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/article244000.ece|title=Historic moments, historic personalities|last=Ramakrishnan|first=T|date=13 March 2010|work=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=8 April 2010}}</ref>

Rukmini was born in [[Madras]] in an agriculturist family. Her grandfather was the landlord Raja T. Ramrao. She obtained her [[Bachelor of Arts|B.A]] from the [[Women's Christian College, Chennai|Women's Christian College]], Madras and married Dr. Achanta Laxmipathi.<ref>{{cite book|title=Who's Who in India, Burma & Ceylon|publisher=Who's Who Publishers (India) Ltd., 1941|year=1941|pages=175|url=https://books.google.com/books?lr=&client=firefox-a&cd=74&id=MFyE_jYD43EC&dq=rukmani+lakshmipathi&q=raja+ramrao#search_anchor}}</ref>

In 1923, she joined the Congress. In 1926, she attended the International Women's Suffrage Alliance Congress at [[Paris]] as the Indian representative.<ref>{{cite book|title=Seminar on Uplift of Women in South India in 20th Century and Suggestions for 2000 A.D.|publisher=Mother Teresa Women's University, Dept. of Historical Studies|year=1987|series=Conferences, seminars, and workshops series|volume=5|pages=83|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D0AqAAAAYAAJ&q=rukmini+lakshmipathi&dq=rukmini+lakshmipathi&lr=&client=firefox-a&cd=32}}</ref>

For her participation (in 1930) in the [[Vedaranyam march|Salt Satyagraha in Vedaranyam]] she was jailed for a year, becoming the first female prisoner in the Salt Satyagraha movement.<ref>{{cite book|last= Roy|first=Kalpana |title=Encyclopaedia of violence against women and dowry death in India,|publisher=Anmol Publications|year=1999|volume=1|pages=30|isbn=978-81-261-0343-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0uFJjf6iVQwC&pg=PA30&dq=rukmini+lakshmipathi&client=firefox-a&cd=7#v=onepage&q=rukmini%20lakshmipathi&f=false}}</ref>

She contested and won a by election to the [[Madras Legislative Council]] in 1934.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bhatt |first=B. D. |author2=Sita Ram Sharma |title=Women's education and social development|publisher=Kanishka Pub. House|year=1992|series=Modern education series|pages=343|isbn=978-81-85475-54-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?lr=&client=firefox-a&cd=26&id=18OeAAAAMAAJ}}</ref> She was elected to the [[Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly|Madras Presidency Legislative Assembly]] in the [[1937 Madras Presidency legislative assembly election|1937 elections]]. On 15 July 1937 she was elected as the Deputy [[Speaker of Madras Legistlative Assembly|Speaker]] of the assembly. During 1 May 1946 – 23 March 1947, she was the Minister for Public Health of the presidency in the [[T. Prakasam]] cabinet. She was the first (and only) woman minister of the presidency.<ref>{{Cite book

| url= https://books.google.com/books?lr=&client=firefox-a&cd=20&id=rCZYAAAAMAAJ

Marshall's road in [[Egmore]], [[Chennai]] has been renamed after her.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hindu.com/2005/07/10/stories/2005071012690300.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061109004628/http://www.hindu.com/2005/07/10/stories/2005071012690300.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=9 November 2006|title= In Chennai Today  |date=10 July 2005|work=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=12 March 2010}}</ref> In her memory, a postage stamp was issued in 1997.<ref>{{cite book|last=Daryanani|first=Mohan B|title=Who's who on Indian stamps|year=1999|pages=219|isbn=978-84-931101-0-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZZPtAAAAMAAJ&q=rukmini+lakshmipathi&dq=rukmini+lakshmipathi&client=firefox-a&cd=1}}</ref>