The Adyar Cancer Institute is proudly visible amid Chennai’s bustle and throng. This multi-story building has served as many people’s ray of hope over the years. It has helped thousands of people whose lives were destroyed by the illness since it was founded in 1954. Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy deserves all the credit for being the visionary behind one of India’s largest cancer institutes.
In addition to being a social reformer, educator, and surgeon, Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy was a multifaceted individual and an advocate for women’s rights. On the 133rd anniversary of her birth, Google Doodled in honour of Dr. Muthulakshmi, the first female legislator and among the country’s first female doctors.
July 30, 1886, was Dr. Muthulakshmi’s birthday. She was the daughter of Devadasi Chandrammal, who was the principal of Pudukkottai’s Maharaja’s College, and Narayanaswamy, a married man. She was born into a time when the adage “women must be seen and not heard” was frequently employed as a justification for undervaluing women’s actual potential. Muthulakshmi had a close familiarity with Devadasi customs and culture. She excelled in school from an early age due to her sharp mind and rapid learning speed. When she was old enough, she homeschooled herself to finish her education. She later refused to follow her parents’ wishes to get married and pursued her education instead.
However, as a woman, her desire to further her education aroused the quiet indignation of the traditional society. Despite her outstanding academic record, the Maharaja college refused to admit her due to strong social pressures. The college reluctantly accepted Muthulakshmi’s application only after Martanda Bhairava Thondaman, the progressive Raja of Pudukkottai, intervened and gave them the order to accept her. Muthulakshmi thus defied all preconceived notions of the time and was the first woman to be admitted to Pudukottai’s men’s college, Maharajah College. However, it was only the start. She applied to the Madras Medical College after receiving her undergrad degree. Additionally, in 1907, she was the only female candidate accepted into the Medical College.
Muthulakshmi had a close friendship with Sarojini Naidu and Annie Besant when she was a college student; these two people’s personal ideologies would later shape a lot of her future pursuits.
She was appointed as the Government Maternity and Ophthalmic Hospital’s first female house surgeon in Madras.
She later traveled to London to continue her higher education. In response to a request from the Women’s Indian Association, an organization she assisted in founding in 1918, Muthulakshmi returned to India in 1927 to join the Madras Legislative Council. As the first elected Indian woman to serve on a Legislative Council, she was chosen to serve as Vice-President. She entered politics and legislation as a result of this occasion, and she subsequently worked to enhance the lives of women everywhere. As a lawmaker, Muthulakshmi contributed to raising the age at which girls could get married. She encouraged the Council to enact the vital Immoral Traffic Control Act out of concern for human trafficking.
She knew that deeply rooted prejudices against women persisted even after the devadasi system was abolished. After three devadasi girls knocked on her door in 1930, she realized she needed to build Avvai Home, a safe haven for countless other young girls who were just like them. Avvai Home has expanded to become an educational complex that now includes a teachers’ training institute, a secondary school, a higher secondary school, and a primary school. Although the home was initially established primarily for devadasis, all women in need of support are welcome to apply.
After seeing her sister’s premature death from cancer, she made the decision to launch a specialty cancer hospital. In her dream, there would be a facility that would treat cancer patients regardless of their social or economic standing. With the Cancer Institute, Muthulakshmi’s dream was realized in 1954 following multiple obstacles overcome. At the time, it was the first specialized cancer center in South India and the second in all of India. Adyar Cancer Institute now houses the Dr. Muthulakshmi College of Oncologic Sciences, 450 hospital beds, a comprehensive research division, and a department dedicated to preventive oncology. This facility has treated innumerable cancer patients, and that number keeps rising.
In 1956, she received the Padma Bhushan for her innumerable services to society. At the age of 81, Muthulakshmi passed away in 1968.
In honor of Reddi’s birth anniversary, Google posted a description that read, “Constantly breaking barriers throughout her life, Reddi was a trailblazer, who devoted herself to public health and the battle against gender inequality, transforming the lives of countless people, especially young girls.” The birth anniversary of the first woman in the State and one of the most well-known and successful female doctors in the nation in the early 20th century is July 30, which is when the Tamil Nadu government announced that “Hospital Day” celebrations would take place each year.
Even though she is no longer with us, every strong woman who battles for equality and education carries on her legacy. Let’s honor the woman whose ideals and vision have positively impacted and inspired countless lives!
