Rani Kumudini Devi was the first woman mayor of Hyderabad, unanimously elected in 1962. She represented the Wanaparthi Assembly constituency from 1962 to 1972.
Ms. Devi was born in Vaddepally in Warangal district on January 23, 1911. Her father, Pingle Venkatrama Reddy, was the deputy prime minister in the Nizam’s government. She was married to J. Rajaramdev Rao of Wanaparthi and was noted for being the first woman vehicle driver, according to records available with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation.
She had set up the Sivananda Rehabilitation Centre for leprosy patients. She died at the age of 98 on August 6, 2009.
