This story is part of
Madras Week 2022 | Exploring the city on foot
SHOW MORE 15 STORIES

Remembering the women who helped build Madras

A heritage walk was organised through various landmarks that celebrate women achievers of Madras

August 25, 2022 12:42 am | Updated August 27, 2022 08:09 pm IST

Participants discussing the contributions of prominent women of Chennai during the Madrasin Pengal Heritage Walk.

Participants discussing the contributions of prominent women of Chennai during the Madrasin Pengal Heritage Walk. | Photo Credit: B. VELANKANNI RAJ

On a walk to trace the lives of women who contributed in their own way to Chennai a.k.a. Madras, popped a question, “Can you think of streets and roads named after women in the city?” The list, as expected, ended even before it began.

Rukmini Lakshmipathy Salai, Besant Nagar, and Rukmini Arundale Road were among the few that found mention.

Underscoring the point that women and their contributions have largely played a negligible role in historical narratives and their legacies seldom carried forward, Madras Inherited and The Equals Project set out on a quest to understand the lives of women in Madras through a heritage walk “Madrasin Pengal”.

From Durgabai Deshmukh, who was born in Rajahmundry and later moved to Madras, to V. Shanta, former chairperson of Cancer Institute (WIA), Adyar, the walk remembered a number of women, who left a lasting impression across various fields.

A freedom fighter, lawyer and social activist, Durgabai Deshmukh took part in the Salt Satyagraha of 1930. She was instrumental in leading a delegation of women to Santhome Beach following which she was jailed. She studied law, and in 1946, was among 15 women who were nominated to the Constituent Assembly, Shruti Viswanathan, founder of The Equals Project, said.

On the road named after her near Adyar stands Andhra Mahila Sabha, which was set up by her with the aim of empowering women through education, social service and health.

Across the road is Dr. MGR Janaki College of Arts and Science for Women. Janaki Ramachandran, wife of former Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran, started off as a film actor. “In 1984, when MGR had his first bout of ill health, she took on multiple roles. After his demise, she was sworn as the CM of the State in 1988,” Ashmitha Athreya, head of operations, Madras Inherited, said.

The narration moved on to former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, who joined the AIADMK in 1982, was made propaganda secretary and later, rose to the top. Following MGR’s demise, her first tryst with elections was in 1989 when the AIADMK faction led by her won 27 seats. “She created history in 1989 by becoming the first woman to bag the post of Leader of the Opposition in Tamil Nadu,” she said.

Two years later, she became the Chief Minister. “The stories are innumerable. She has made some bold decisions, some of them unpopular. She clamped down on unions and the strike by employees. She dismissed nearly one lakh government employees. She banned the sale of lottery tickets. She earned the automobile capital of India tag for Chennai and attracted foreign investments and launched schemes for women,” Ms. Ashmitha said.

One cannot walk through Adyar without noticing the Theosophical Society. One of the persons who was associated with it was Annie Besant, who came to India in 1893. She joined the Indian National Congress and launched the Home Rule movement. She had a meteoric rise in public life and became the president of INC.

The walk moved on near a park named after another prominent woman who donned many roles of a doctor, social reformer and legislator — Muthulakshmi Reddy. “She had a lot of firsts to her credit. This included her being the first woman member of the Madras Legislative Council. Studying medicine at the Madras Medical College, she wanted to contribute more and have a broader role in politics and society. She advocated several reforms, including in education and abolition of the Devadasi system,” Ms. Shruti said.

She founded the Cancer Institute as well as established the Avvai Home to provide a safe space for destitute women.

Chennai Corporation has had three women Mayors so far. Tara Cherian, who was involved in the midday meal scheme in Corporation schools, was the first. She was passionate about creating better living conditions for people living in slums and pushed for access for water, electricity, public health and sanitation, Ms. Ashmitha said. Except for a little footnote, no detail was available about Kamakshi Jayaraman, who represented the DMK.

The present Mayor, R. Priya, is the first Dalit woman to hold the post as well as the youngest woman to become one, she said.

As the walk came to an end near the old Cancer Institute block, it was time to recall the contribution of its former chairperson — V. Shanta. “The institute was another of Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy’s legacy that she left behind. Dr. Shanta, who joined in 1955, went on to change the field of oncology. Her lifetime was involved in the institute,” Ms. Ashmitha said.

The contributions of the Women’s India Association and Tamil social reformer Moovalur Ramamirtham were highlighted. “Through the walk, we tried to highlight that women’s lives and contributions rarely get the same level of celebration and commemoration that men’s lives do. We even see this in the lack of roads, buildings and monuments that are named after women,” Ms. Shruti added.

Top News Today

Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.