Google's doodle celebrates Muthulakshmi Reddi, India's first woman legislator, and you have to know about her

Google marked the 133rd birth anniversary of the country's first female legislator, Muthulakshmi Reddi, by dedicating a doodle in her honour and hailing her legacy.

The illustration, a brainchild of Bangalore-based artist Archana Sreenivasan, celebrated the feat of the Indian educator, lawmaker, surgeon, reformer. 

Google, in its note on Muthulaxsmi Reddi, described her as the "first female student admitted to prestigious Indian institutions, the first woman to work as a surgeon in a government hospital, and the first female legislator in the history of British India."

A fierce follower of Gandhian ideologies, Muthulaxmi was one who fought relentlessly towards women empowerment and gender equality. Establishing herself as the first woman surgeon she broke many glass ceilings and paved a way for upliftment of the downtrodden.

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Born to a principal - Narayanaswami Iyer in Pudukkottai, Tamil Nadu, in 1886, Reddi went on to become one of the first woman doctors in the country in 1912. 

Despite having a sprawling medical career, Reddi decided to join the Madras Legislative Council in 1926 and became the first woman legislator of India under the British Rule. Having resisted an early marriage herself, she fought for raising the legal age of marriage from 16 to 21. She also battled against girls' exploitation. In another move, she abolished the Devadasi system and shut down brothels by passing the Immoral Traffic Control Act.

However, her tenure as a legislator was short-lived as she resigned in 1930 to support the Salt Satyagraha. When 3 devadasi girls approached her for help in 1930, she established the Avvai Home to shelter and educate girls. 

In order to mark her contribution and undying service to the country, she was bestowed with the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India. Muthulakshmi has also authored a book titled 'My Experience as a Legislator' prior to her death in 1968 at the age of 82. 

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