making South Asian women visible
With friends Kamala Ramaswamy (writer), Champaka Malini (writer) and Hema (theatre artiste); I am second from left in this group. "First Woman Graduate in the Bapu Family "I am Prabhamani Rao who completed B.A and graduated from Mysore University (at that time there was no Bangalore University) in 1953. I was 19 and a half when... Continue Reading →
"I graduated from the Queen Mary's College, Mylapore, Chennai in the year 1970. My father's happiness was that he showed it by sending me a postal card putting the Degree after my name ! I did my Graduation after my marriage after my school finals. Thanks to my wonderful husband for his support. After me, my elder... Continue Reading →
"Parvathy Mahadevan( nee KK Parvathy), was born on May 6th , 1927, In Thrissur Kerala. She is the 6th daughter among 7 of 9 siblings. She graduated in BA, Natural Science from the Queen Marys College for women in Chennai in the year 1947. She graduated in Karnatic Music from the College of Music, Chennai,... Continue Reading →
"I come from a very much educated family. Yes! my grandmother was a teacher herself in a school. My mother, my aunties and elder women cousins were all teachers because my grandmother was of the opinion that every woman should stand on her own legs (but only upto teacher training), and then work as teachers... Continue Reading →
"Manjulika Mukherjee was the first college graduate from my entire extended family combining my maternal and paternal side. She has been my inspiration since I was a child. "Mamoni" as I called her, was the first born child of my maternal grandfather, Late Sri Krishnadhan Mukherjee, who was an idealistic non-violent Gandhian freedom fighter and was... Continue Reading →
"The name of my mother before marriage when she passed her graduation in 1935, was Leela Pingle, Residence: Sangamner, Maharashtra. Her degree was called GA, i.e. Graduate in Arts, from Karve Vidyapeeth for Women in Pune. The photo was taken around the same time. After the degree she worked for two years as a teacher in a... Continue Reading →
"Mary Kanakammal Ramaiya was born in 1894 as the tenth child of Mr.Samuel Sargunar and Mrs.Gnanapoo Ammal in Conjeevaram. True to the genius of her father who was not only the first graduate from Tirunelveli district, also proficient in seven languages including Latin, Greek, French, Sanskrit and Hindusthani, Kanakammal completed her B.A., degree in Philosophy... Continue Reading →
"Dr.K.Jayashree, Former Professor of Geography, Queen Marys College, Chennai. She was the first graduate for the whole of our family." Contributor: daughter Chandra Gupta
"She graduated in 1944 and was the first graduate in our family. She did her Masters and earned the Doctorate degree from the Calcutta University. She was a professor and became the principal of Bethune College which produced India's and the whole British Empire's first women graduates in 1883. She was a renowned classical dancer too. She... Continue Reading →
"I am Belli Lakshmi Ramakrishnan. This is a photograph of me taken in 1980. I am the first women graduate, post-graduate and Tamil Nadu State level gazette officer from my family. I can also proudly claim to be the first woman Post Graduate and first woman Gazette officer from The Nilgiris District, and from the... Continue Reading →
"Arati Banerjee ( 82 years;) Graduated in 1954. Agra University. BA in English/History/Sanskrit Sangeet Prabhakar from Prayag Sangeet Samiti, Allahabad. BT ( Allahabad University) Arati Banerjee nee Mukherjee completed her graduation in 1954 from Agra University in English, Sanskrit and History. One among 14 children in a middle-class family, Ms Banerjee’s thirst for knowledge was probably... Continue Reading →
"I am one of the First Graduates in the family. I completed my B.A in Psychology from the Presidency College Madras in 1971. I was a good student in school and my father was very keen that I complete my graduation. We were a lower middle class family and spending on education was not a... Continue Reading →
"My grandmother on my mother’s side, Manashi Guha (nee Dasgupta), who we call Didu, was the first graduate in our family from Dacca University in 1946 with Philosophy and Mathematics. In the wake of the Partition, she came to Calcutta with her family and began working in an office of the Labour Department of West... Continue Reading →
Photo taken in 1901 C.Amba Bai, the First Woman Graduate in My Family "This is the story of my great-grand mother Chennagiri Amba Bai (1889-1970), married at 12 and widowed at the age of 24, with three young children to support. Amba Bai, affectionately called Ambi, was born into an orthodox Brahmin family in Tumkur..... Continue Reading →
"Kaveri J graduated from A.P.C Mahalakshmi College for Women, Tuticorin (Madurai Kamaraj University), with a B.Sc in Mathematics in 1979-80. When she was in School, Kaveri's parents had no plans of getting her educated further. Around this time, the A.P.C Mahalakshmi College for Women was started, and to get more enrollment in the area, the... Continue Reading →
"Our great grandmother, Kamala Ramanujam was the first graduate from our family. She did her B.A Graduation from all men Government college at Kumbakonam (It was considered as Cambridge of South India). A special permission was obtained to study in a college for men. There was one more woman who studied with her. She graduated... Continue Reading →
A certificate from the school that GK Meenambal spent many years at and retired from as Assistant Headmistress With her sister and brother-in-law With her brother A group photo "Prajnya Trust's call for articles from readers of "The Hindu" regarding the first woman graduate in the family has evoked nostalgic thoughts of our Great Grand Aunt, G.K.... Continue Reading →
Girija Jayanandan received a BA degree in English Literature, in April 1967, at the PSGR Krishnammal College, Coimbatore. "I was the first graduate in my family of ten children [three boys and seven girls of whom one brother and five sisters survived], and I was the ninth child who grew up smelling food prepared in... Continue Reading →
"Dr. Dipti Tripathi graduated in 1944 and was the first graduate in our family. She did her Masters and earned a Doctorate degree from Calcutta University. She was a professor and became the principal of Bethune College which produced India's and the whole British Empire's first women graduates in 1883. She was a renowned classical dancer too. She... Continue Reading →
"I am happy to introduce my wife - Dr. Brindha Moorthy, the first woman graduate in the family - from my side as well as her side. I should thank my father-in-law for having sent his daughter to college- that too a Medical college, in the 1960s when college education for girls was frowned upon... Continue Reading →
Dr. Leela Dube, pioneering scholar of women's studies and feminist anthropology Photographer Mukul Dube. Photograph shared with Prajnya by Dr. Vibhuti Patel.
Mythily Sivaraman at the United Nations (New York), 1967. The photograph was taken when Mythily worked from July 1966 to mid-1968 as Research Assistant in the Permanent Mission of India to the UN. Her research work related to non-self-governing territories and their problems and included the preparation of statements to be made by the Indian... Continue Reading →
Anjum Zamrooda Habib, Srinagar, February 4, 2011 "Anjum Zamrooda Habib is part of a human rights organization in Kashmir and is seen here protesting for the rights of women in Kashmir. These protests took place after two girls from Sopore were killed by unknown gunmen in Kashmir. She also preaches Islam among the Muslim women community. She... Continue Reading →
Contributor Lokendra Singh Kot (Bhopal)
Photo submitted by Lokendra Singh Kot (Bhopal).
Shanta bai, "woman of substance," (based in Mumbai) is nothing short of an entrepreneur, who has spent her life combining domestic service with micro-enterprises that include a taxi service. She has raised her children and helped raise her grandchildren well, and ensured they have access to better opportunities than she did. Her work and life... Continue Reading →
"This photo was taken during the Joy Of Giving Week in 2010. Along with Ms .Malathi, trustee of Tanker foundation, we visited 5 orphanages and fed 650 orphan children. The above photo shows me with the kids of the Seva Samaj orphanage in Chennai. " Submitted by K. Nandhini Santhala Dinesh, Director Of DSIN Technology... Continue Reading →
Aideu Handique, the first heroine of Assamese cinema. Photo submitted by Nilim Dutta.
Potter in Beldaur panchayat, Khagaria, 28.1.2011. "Many female artisans, indulge in pottery work to establish an alternative and local source of livelihood for existence." Photo contributed by Eklavya Prasad.
Deepa Malik, wheelchair bound athelete and ATV car rallyist, 13.09.09, Ahmednagar. Photo submitted by Ashish Verma.
Deepali Dharmadhikari, two-wheeler mechanic, 15.09.09, Pune. Photo submitted by Ashish Verma.
Firdaus Sheikh, stunt biker, 17.01.10, Pune. Photo submitted by Ashish Verma.
Jhabua district, Madhya Pradesh, India. Photo submitted by Lokendra Singh Kot (Bhopal).
Harshini Kanhekar, Fire Officer, 22.12.09, Mehsana (Gujarat). Photo contributed by Ashish Verma.
"An early morning sight of a woman sweeping the streets of an educational institution in Mumbai. Women have been historically pushed to the margins in the caste hierarchy... . This is particularly the case with the many women who choose or are forced to serve this country by cleaning its streets and sewers. The citizens... Continue Reading →
Photo taken at Shivaji Nagar bus stand. Submitted by Putul Tiwari.
Photo taken in 2010. Submitted by Putul Tiwari.
Flower seller in Perambur, Tamil Nadu, India, 26.3.2011. Photo submitted by Gowtham Raj.
"Most of the women in in Devegere, a village on the outskirts of Bangalore, are barely literate. They are engaged in sericulture (silk farming), which is the only source of income of lot of families in the area." Photo submitted by Putul Tiwari, Bangalore.
"A woman salvages burnt utensils from the remains of what used to be her house until last evening. On the evening of the 2nd of March, a fire that broke out in the slums on the eastern side of Bandra Station (Mumbai) spread to 500 households and by next daybreak all house were leveled to... Continue Reading →
"A woman holds her daughter by her side as they wait for the waves to return to their feet on a beach. All around the world, parenthood is celebrated. But for many in India, the birth of a girl child is considered a scar on parenthood. We need protect the girl child and the perils... Continue Reading →
"Vaishali Patil, a Konkani activist, is at the forefront of the struggle against the coming up of the proposed Nuclear Power Plant at Jaitapur in Maharashtra. Women like Vaishali from all walks of life are paying serious heed to the process of development happening around them and the impact it will have on the people... Continue Reading →
A woman is seen demonstrating her dissent and dismay at the atrocities perpetrated by the state & the police against the people of Jaitapur, the site of the proposed Nuclear Power Plant in Maharashtra. "The country is at a turning point in history now. Having exhausted all resources that the Governments could lay their hands... Continue Reading →
Photo contributed by Lokendra Singh Kot, Bhopal.
Lambadi protest against NREGA system in the state, 15.3.2011, Chikkalalbagh, Bangalore "They took part in a protest which included around 3000-4000 people from all over North Karnataka. They were protesting about the job card, allotment of work on time, proper wages paid on time, and demanding a halt to the violation of women’s rights." Photo... Continue Reading →
Dr. Lata Deshpande at her home, which is a memorial to her father, a freedom fighter, town mayor, social worker and accomplished doctor. Among the wall displays are letters and photographs of many freedom fighters (Contributed by Manisha Joshi).
Dr. Lata Deshpande, social worker, in her timeless kitchen. Nutritious meals are planned and resources sourced for more than 40 destitute girls who live on top floor of the house (Joshi).
Dr. Lata Deshpande talking to some children at the school she runs with her sister, Dr. Deshpande Balvidya Mandir in Sangli. The school is run for the poorest of the poor but has many interesting science exhibits and also computers that the kids work on (contributor Manisha Joshi).
Dr. Lata Deshpande is addressing a gathering during the school sports day at her school Dr. Deshpande Balvidya Mandir in Sangli, Maharashtra. A dimunitive and shy woman - she has had remarkable success in dealing with many anti-social elements while agitating against illegal bars, other anti-woman activities, but also fighting to maintain their town's green cover.... Continue Reading →
Manisha, Hindu Priest, Pune , 16.09.09. Photo submitted by Ashish Verma.
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