Lakshmi Bai Rajam

Pioneered women's education and gender equality in India through innovative grassroots initiatives

Lakshmi Bai Rajam (1904-1991) was an Indian social reformer and educator who dedicated her life to advancing women's rights and education in rural India. Born into a conservative Brahmin family in Madras Presidency (now Tamil Nadu), she defied societal norms by completing her education and later establishing the Chennai Government Girls High School in 1928 - one of the first government-funded schools exclusively for girls in South India. Her work laid the foundation for modern girls' education infrastructure in the region.

Rajam pioneered the concept of 'mobile schools' during the 1930s, using bicycles to transport teachers to remote villages where girls couldn't travel long distances. This initiative educated over 2000 girls in its first decade. She also developed a unique curriculum combining traditional knowledge with modern subjects like science and mathematics, later adopted by 150+ schools across Tamil Nadu. Her 1947 report Education for Equal Citizenship influenced India's post-independence education policies, advocating for gender parity in schools.

During the 1950s, she founded the All India Women's Education Federation, which established 37 vocational training centers for women in textile design and healthcare. Her work with the UNICEF in the 1960s helped create national guidelines for girls' education that remain in use today. Rajam's legacy is preserved in the Lakshmi Bai Rajam Memorial Library at Madras University, which houses her extensive collection of educational materials.