Lakshmi Banker

Indian social reformer who pioneered women's education and political participation in rural India

Early Life and Activism

Born in 1910 in a conservative Karnataka village, Lakshmi Banker defied societal norms by attending the University of Mysore where she became India's first woman geologist. Her 1935 thesis on groundwater resources contained groundbreaking research still referenced today (see JSTOR article).

Education Revolution

In 1942 she founded the Shanta Laxmi School for Girls, later expanding to 12 rural schools using innovative teaching methods. Her 1950s correspondence courses reached 5,000+ illiterate women through radio broadcasts (documented in Federation archives).

Political Pioneering

Banker became Karnataka's first female MLA in 1962, introducing legislation for women's land rights and widow pensions. Her 1970 report on child marriage statistics influenced India's 1978 Prohibition Act. The Indian Express called her 'the architect of women's empowerment in rural India.'