Vira Seshadri Kapadia

Pioneering Indian social reformer who championed women's education and gender equality in early 20th century India

Vira Seshadri Kapadia (1882-1962) was a visionary social reformer from Tamil Nadu, India, whose work laid the foundation for modern women's education in India. Born into a conservative Brahmin family, she defied societal norms by pursuing higher education and later establishing the Vivekananda College for Women in 1927 - one of India's first residential colleges exclusively for women.

Her groundbreaking work included pioneering distance education programs through the Indira Gandhi National Open University's precursor initiatives, which provided education to rural women unable to attend traditional colleges. Kapadia's advocacy led to the establishment of India's first women's trade union in 1930, empowering female workers in textile industries. She also co-founded the All India Women's Conference in 1931, an organization that remains influential in gender equality issues today.

Less well-known but equally impactful were her efforts to reform Hindu marriage laws through the Hindu Succession Act amendments, ensuring women's inheritance rights. Her 1948 publication Women's Rights in Hindu Law became a seminal text in legal reforms. Kapadia's legacy is preserved in the VSK Foundation, which continues her work in education and women's empowerment.