Vira Srilakshmi

Pioneered women's education and social reform in India.

Vira Srilakshmi (1900–1980) was a pioneering Indian social reformer and educator who dedicated her life to advancing women's rights and education. Born into a conservative Tamil Brahmin family in Madras (now Chennai), she defied societal norms by pursuing higher education and later becoming a leading voice for gender equality in India. Her most notable achievement was establishing the Vivekananda Radhakrishnan College for Women in 1930, one of the first institutions in South India to provide tertiary education exclusively for women.

As a member of the Indian National Congress, she actively campaigned for women's suffrage and co-founded the All India Women's Conference (AIWC) in 1927. Under her leadership, the AIWC lobbied for legal reforms including the Hindu Code Bill, which sought to abolish discriminatory practices like polygamy and child marriage. Her advocacy also extended to rural education—she established over 50 night schools in Tamil Nadu to empower illiterate women.

Vira's legacy is commemorated through the Vira Srilakshmi Memorial Library in Chennai, which houses rare manuscripts on feminist history. Her 1935 essay 'Women's Emancipation in India' remains a seminal text in gender studies.