Google India is paying tribute to Rukhmabai on her birth anniversary with a doodle.
- The Doodle is illustrated Shreya Gupta which shows the courageous doctor among her patients, doing the dedicated work of a skilled physician
About Rukhmabai
Born on 22 January 1864 in Bombay, Rukhmabai was the only daughter of Janardhan Pandurang and Jayantibai. Her father died when she was eight years old and she was married off at the age of 11 to Dadaji Bhikaji. Her mother later married Sakharam Arjun who was an eminent physician and the founding member of Bombay Natural History Society. Rukhmabai continued to stay with her mother and step-father even after marriage. Dadaji moved court seeking it to order his wife to live with him but Rukhmabai refused to move in with her husband. Her step-father supported the decsion. The Dadaji vs. Rukhmabai case that went on for three years triggered a debate in both England and India. The verdict went in favour of Dadaji. The court ordered Rukhmabai to live with her husband or face six months imprisonment. A brave Rukhmabai said she was willing to opt the latter. The verdict was subsequently overruled by Queen Victoria. This prompted the government to bring the Age of Consent Act, 1891, despite opposition from conservative Indians. Rukhmabai legally separated from her husband in 1888.Her Achievements
- After separating from her husband Rukhmabai moved to England to study medicine.
- Dr. Edith Pechey of Bombay’s Cama Hospital, activists, and fellow Indians in England supported her to complete the course in the London School of Medicine for Women. S
- She returned to India in 1894 and practised in Surat, Rajkot, and Bombay for the next 35 years.
- Rukhmabai was the first Indian woman to practice medicine in colonial India
