The challenges faced by India's first female legislator
Breaking through the male dominated Kerala society of the 1920's and shaping the healthcare system which exists today
Hi there,
Hope the new year started out with a bang for you!
Taking a break from my ongoing series about how India came together, I'd like to share the story of another inspiring woman from India's past.
This post is about Dr. Mary Poonen Lukose, a doctor, woman, mother, legislator, doer, changemaker, and all-rounder. I prefer not to label people because labels tend to limit them and don't truly represent who they are. Dr. Mary's life is a story worth sharing at the dining table with friends and family.
Let’s dive in.
In 1938, Dr. Mary became the Surgeon General of Travancore, the first woman in India and possibly the world to hold this position. Under her leadership, a network of hospitals and dispensaries was established, a push for vaccinations reduced the spread of communicable diseases, and the foundation for Kerala's robust public healthcare system was laid.
Influenced by her father to study and lead a life of service, her journey was also supported by another visionary woman, Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi, who advocated for women in every field: medicine, law, and politics. Mary would become her Durbar Physician and a voice of reason as a legislator in the Travancore Legislative Council. She pushed against giving taxpayers' money to homeopaths and saved countless babies and mothers from unsafe home deliveries.
Early Life and Education
Born in 1886 in Aymanam village, Kottayam District, in the princely state of Travancore (now part of Kerala), Mary had the privilege of education.
Her father, Dr. T.E. Poonen, was a trailblazer: he studied ophthalmology at Scotland's Aberdeen University, becoming the first medical graduate from Travancore. He served as the Superintendent of the General Hospital in Trivandrum (now Thiruvananthapuram) and was the Durbar Physician to the royal family of Travancore.
Dr. Poonen drilled in Mary the value of her opportunities. At a time when girls in their Syrian Christian community were often married at thirteen, he emphasized that her advantages came with responsibilities to serve her fellow women.
Due to her mother's ill health, Mary was raised by her father.
In the caste hierarchy of Travancore, the Syrian Christian community held a status similar to that of the prominent Nair community. They also benefitted from close ties with English missionaries, access to English education, Malayalam printed books, and a broad network of connections.
Mary excelled academically, placing first in her final school exams. She applied to study science subjects at Maharaja's College (now University College), but her application was initially rejected due to her gender. At the time, science was considered too difficult and demanding, so women were not allowed to study it.
With pressure from her father and his political influence, in 1909, she earned a BA in History and Economics from Maharaja's College, becoming the first woman in Kerala to graduate.
Graduating was not an easy task for her. To avoid "distracting" her male peers, a divider was erected to separate her from them. Her entry into the college forced the doors open for other women.
Seeing her determination to study further, her father sought opportunities for her in the UK.
The journey for higher education
In 1909, at twenty-three, Mary embarked on her journey to the UK.
She began her studies at the Royal Free Hospital, affiliated with the London School of Medicine, nineteen years after Rukhmabai had studied there1. Mary was the sole student from India.
To help with her educational expenses, the Maharaja of Travancore, Sree Moolam Thirunal, granted her a scholarship of 200 pounds per year. The condition was that she return to Travancore and serve the government for ten years.
During her studies, Mary treated patients from working-class backgrounds who suffered from coal fumes, unhygienic living conditions, and the physical hardships of labor. Lacking what we today consider basic health infrastructure; she toiled alongside her patients.
Families were often large and surviving on meager wages. Mothers were giving birth in squalid backstreets and slum quarters, where entire families shared a single room.
Husbands were frequently absent, working long hours. Mary recalls waking a husband by shaking his shoulder to inform him of his newborn son. The man had slept through the entire birth, exhausted from working all night. Medical students like Mary often found themselves juggling household chores—from boiling water to caring for multiple children.
Mary trained in anesthesiology and pediatrics. She graduated with an MBBS from London and earned a diploma in Midwifery from the renowned Rotunda Hospital in Dublin in December 1915.
In the two years she spent in Dublin, she discovered her calling: helping women give birth safely.
Upon her graduation, Dr. Mary received an award of five guineas from Dame Mary Scharlieb, who was honored as a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her work in India2. With the money, she bought a gold watch and a bracelet, which became family heirlooms.
While Dublin was insulated from World War I, as the conflict stretched on, more doctors were brought in. Mary worked for three grueling months in a military hospital on the outskirts of London, helping the wounded.
Return to Travancore
Dr. Mary was two months shy of her thirtieth birthday when her father, Dr. T.E. Poonen, passed away. She was devastated. She had relied on him for support as she navigated a world dominated by men.
Dr. Poonen had left his mark on the state through decades of service to the people. And his legacy endured through his daughter.
In his time, custom demanded that mothers deliver at home. Cleanliness, hygiene, and post-natal care were not considered essential. Dr. Poonen trained midwives to ensure safe home deliveries; Mary, in her time, would make house visits to explain the benefits of hospital deliveries.
Upon returning to India, she found her father's home stripped of all his possessions- there wasn't even a cup to drink from. This led her to remark, "I went to England like a princess and came back like an orphan”3.
A challenging life of service
Sensing her despair, the Maharaja told her to consider him a father. He offered her the post of Senior Surgeon in charge of the newly opened Women and Children's Hospital in Trivandrum. He also gave her Rs.1,000—a huge sum of money at the time. She was quickly drafted into the state's efforts to improve maternal health.
However, even with the benefits of modern medicine, women were reluctant to go to hospitals.
The situation was so dire that there were only twenty patients, despite the facility having a capacity of ninety-one beds. Mary explained why, "The feeling had somehow gained ground that hospitals were like poor homes, meant for the poor, the uncared for, and the abandoned. Confinement of a patient to a hospital was seen as nothing less than a death sentence. The only women who sought hospital treatment during illness and for childbirth were those from the lowest strata of society."4
Most often, she would receive patients who had been mistreated by midwives or quacks and were in the last stages of their lives. "The maternity cases brought to the hospital were almost always advanced septic cases," she noted. "In most cases, nothing could be done by the doctors to save either the mother or child or both. This circumstance gave currency to the unfortunate impression, even in educated and forward circles, that patients admitted to hospitals usually succumbed to their maladies."
Instead of western medicine, most residents would first try quacks who promised quick cures, then homeopaths, and only when desperate would they come to doctors. Often, native healers would administer drugs in excess.
In one tragic case, a young girl with typhoid consulted the village vaidyan, who believed that the devil was responsible for the fever and resided in her eyes. As a remedy, he applied green chili paste to her eyes. The girl endured tremendous pain for several days. When the paste was finally removed, it was discovered that both her eyes had been destroyed. Although she recovered from typhoid, her eyesight never did.
This was the setting in which Mary had to make her way, handicapped by being a woman, an Indian, and not being Hindu.
Proving her mettle
In 1920, Dr. Mary performed a caesarean section on a woman who had lost three children shortly after birth. Other doctors had told the mother that either she or the child would survive, but not both. The birth of the fourth child, Michael Shavarimuthu, marked the state's first C-section.
In another case, Mary performed a caesarean surgery to save a pregnant woman when it was clear that the baby could not be saved. The woman's relatives sued her for not saving the baby. Dr. Somervell, her peer, cited medical jurisprudence to argue that caesarean operations were recommended in cases where the mother's life was at risk. Mary won the case.
In 1935, she was conferred with the title of "Vaidyasasthrakusala" for her knowledge and service. In 1938, she was elevated to Surgeon General of Travancore, adding to her responsibilities.
Serving the Royal Family
In 1916, Dr. Mary became the personal physician to the two ranis, replacing a British physician. In the matrilineal tradition of Kerala5, women held an exalted status, wielding power and holding sway in court. Sethu Lakshmi Bayi and her cousin Sethu Parvati Bayi6 were adopted into the royal family, and the first son born to either of them would become the Maharajah of Travancore.
Sethu Parvati Bayi, the Junior Rani, had three children by 1922, including two male successors to the throne. Dr. Mary was the physician for these births.
Meanwhile, Sethu Lakshmi Bayi, the Senior Rani, who had married at the age of eleven, suffered a series of miscarriages. Being in the public eye, the pressure on her to bear children was enormous.
In 1923, when Sethu Lakshmi Bayi was twenty-eight and had been married for over seventeen years, the unexpected happened—she became pregnant.
Immense care was taken, but the baby arrived a month early, and the Senior Rani suffered an eclamptic fit. The baby was safe but underweight, and the Senior Rani was severely ill. Mary insisted that the nursery be kept scrupulously clean and the baby wrapped in several layers of cotton and flannel sheets to stay warm. The baby—Her Highness Uthram Thirunal Lalithamba Bayi Tampuran, the second princess of Travancore—was kept indoors for six months until she began thriving.
With this, Mary earned the undying gratitude of the Senior Rani.
Three years later, in 1926, the Senior Rani gave birth to another child, Princess Indira Bayi.
Regent Maharani of Travancore
The Senior Rani barely had time to enjoy motherhood before a crisis hit.
In August 1924, the Maharaja of Travancore, Sree Moolam Thirunal, died. The heir to the throne was the Junior Rani's twelve-year-old son, Chithira Thirunal, who was too young to be king. According to custom, the Senior Rani was appointed Regent.
Under her rule, in 1924, Dr. Mary was appointed as Durbar Physician and elevated to lead the medical department of Travancore. She was also nominated to the Travancore Legislative Council, making her India's first female legislator.
With the Maharani's blessings, Mary set up classes to train midwives. As a result, these women's services were requested even in villages, and one-tenth of all births in the state were handled by professionals. A cooperative scheme was implemented in which the government set up rural dispensaries. By 1929, 1.6 million of Travancore's five million residents had access to modern medicine7.
The Rani also pushed for education; it was announced that all girls who went to college in the state would be invited to join their queen at her palace for tea.
Battling in the legco
Dr. Mary served as a legislator for thirteen years. Throughout her tenure, male legislators attempted to rattle her.
Yet she remained steadfast, always championing the cause of science and modern medicine. She introduced various motions to establish dispensaries, train nurses, implement vaccination programs, improve hygiene, eliminate rats, and generally did the thankless work of building a health system from the ground up.
She fought for compulsory vaccination. In 1925, a legislator attempted to move a resolution calling for vaccination in Travancore to be made optional. At the time, Dr. Mary and the Senior Rani had worked hard to ensure that vaccinations were compulsory, and children could not be admitted to schools without them.
Mary cited irrefutable statistics showing that compulsory vaccination had reduced mortality rates in smallpox. She acknowledged that there were cases where vaccination caused inflammation but argued that instead of making them voluntary, the quality and method of vaccinations should be improved. Eventually, Mary made a plea, settling the debate: 'We have a great deal of uphill work before us. The public needs to be handled tactfully. Much propaganda work has to be done.'
Family Life
In 1917, Dr. Mary married Kannukuzhiyil Kuruvilla Lukose, a lawyer who was younger than she was– scandalous for the time. He later became a judge of the Travancore High Court, and Mary nicknamed him 'Judgie'. They had two children: Grace Lukose, who became a doctor, and K.P. Lukose, who became the permanent representative of India to the UN and later, the Indian ambassador to Bulgaria.
Her husband was not intimidated by his wife's long list of accomplishments. According to Mary's daughter-in-law, Aley Lukose, 'Every year, they went to the Palace on the Maharajah's birthday and would each be presented with a traditional kavani (shawl). The width of the gold border of the kavani depended on the recipient's rank or station. Her kavani had a four-inch border, while her husband's was three inches wide.'
Retirement
Mary retired from service in 1942 at the age of fifty-six. In her later years, she spent time with her three grandchildren. Unfortunately, she faced hardships in her old age, as her husband and her children passed away before her.
In 1975, a year before her death at the age of 90, Dr. Mary was honored with the Padma Shri.
Reference Materials
I hope you enjoyed reading Dr Mary Poonen Lukose’s story as much as I did researching and writing it. Kavitha Rao in her book Lady Doctors: The Untold Stories Of India's First Women In Medicine covers her story. If you enjoyed this article, you will love the book. I got most of the details and facts about her life from the book❤️
Also, the Kerala Government made a documentary on her which is super informative and engaging to watch. It’s on YouTube, see it here.
P.S. I have this deep desire to talk to my two nieces, they are currently two-and-a-half-years-old, about the journey of these superwomen. When I was growing up, I don’t remember reading or knowing about strong Indian women leaders, I don’t want my nieces to grow up the way I did. So, if you have someone who finds strength in stories, please share Dr Mary’s story with them.
If you come across any stories that move and inspire you, do share them with me and I’ll let you know if they make an appearance in a future edition.
P.P.S I wrote about three other badass Indian women. Please read about them here
Haimabati Sen- Born 20 years before Mary, Sen also worked as a doctor, helping women have safe deliveries, for over forty years in rural Bengal, India.
Rukhmabai- Born 22 years before Mary, she was a child bride at eleven, she then challenged Hindu patriarchy for her independence, went to the UK to study medicine, came back and worked in Surat, serving the people for over three decades.
Kadambini Ganguly - Born 25 years before Mary, in 1886, Kadambini Ganguly became the first Indian woman to practice medicine as a doctor in India.
What I love is, through their stories I get a sense of how society was in those times. What people’s perception was regarding medicine, women, doctors, and how people lived and worked.
It boggles the mind to understand how these women, slowly, over decades through their work, changed people’s minds. They showed other women that different paths do exist, that there is something out there bigger than the caste and the society you are brought up in. They continue to motivate us even today.
Filtered Kapi #67
Read more here→ The twenty-year-old woman who challenged Hindu patriarchy; and won from yours truly.
From the book Trailblazer, the legendary life and times of Dr Mary Poonen Lukose Surgeon General of Travancore. I have not read the book, but if you want to explore her story more, it seems to give an in depth look into her life including stories from close family members.
From the book Lady Doctors - “In the matrilineal tradition of Kerala, as historian and author Manu S. Pillai puts it, ‘A family did not take after the patriarchal model of man, wife and their children. Instead, it consisted to put it simplistically, of man, sister and her children. The crown passed not from father to son, but from maternal uncle to nephew, and the Rani was never the maharajah’s wife, but his sister or niece or great-niece.’ Thus, the reigning king at any time would not have inherited from his father, but from his mother and her brother, if any. In fact, the sons of the maharajas and the husbands of the ranis had no power or status at all.”
Both the Rani’s were granddaughters of the acclaimed painter and artist Raja Ravi Varma. For more about the life led by the Rani’s especially Senior Rani read the book, The Ivory Throne: Chronicles of the House of Travancore by Manu S. Pillai. Unfortunately, I left the book halfway through, but what I do remember is that the writer has a way with words. His descriptions of the events make you feel as if you are living in Travancore at that time.
Very happy to see these stories come out of shadows.
More and more such stories are needed to counter those privileged figures that are analysed and over-analysed in the mainstream.
What a lovely read!