Rukhmabai is a name remembered not only for being one of the earliest Indian women physicians, but also a feminist. She was involved in a remarkable legal case surrounding her child marriage, followed by a new enactment.
This article thoroughly discusses every nitty-gritty about Rukhmabai Raut’s early life, marriage, career, and later life in the context of the IAS Exam.
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Early Life of Rukhmabai
Rukhmabai Raut was the daughter of Pandurang and Jayantibai, born on 22nd November 1864 in a Marathi family. She lost her father at the age of 2 when her mother was 17. After 6 years of her father’s demise, her mother married Dr Sakharam Arjun, a then eminent and renowned physician and social activist.
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Marriage Life of Rukhmabai
- 2.5 years later, Rukhmabai was engaged in a forced marriage at the age of 11. Her groom was Dadaji Bhikaji, a 19 years old cousin of her stepfather. However, with her father’s support, she refused to join Bhikaji after certain feuds and stayed at her mother’s house.
- Unpleased, Bhikhaji mailed a legal notice to Sakharam Arjun in March 1884, asking him to refrain from preventing his wife from joining him. In 1885, Bhikaji’s case for going after “restitution of conjugal rights” turned into “Bhikaji vs Rukhmabai, 1885”.
- It emerged for hearing, and Justice Robert Hill Pinhey passed the judgement. According to Pinhey’s statement, English precedents were irrelevant to this restitution case because British law ordered the consent of adults. There were also flaws in English law paradigms and the absence of Hindu instances previously.
- Therefore, he did not compel a young woman as she married in her defenceless infancy. After an array of court cases, she appealed to the Queen, who dissolved this marriage by overruling the court. Finally, they both agreed on relinquishing his claim to her for paying ₹ 2000.
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Carrier of Rukhmabai
- A vast debate occurred in both India and England over this case. It also produced written commentaries from reformers, comprehensive feminist discussions and opinions from journalists. Finally, the debates and publicity of this case influenced and stimulated the “Age of Consent Act” enactment in 1891.
- After a significant influence on this act, she started her career as a medical practitioner. Dr Edith Pechey supported her by encouraging and helping raise a fund for her further studies. In addition, Shivajirao Holkar donated her ₹ 500 for showing courage to stand against tradition.
- She set out to England to practise medicine in 1889. Then she received her Doctor of Medicine in 1894 from the London School of Medicine for Women. She also studied at the Royal Free Hospital.
- Anandi Gopal Joshi and Kadambini Ganguly received medical degrees in 1886 as the 1st Indian women practitioners. However, only Dr Ganguly opted to practice medicine, making Rukhmabai the 2nd Indian woman doctor with both degrees.
- She came back to India in 1895 and worked at the Women’s Hospital in Surat as the Chief Medical Officer. He refused the Woman’s Medical Service offer in 1918 to work at the Woman’s State Hospital at Rajkot. She served there till she retired in 1929. She also formed a Red Cross Society at Rajkot.
Later Life of Rukhmabai
- She decided to take on a widow’s attire as per Hindu tradition after Bhikaji’s death in 1904. After her retirement, she settled in Mumbai (then Bombay) and published a pamphlet, “Purdah – the need for its abolition”. It argued on society’s denial to provide changes for young widows to actively contribute to the community.
- She breathed her last at the age of 90 on 25th September 1955 due to lung cancer.
- These are all on Rukhmabai, who contributed remarkably as a medical practitioner and feminist in colonial India. Google gave a tribute to her on her 153rd Birthday in 2017 with a Google doodle on its Indian home page.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Rukhmabai
Who was Rukhmabai?
Rukhmabai was born on this day in 1864 in Bombay, and was the only daughter of Janardhan Pandurang and Jayantibai.
What did the Google Doodle on the tribute of Rukhmabai look like?
The Google Doodle illustrated a lady doctor having a stethoscope around her neck. In addition, 2 hospital beds, a patient, a nurse, and an illustration of the sun were in the backdrop.
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