Remembering the guiding light
Lakshmi N. Menon, who made invaluable contributions to society as a politician and activist, to be commemorated.
A commemorative function and memorial lecture to mark the 25th death anniversary of Lakshmi N. Menon is being organised jointly by the All-India Women’s Conference (AIWC) and Alcohol & Drug Information Centre (ADIC)-India.
Lakshmi N. Menon was a teacher, lawyer, politician and activist. She was born on 27th March, 1899, as the daughter of literary figure and educationist Ramavarma Thampan and Madhavikutty Amma. In 1930, she married Professor Dr. V. K. Nandan Menon, who became the Vice Chancellor of the University of Travancore and Patna University, and later retired as the Director of the Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi.
In 1927, while studying in England, she went to Moscow to attend the 10th anniversary celebrations of Soviet Union as a member of the student delegation.
There she met Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and the meeting inspired her to enter politics. In 1948 and 1950, she was nominated as a member of the Indian delegation to the United Nations. She was nominated to the Committee on Status of Women (CSW) at the UN and was head of the Indian delegation to the UN General Assembly.
She was elected as a Rajya Sabha member in 1952, 1954 and 1960. She has served as Minister of State with independent charge of External Affairs, in the cabinets of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Lal Bahadur Shasthri. She travelled extensively and has played a vital role in shaping the foreign policy of India. She was also involved in setting up the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in Kerala. Women in India got insurance coverage only because of her initiative during the period she served as Director of LIC of India.
After retiring from political activities in 1967, she turned to social work and writing. She has received several recognitions for her selfless service, including Padma Bhushan. She died on 30th November 1994.
The event will be held at the Press Club Conference Hall, Thiruvananthapuram, at 11 am on Saturday. Pooyam Thirunal Gowri Parvathi Bayi, Dr. Shashi Tharoor MP, V. M. Sudheeran, Indira Ramakrishna Pillai, Johnson J. Edayaranmula and Gomathi Nair are among those who will address the meeting.