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Meenambal Sivaraj
March 8 , 2026
15 hrs 0 min
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- Meenambal Sivaraj was a pioneering figure in the fight for the rights of the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and women’s empowerment.
- Meenambal Sivaraj was born on December 12, 1904, in Rangoon, Burma to V.G. Vasudeva Pillai and Minakshi.
- Her father was a prominent SC leader and businessman in Burma.
- He became the first SC member of the Madras Legislative Council.
- In 1918, Meenambal married Sivaraj, a law graduate from Madras and a vocal advocate for SC rights.
- In 1928, when the Simon Commission arrived in India, Meenambal supported it.
- Over the time, Meenambal became closely connected to leaders such as B.R. Ambedkar, Periyar E.V. Ramasamy, and Jawaharlal Nehru.
- One of Meenambal’s most significant contributions was her work with the All India Scheduled Castes Federation (AISCF), founded by Dr. Ambedkar.
- She became the first Dalit woman to join the AISCF, and the first woman president of the South India Scheduled Castes Federation.
- Her association with national movements like the Indian National Congress also brought her into the fold of those working for India’s Independence.
- She served as a magistrate for Madras Province, and a member of several important boards and committees, such as the Film Censor Board and the Madras State Advisory Committee.
- She no longer wished to be addressed by her given name, Meenambal Sivaraj, which she believed had “Aryan origins”.
- Instead, she chose to be called Angiarkanni Siva Arasu.
- In 1933, at the YMCA in Madras, Meenambal Sivaraj rose to speak about untouchability, unemployment, and the future of India’s “backward communities”.
- She was a key figure in the National Women’s Conference of Dalits, where she worked closely with Dr. Ambedkar.
- In 1946, she was appointed a member of the Senate of the University of Madras.
- Three years later, she was elected to the Madras City Council by the members of the Senate.
- Some accounts suggest that she is the first SC woman to be part of the City Council.
- She contested the elections in 1952 and 1967 but was defeated.
- Meenambal died on November 30, 1992, at the age of 88.
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