A lady draped in saree, with a stethoscope, with hospital beds in the backdrop. This is the picture that you would come across when you visit the Google website today. The lady in the picture is Rukhmabai Raut, one of the first practicing women doctors in India under the British rule.
The Google doodle is dedicated to the woman, who is also credited for the enactment of the Age of Consent Act, which raised the age of consent for sexual intercourse for all females. She also fought against child marriage and for rights of women.
Married off at the age of 11, she refused to go the house of her in-laws, and stayed with her mother and step father. Pressure from her husband, Dadaji Bhikaji Raut, led to her moving the court and fight a series of court cases.
She was also known for her letters published in newspaper. Her pen name was A Hindu Lady. This even led to the creation of a fund that helped her study medicine. She studied the same in England, and later worked in India, primarily at a women’s hospital in Rajkot.
He story has inspired characters in novels and movies.
Rukhmabai breathed her last at the age of 91 on September 25, 1955.