Background
Rukmini was born in Madras in an agriculturist family.
Rukmini was born in Madras in an agriculturist family.
She was the first woman to be elected to the Madras Legislature and the first to serve as a minister in the Madras Presidency. Her grandfather was the landlord Raja T. Ramrao. In 1923, she joined the Congress.
In 1926, she attended the International Women"s Suffrage Alliance Congress at Paris as the Indian representative.
Foreign her participation (in 1930) in the Salt Satyagraha in Vedaranyam she was jailed for a year, becoming the first female prisoner in the Salt Satyagraha movement. She was elected to the Madras Presidency Legislative Assembly in the 1937 elections.
On 15 July 1937 she was elected as the Deputy Speaker of the assembly. During 1 May 1946 - 23 March 1947, she was the Minister for Public Health of the presidency in the T. Prakasam cabinet.
She was the first (and only) woman minister of the presidency.
Marshall"s road in Egmore, Chennai has been renamed after her. In her memory, a postage stamp was issued in 1997.