Janaki Venkataraman (1921 – 13 August 2010) was the
First Lady of India from 1987 until 1992. She was the wife of Indian
President
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*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
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Automobiles
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R. Venkataraman
Ramaswamy Venkataraman (, 4 December 191027 January 2009) was an Indian lawyer, Indian independence activist and politician who served as a Union Minister and as the eighth president of India.
Venkataraman was born in Rajamadam village in Ta ...
who served as India's head of state from 25 July 1987 until 25 July 1992.
Early life
Janaki was born in
Pegu
Bago (formerly spelt Pegu; , ), formerly known as Hanthawaddy, is a city and the capital of the Bago Region in Myanmar. It is located north-east of Yangon.
Etymology
The Burmese name Bago (ပဲခူး) is likely derived from the Mon lang ...
, Burma, to
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nati ...
Iyer
Iyers (also spelt as Ayyar, Aiyar, Ayer, or Aiyer) are an ethnoreligious community of Tamil-speaking Brahmin, Hindu Brahmins. Most Iyers are followers of the ''Advaita Vedanta, Advaita'' philosophy propounded by Adi Shankara and adhere to the ...
Burmese Indian
Burmese Indians are a group of people of Indian origin who live in Myanmar (Burma). The term 'Burmese Indian' refers to a broad range of people from South Asia, most notably from present-day countries such as India, Bangladesh and also Pakis ...
parents, Kamala and Krishna Iyer. Her mother died with she was five and as her father did not remarry, she assisted with the household duties along with her siblings.
Janaki was married to
R. Venkataraman
Ramaswamy Venkataraman (, 4 December 191027 January 2009) was an Indian lawyer, Indian independence activist and politician who served as a Union Minister and as the eighth president of India.
Venkataraman was born in Rajamadam village in Ta ...
in 1938 and had three daughters.
She was considered "deeply pious" in her
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
by
Gopal Gandhi. After her marriage, her husband's political and unionist activities increased. To assist him, she became a partner in the ''Labor Law Journal'' which he had established.
Human Rights Activist
Janaki was a human rights activist and led "hundreds of supporters" in protests about the war violence perpetrated upon women during the
Bangladeshi War. She was an ardent feminist and supported women's self-reliance, as well as a humanitarian, working on projects for the poor. In addition, she was an animal rights activist refusing to wear silk which required worms to be killed and instead popularized the wearing of
Ahimsa silk
Ahimsa silk (''ahiṃsā'': Sanskrit for 'nonviolence') is a method of nonviolent silk breeding and harvesting. Wild silk moths are bred, rather than the domestic variety. It allows the completion of the metamorphosis of the silkworm to its moth s ...
, which does not require harming the cocoon.
Her promotion of wearing
sari
A sari (sometimes also saree or shari)The name of the garment in various regional languages include:
* as, শাৰী, xārī, translit-std=ISO
* bn, শাড়ি, śāṛi, translit-std=ISO
* gu, સાડી, sāḍī, translit-std= ...
s created without harming the silkworms led to popularity of Ahimsa Silk (also called "mulberry silk") and inspired entrepreneurs to develop the technology further.
In addition to obtaining a patent, the Andhra Pradesh State Handloom Weavers Co-operative Society began marketing its "vegan wild silk" products to high end fashion labels.
When a documentary about her husband's life was made and Janaki was included in only one frame, she requested removal of the image. She preferred to be "noticed in the absence than to be ignored as an insignificant presence." She accompanied her husband on state visits and was the public face of "Indian womanhood" during his presidency.
As an active first lady, she was responsible for implementing social welfare programs that came from the president's office.
Janaki Venkataraman died on 13 August 2010, a year and a half after her husband died. She is survived by her three daughters.
Former first lady Janaki Venkataraman dies
''The Hindustan Times''. 14 August 2010
See also
*List of spouses of vice presidents of India
Second Lady or Gentleman of India is the title given to the host of Uparashtrapati Bhavan, usually the spouse of the Vice President of India. The current second lady of India is Smt. Sudesh Dhankhar, wife of Vice President of India Shri Jagdeep ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Venkataraman, Janaki
1921 births
2010 deaths
Burmese people of Indian descent
First ladies and gentlemen of India
Second ladies and gentlemen of India
Women in Tamil Nadu politics
Indian human rights activists
Indian women's rights activists
People from Bago Region
Indian women activists
Burmese women activists
Burmese activists
Indian women philanthropists
20th-century Indian philanthropists
Indian expatriates in Myanmar
20th-century women philanthropists