Vijayalakshmi Ramanan VSM (27 February 192418 October 2020) was an Indian

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

and career

army officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent contextu ...

. She was the first woman to be commissioned as an

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...

officer, and served as a surgeon in several military hospitals in India. She was a recipient of the army's

Vishisht Seva Medal The Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) is a decoration of the Indian Armed Forces. It is awarded to recognize "distinguished service of a high order" to all ranks of the Indian Armed Forces. From 1980, the Yudh Seva Medal was introduced to recognize excep ...

in 1977 and retired as a

wing commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...

in 1979.

Early life

Ramanan was born on 27 February 1924 in Madras (now

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

). Her father T.D. Narayana Iyer was a

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

veteran and later a public health official in

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

. She trained as a doctor, earning her

M.B.B.S Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United Kin ...

degree after joining the

Madras Medical College Madras Medical College (MMC) is a public medical college located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established on 2 February 1835, it is the second oldest medical college in India, established after Calcutta Medical College. History The Governme ...

in 1943. As a student, she was a recipient of the Balfour Memorial Medal for Medicine and Prize for Surgery from the

Madras University The University of Madras (informally known as Madras University) is a public state university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and among the most prestigious universities in India, incorporated by an a ...

. She went on to earn an

M.D. Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...

obstetrics and gynecology Obstetrics and Gynaecology (also spelled as Obstetrics and Gynecology; abbreviated as Obs and Gynae, O&G, OB-GYN and OB/GYN) is the medical specialty that encompasses the two subspecialties of obstetrics (covering pregnancy, childbirth, and t ...

and worked as a surgeon in

before joining the Indian military.

Career

Ramanan joined the

Indian Army Medical Corps The Indian Army Medical Corps is a specialist corps in the Indian Army which primarily provides medical services to all Army personnel, serving and veterans, along with their families. Early history Very little is known of the medical organisatio ...

in 1955 under a short-service commission. She went on to be seconded to the Indian Air Force, and was commissioned as its first female officer in 1971. In addition to working as a

gynecologist Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined area ...

in military hospitals in India, she also provided medical care to service members during wars in 1962, 1966 and 1971. In 1968, she became the Senior Gynecologist and Obstetrician at the Air Force Hospital in

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

, and led military efforts to encourage

family planning Family planning is the consideration of the number of children a person wishes to have, including the choice to have no children, and the age at which they wish to have them. Things that may play a role on family planning decisions include marita ...

in the services. Ramanan became a

flight lieutenant Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth countries. It has a NATO rank code of OF-2. Flight lieutenant is abbreviated as Flt Lt in the India ...

on 20 March 1953, and a

on 22 August 1972. She served in armed forces hospitals in Jalahalli, Kanpur, Secunderabad and Bangalore. She also taught

for nurse officers during this time. Ramanan retired as a wing commander in 1979. She was the recipient of the Vishist Seva Medal, which is awarded to members of the Indian armed forces for "distinguished service of a high order" and was given to her on 26 January 1977 by the then Indian President

Neelam Sanjiva Reddy Neelam Sanjiva Reddy (; 19 May 1913 – 1 June 1996) was an Indian politician who served as the sixth President of India, serving from 1977 to 1982. Beginning a long political career with the Indian National Congress Party in the independence ...

for her treatment of women and children affiliated with the Indian armed forces. Ramanan was the first female officer to be commissioned in the Indian Air Force. She served in the Indian Air Force for 24 years prior to her retirement. Speaking about her experiences as the first woman officer in the Indian Air Force, Ramanan had said, "For quite some years, I was the only lady officer in the air force. Initially, I was scared to work with men, but I was brave and thought to myself, I could face anything." With the Indian Air Force not having uniforms for women at the time of her joining, she is said to have custom tailored a ''

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= ...

'' and blouse with the air force colours that then became the standard issue for women officers.

Personal life

Ramanan was also trained as a classical Carnatic musician and was an "A Grade" artist with

All India Radio All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All a ...

from age 15, broadcasting from

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...

Secunderabad Secunderabad, also spelled as Sikandarabad (, ), is a twin cities, twin city of Hyderabad and one of the six zones of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Telangana. It ...

and

. She is survived by her two children Sukanya and Sukumar. Her husband, K. V. Ramanan, was also an Air Force officer. She died of old age, at 96, at her daughter's home in

on 18 October 2020.

References

External links

Wing Commander Dr. Vijaylakshmi Ramanan: Service Record
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramanan, Vijayalakshmi Indian Air Force officers Indian female military personnel Indian Air Force personnel 1924 births 2020 deaths Women air force personnel Indian Medical Service officers Madras Medical College alumni 20th-century Indian women 20th-century Indian people