Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit Birth anniversary: Did You Know She was the First Woman President of UN General Assembly?

VIJAYA LAKSHMI PANDIT BIRTH ANNIVERSARY: Born to freedom fighter Motilal Nehru and Swarup Rani on August 18, 1900, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit grew around some of the biggest heroes of the Indian freedom struggle. She was the first woman in the pre-Independence era to hold the position of a cabinet minister.

After winning the elections to the provincial legislature of the United Provinces, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit was appointed the minister of local self-government and public health. However, she quit her role in 1939 in protest against the involuntary participation of British India in the Second World War.

An active participant in India’s freedom struggle along with her elder brother Jawahar Lal Nehru, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit was arrested and imprisoned by the Britishers on several occasions.

On her birth anniversary today, we take a look at some of the lesser-known facts about Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit:

1. She was named Swarup Kumari by her parents but changed it to Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit after marrying Ranjit Sitaram Pandit in 1921.
2. Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit was arrested and imprisoned by the British administration in 1932, 1933, 1940, 1942 and 1943 for her involvement in the freedom movement,
3. She served as the president of the All-India Women’s Conference from 1941-43.
4. She was the head of the Indian delegation to the United Nations in 1946-48 and 1952-53. Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit was the first woman to be elected as the president of the UN General Assembly and headed the eighth session of the assembly in 1953.
5. Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit served as India’s ambassador to the Soviet Union from 1947 to 49 and moved to the USA and Mexico for the next assignment till 1951. Between 1954 and 1961, she served as India’s high commissioner to the United Kingdom and Ireland.
6. After her diplomatic career, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit moved to politics and contested election from the Phulpur Lok Sabha constituency after Jawahar Lal Nehru’s death in 1964.
7. Although she quit politics shortly, she was among the fierce opposers of Emergency. She slammed her niece, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s decision to impose the Emergency.
8. Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit also contested for the post of President against Neelam Sanjiva Reddy. However, she could not secure a win
9. She authored two books – ‘So I became a Minister’ in 1939 and ‘Prison Days’ in 1946.
10. Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit breathed her last on December 1, 1990, in Dehradun.

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