Sarojini Varadappan, veteran social activist and daughter of Tamil
Nadu’s last Congress Chief Minister M. Bakthavatsalam, passed away at a
private hospital here on Thursday Oct 17,2013 after a brief illness. She was 92
Jayanthi Natarajan, Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests,
is her niece.
As Ms. Varadappan had no children, her nephew Sridhar
performed the last rites.
Around the time of Independence, India produced some outstanding women trailblazers, who defied convention, charted new paths and redefined the role of women in society. Noted social worker Sarojini Varadappan belongs to this select band. Continuing to make a difference even in her 90s, she says, “Social service is my life’s mission and first love.”
Growing up at a time when even acquiring an education was a struggle for a girl, she dropped out after Class IX at the National Girls School, Madras, then run by the Theosophical Society. Learning Hindi at home, she passed the Visharadh examination from home, as even going to the exam hall was not permitted by the family.
After marriage, she completed an MA in Political Science from Mysore University (There was no need for an undergraduate degree for candidates fluent in English, she informs)
Her first brush with the social sector happened with her joining the Seva Dal — a volunteer movement run by the Indian National Congress. An assignment she cherishes is the opportunity to serve Mahatma Gandhi when he visited the Hindi Prachar Sabha in Chennai—managing the swelling crowds and hundi collections for Harijan welfare. Her proficiency in Hindi came in handy, she says
“Since 1941, I was in the Women’s Indian Association — the oldest women’s movement in India. It was started by Theosophists Annie Beasant and Margaret Cousins, who wanted a platform for Indian women,” she remembers.
Sarojini Varadappan steadily rose up the hierarchy, serving as its honorary secretary for 28 years, and later became president — a post she continues to hold.
Among the numerous projects of the Women’s Indian Association, which now has 75 branches, are a working women’s hostel, creches for working mothers, family counselling centers and legal assistance for women going through divorce, numerous job-oriented courses, and assistance for women entrepreneurs. Under Varadappan’s stewardship, much ground was covered in the area of literacy, translating to 50,000 literates.
Also, as president of the Indian Red Cross Society, Tamil Nadu branch, until 2007, Varadappan expanded its scope, from running a blood bank to organising massive relief during natural disasters
Politics was never on her agenda in spite of her lineage (she happens to be the daughter of the former CM of the erstwhile Madras province, M Bhaktavatchalam)
Notwithstanding indifferent health, this Padmashri and Padma Bhushan awardee still packs in a lot. “I don’t know how I managed to complete my autobiography,” she laughs
Reading, music (her accomplishments in Carnatic music — vocal and instrumental — are impressive), and playing host to friends who drop by to seek her counsel (she is associated with over 25 NGOs) keep her busy.
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