Muthulakshmi Reddy's house in Chennai to be renovated by Cancer Institute

Work to renovate the stately home of Muthulakshmi Reddy, the country’s first woman medical graduate and the first woman to enter Indian legislature, located in Adyar in the city, will begin soon.

This has become possible after the Tiruvannamalai Sri Arunachaleswarar Devasthanam, which owns the land on which the building is located, took steps to implement a Madras High Court order permitting the Cancer Institute (W.I.A.) to renovate the house. Dr. Reddy, the force behind the founding of the Cancer Institute (W.I.A.) Adyar, and founder of Avvai Home for Girls, lived there for over 30 years form 1936.

The building is in run-down condition and needs urgent attention. The land on which it sits belongs to the Tiruvannamalai Sri Arunachaleswarar temple and had been taken on lease by her. She built the Avvai Home, her home and two small shrines - one for Lord Ganesha and another Saraswathi Devi.

Author V.R. Devika, who has written a book on Dr. Reddy and has been pursuing the cause of renovating the building, explained that when the lease time ended, temple wanted to increase the lease rent. But a free school for girls could not afford it. A new home and school were built on a piece of land given by former Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran. Access was obtained from Besant Avenue through an order issued by former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa. On either side of the access road lie lands given back to the temple.

On the funds that will be used for the renovation, Ms. Devika explained that Dr. Krishnamurthy, son of Dr. Reddy, had sold personal property of 32 grounds on LB Road and created the Ramakrishna - Vivekananda Trust for use by Cancer Institute (W.I.A.) and the Avvai Home. He could not buy the land on which Avvai home was situated as temple lands cannot be purchased. Funds from this trust will be utilised for renovation of her bungalow.

V. Susheela, Honorary Secretary of Avvai Home, thanked the Arunachaleswarar Temple authorities and HR&CE Secretary J. Kumaragurubaran for handing over the building to the Cancer Institute (W.I.A.) for renovating it and maintaining it as a memorial for Dr. Reddy. “We have drawings from architects ready with us. In the building we will have an exhibition on Dr. Reddy and a space for small gatherings. It will be the responsibility of the Cancer Institute to maintain the surrounding space too.”

Chairman of Avvai Home N. Sugalchand Jain said that they received the letter from the Devasthanam on Wednesday, the death anniversary of Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy. “We don’t want to change the original characteristics of the building in any manner. We will renovate it and our ideas will be based on her dreams.”

Advocate N.L. Rajah said that the temple has complied with that part of the order which permits the Cancer Institute to renovate the residence of Dr. muthulakshmi. They have however gone on appeal against the quantum of rental arrears paid by the Avvai Home. It is surprising that the temple authorities are treating the institution like a commercial enterprise. They must take into consideration that the fact that the Home serves the cause of the poor and weaker sections of the society, he added.