Dr.Rukhmabai (1865-1955) was the first practicing female doctor in colonial india .
Although Anandibai joshi was the first Indian female doctor,but she couldn’t practice it due to her untimely death.
Rukhmabai was not only well known in history for being the first lady doctor but she is known for the famous case called Rukhmabai vs dadaji case( 1884-1888) which led to the Enactment of Age of Consent Act of 1891.
This case of rukhmabai vs dadaji case of 1884 led to public debate across the various platforms in colonial india :
Law vs tradition
Social reform vs conservatism
Feminism in both british ruled india and England.
Early life of Dr.Rukhmabai:
Rukhmabai was born to janardhan pandurang and jayantibai pandurang in a Marathi family (suthar/carpenter community)
When she was just two she lost her father .At that time her mother was just seventeen years old .
Her mother jayantibai remarried a widower named Dr.sakharam Arjun, an eminent physician and social activist in Bombay.
This was the time when very few communities permitted remarriage of widows and suthar community was the one which permitted remarriage of widows .
Rukhmabai’s Marriage:
At the age of 11,she was married to the 19 years old Dadaji Bhikhaji, a cousin of her step father.
At the time of marriage ,it was agreed that deviating from the contemporary social norms dadaji would stay with rukhmabai’s family as a “Gharjawai” .
The expectation from him was to acquire education in due course and become a “good man”.
But, after 6 months of marriage rukhmabai reached puberty so the traditional function called “Garbhadhan” was held signaling the time for ritual consummation of marriage.
But, Dr. sakharam (her step father ),being an eminent physician of reformist tendencies ,did not permit early consummation.
This displeased bhikhaji, who was 20 now, dissented the attempts of rukhmabai’s family to make him a good man.
During this resentment time he lost his mother and after that he went to live with his maternal uncle narayan dhuramji against the advise of sakharam arjun.
The environment of narayan dhuramji’s home pushed him further into a life of indolence and waywardness. As a result he accumulated debts which he hoped to clear using the property that accomapanied rukhmabai into the house.
In contrast, in the same years rukhmabai studied at home using books from a Free Church Mission Library.
Because of her father’s association with religious and social reformers she came in contact with prominent personalities like Vishnu shastri pandit, a strong proponent of women’s cause in western india at the time,along with European men and women exposing her to liberal reformism.
She also regularly attended the weekly meetings of the Prathana Samaj and Arya Mahila Samaj.
Aged 12,rukhmabai refused to move into the house of narayan dhuramji to live with bhikhaji, a decision supported by her step father.
As a result, in march 1884, bhikhaji sent a legal notice to Dr. sakharam arjun via his lawyers chalk and walker, asking him to desist preventing rukhmabai from joining him.
To answer Bhikhaji, Dr.sakharam arjun also sought legal help and via lawyers payne-gilbert and sayani provided grounds for rukhmabai’s refusal to join bhikhaji.
In 1885, “Bhikhaji vs Rukhmabai” case of 1885 came up for hearing and the judgement was passed by justice Robert Hill Pinhey.
Pinhey stated that English precedents on restitution did not apply to the case as the English law applied to consenting adults. He also found fault with the English law cases and found no precedent in Hindu law.
He declared the Rukhmabai had been wed in her “helpless infancy” and that he could not compel a young lady to join her husband without her consent.
In 1886, the case was brought up for retrial . Rukhmabai’s counsels were J.D inverarity jr. and Kashinath Trimbak Telang .
The case drew criticism from various sections of the society. Criticism of justice pinhey’s decision came from the “Native Opinion”, an anglo-marathi weekly run by Vishwanath Narayan Mandalik who supported bhikhaji.
Balgangadhar tilak also wrote that justice pinhey did not understand the spirit of hindu laws and he sought reforms by “violent means”.
In the meantime ,a series of articles appearing before before and during the trial, in the Times of India penned under the pseudonym “a Hindu Lady” also caused public reaction.
Later on it was revealed that the author was none other than Rukhmabai.
public debate revolved around multiple points of contention - Hindu versus English Law, reform from the inside versus outside and whether ancient customs deserved respect or not. The first appeal against the case was made on 18 March 1886 and was upheld by Chief Justice Sir Charles Sargent and Justice L.H. Bayley.
On 4 March 1887, Justice Farran, using interpretations of Hindu laws, ordered Rukhmabai to "go live with her husband or face six months of imprisonment".
Rukhmabai responded that she would rather face imprisonment than obey the verdict. This resulted in further upheaval and social debate.
Balgangadhar Tilak wrote in the “Kesari” that Rukhmabai's defiance was the result of an English education and declared that Hinduism was in danger.
On the other hand, Max Muller responded writing that the legal route was not the solution to the problem of Rukhmabai's case and that it was Rukhmabai's education that had made her the best judge of her own choices.
Dissolution of Marriage:
After the series of court cases which resulted in the affirmation of the marriage, she appealed to queen Victoria who overruled the court and dissolved the marriage.
In July 1888, a settlement was reached with Bhikaji and he relinquished his claim on Rukhmabai for a payment of two thousand rupees. Bhikaji remarried in 1889.
Impact of the case: Age of Consent Act ,1891:
The publicity and debate generated by this case helped influence the enactment of the "Age of Consent Act" in 1891, which changed the age of consent from 10 to 12 years across British India.
Rukhmabai’s life After Case:
Rukhmabai received support from the people like Dr. Edith Pechey who not only encouraged her but helped raise funds for her further education.
Shivajirao Holkar who donated 500 Rupees for “demonstrating courage to intervene the tradition” suffrage activists like Eva Mclaren and Walter McLaren, the Countess of Dufferin's Fund for Supplying Medical Aid to the Women of India, Adelaide Manning and others who helped establish "The Rukhmabai Defence Committee" to help gather fund towards supporting her cause of continuing education. In 1889, Rukhmabai set sail to study medicine in England.
In 1894, she received her Doctor of Medicine from the London School of Medicine for Women having also studied at the Royal Free Hospital.
In 1895, she returned to India and worked as the Chief Medical Officer at the Women's Hospital in Surat. Rukhmabai chose to settle in Bombay after her retirement.
Later life :
In 1904 after the death of Bhikaji , Rukhmabai chose to start dressing in a white sari as per Hindu traditions of widowhood.
In 1929 after her retirement, she publishing a pamphlet titled “Purdah” - the need for its abolition" arguing that young widows were being denied the chance to actively contribute to Indian society.
Rukhmabai passed away on 25th September 1955.
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