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The 3rd C.B. Muthamma Memorial Lecture by Ambassador Lakshmi M. Puri
01:14:02

The 3rd C.B. Muthamma Memorial Lecture by Ambassador Lakshmi M. Puri

C. B. Muthamma, born on the 24th of January, 1924, was the first woman to join the Indian foreign service in 1949. She was a noted diplomat in many areas in Asia, Africa and Europe, serving as India's ambassador to Hungary and to The Hague. Muthamma was the pioneer in fighting for gender equality in the Indian civil service, which was heavily male-dominated in her time. She went to court challenging discriminatory rules which prevented women from rising to the top of the foreign service, and also had clauses which demanded that women in the foreign service seek special permission before marriage. Her case was upheld in 1979 in a landmark judgement by a three-member bench with the court emphasising the need to overhaul all service rules to remove the stains of sex discrimination. Since then, women have been able to reach the highest rank, that of foreign secretary, in the Indian foreign service. And to celebrate Muthamma's life and remarkable, inspiring achievements, the 3rd C.B. Muthamma Memorial Lecture is given by Ambassador Lakshmi M. Puri, the former Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations.
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