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{{short description|Indian politician (1889–1964)}}
{{Infobox revolution biography
{{About|Amrit Kaur, the Indian activist and politician|the Indian princess|Amrit Kaur of Mandi|the Canadian actress|Amrit Kaur (actress)}}
|name=Rajkumari Amrit Kaur
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2023}}
|lived=[[February 2]], [[1889]]–[[October 2]] [[1964]]

|placeofbirth=[[Lucknow]], [[Uttar Pradesh]], [[India]]
{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}}
|placeofdeath=
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}}
|image=[[Image:Rajkumari Amrit Kaur.jpg|200px]]
{{Infobox person
|caption=File photo of Rajkumari Amrit Kaur
| honorific_prefix = Dame
|movement=[[Indian Independence movement]]
| name = Amrit Kaur
|organizations=[[Indian National Congress]], St. John’s Ambulance Corps , Tuberculosis Association, Indian Red Cross, All India Institute of Medical Sciences
| image = RajkumariAmritKaur1936.png
| alt = A South Asian woman of middle age, her head covered with a shawl
| caption = Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, from a 1936 issue of ''The Indian Listener''
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1887|2|2|df=yes}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1964|2|6|1889|2|2|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Lucknow]], [[North-Western Provinces]], [[British India]] (present-day [[Uttar Pradesh]], [[India]])
| death_place = [[New Delhi]], India
| alma_mater =
| movement = [[Indian independence movement]]
| party = [[Indian National Congress]]
| organization = [[St John Ambulance]],<br />[[Tuberculosis in India#Tuberculosis Association of India|Tuberculosis Association]],<br />[[Indian Red Cross]], [[All India Institute of Medical Sciences]]
| module = {{Infobox officeholder
| embed = yes
| office = [[Minister of Health and Family Welfare (India)|Minister of Health]]
| term_start = 16 August 1947
| term_end = 16 April 1957
| primeminister = [[Jawaharlal Nehru]]
| predecessor = ''Post established''
| successor = D. P. Karmakar ''(as MoS)''
| parents = [[Harnam Singh]]<br>Priscilla Golaknath
}}
}}
}}


'''[[Raja (title)|Rajkumari]] Dame Bibiji Amrit Kaur''' (''[[née]]'' '''Ahluwalia''') [[Order of Saint John (chartered 1888)|DStJ]] (2 February 1887 – 6 February 1964) was an Indian activist and politician. Following her long-lasting association with the [[Indian independence movement]], she was appointed the first [[Ministry of Health (India)|Health Minister of India]] in 1947 and remained in office until 1957.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1964-02-07 |title=Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, 75, Dies; India's First Minister of Health; Gandhi's Secretary 17 Years, a Princess, Led Campaign to Eradicate Malaria |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/02/07/archives/rajkumari-amrit-kaur-75-dies-indias-first-minister-of-health.html |access-date=2023-05-23 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> She also held the charge of Sports Minister and Urban Development Minister and was instrumental in setting up the [[National Institute of Sports|National Institute of Sports, Patiala.]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-03-06 |title=Who was Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, named in TIME's magazine list of 100 influential women? |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-amrit-kaur-time-magazine-power-women-100-list-6302654/ |access-date=2023-05-23 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Alexander |title=INDIA'S GIRLS: FROM PURDAH TO THE PLAYING FIELDS |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1955/11/14/indias-girls-from-purdah-to-the-playing-fields |access-date=2023-05-23 |website=Sports Illustrated Vault {{!}} SI.com |language=en-us}}</ref> During her tenure, Kaur ushered in several [[Healthcare in India|healthcare reforms in India]] and is widely remembered for her contributions to the sector and her advocacy of [[women's rights]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gupta |first=Sahima |date=2018-02-06 |title=Meet Rajkumari Amrit Kaur: India's First Health Minister {{!}} #IndianWomenInHistory |url=https://feminisminindia.com/2018/02/07/amrit-kaur-indias-first-health-minister/ |access-date=2023-05-23 |website=Feminism in India |language=en-GB}}</ref> Kaur was also a member of the [[Constituent Assembly of India]], the body that framed the [[Constitution of India]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rajkumari Amrit Kaur |url=https://www.constitutionofindia.net/members/rajkumari-amrit-kaur/ |access-date=2023-05-23 |website=Constitution of India |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":3" />
'''Rajkumari Amrit Kaur''', [[DStJ]] ([[2nd February]] [[1889]], [[Lucknow]] – [[2nd October]] [[1964]]) was the first female [[Cabinet of India|Indian Cabinet Minister]]. She was born into the [[Princely state|princely family]] of [[Kapurthala]] of [[Punjab (British India)|Punjab]] and became an eminent [[Gandhism|Gandhian]], social activist and [[Freedom fighters of India|freedom fighter]]. [[Lakshmi N. Menon]] had described her, as ''"the master craft of Gandhi is conspicuously visible in the case of Amrit Kaur who gave up her princely ways and habits in favour of service for the nation."'' For many years she remained close to the select group of leaders fighting for the freedom of India, and after India’s independence she became the health minister of India. She also remained active in many social activities.


==Early life==
==Life==


Amrit Kaur was born on 2 February 1887 in [[Lucknow|Badshah Bagh, Lucknow University Campus, Lucknow]], [[Uttar Pradesh]] (then North-Western Provinces), India. Kaur was born to [[Harnam Singh|Raja Sir Harnam Singh Ahluwalia]] the younger son of the Raja [[Randhir Singh of Kapurthala]]. Harnam Singh left [[Kapurthala]] following a conflict over succession to the throne, becoming the manager of estates in the former princely state of [[Oudh State|Oudh]], and converted to Christianity on the urging of Golakhnath Chatterjee, a [[missionary]] from Bengal, Singh later married Chatterjee's daughter, Priscilla, and they had ten children, of which Amrit Kaur was the youngest, and their only daughter.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Studies |first=HP General |date=2020-05-03 |title=Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur |url=https://hpgeneralstudies.com/raj-kumari-amrit-kaur-%E0%A5%A5-first-health-minister-of-independent-india-%E0%A5%A5-himachal-pradesh/ |access-date=2023-10-28 |website=Himachal Pradesh General Studies |language=en-US}}</ref>
Rajkumari Amrit Kaur was born on [[2nd February]] [[1889]] in [[Lucknow]] ([[Uttar Pradesh]], [[India]]), and belonged to a [[Princely state|princely family]]. She was the only daughter of her parents, [[Raja]] [[Harnam Singh]] and [[Rani]] Harnam Singh. Her mother was a [[Bengali people|Bengali]] [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterian Christian]]. She had seven brothers, and the environment in her home was generally strict and disciplined one. Rajkumari inherited [[Christianity]] as her religion, and her early education was in [[England]] in a school at [[Sherborne]], [[Dorset]], and later studies at the [[University of Oxford|Oxford]]. She was also a good player of [[tennis]] and won several prizes. With her family and educational background, she could have led a life of affluence and luxury. However, when she returned to India, She got attracted towards the freedom movement and became a [[social worker]].


Kaur was raised as a [[Protestant Christian]], and had her early education in [[Sherborne School for Girls]] in Dorset, England, and had her college education at [[Oxford University]]. After completing her education in England, she returned to India in 1918.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|date=1964-02-07|title=Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, 75, Dies; India's First Minister of Health; Gandhi's Secretary 17 Years, a Princess, Led Campaign to Eradicate Malaria|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/02/07/archives/rajkumari-amrit-kaur-75-dies-indias-first-minister-of-health.html|access-date=2020-08-30}}</ref><ref name=":3" />
Her father Raja Sir Harnam Singh was reputed as a ''“pious and pure”'' [[Anglican|Christian]]. Harman Singh was a heir to the princely state of Kapurthala in the [[Punjab region]]<ref>[http://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20000318/windows/fact.htm Tribune India]</ref>. He is said to have enjoyed the goodwill and confidence of many leaders of the [[Indian National Congress]] party, including [[Gopal Krishna Gokhale]], one of the most prominent leaders of his time. Many other political leaders also visited the Raja, and Amrit Kaur became interested in the [[Indian independence movement|freedom struggle]] and learnt about the activities of the freedom fighters and about [[Mahatma Gandhi]]. She saw Mahatma Gandhi for the first time in [[Bombay]] (now called [[Mumbai]]), and was immensely influenced by his words. The [[Jallianwala Bagh Massacre]] of 1919 resulted into killing of unarmed civilians by the troops of the [[British Raj]], and this incidence convinced her about necessity for India to become a free nation. Although her parents were against her joining Mahatma Gandhi at his [[Sabarmati Ashram|ashram]] due to a life of austerities there, she remained convinced to be part of the struggle for the freedom of India. She started spinning [[khadi]], and participated in social work in [[Jallandhar]] and later among the [[Harijan]]s of [[Shimla|Simla]].


Kaur died in New Delhi on 6 February 1964.<ref>{{Cite book|author=Verinder Grover|title=Great Women of Modern India|publisher=Deep & Deep|year=1993|isbn=9788171004591|volume=5: Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur}}</ref> Although she was, at the time of her death, a practicing Christian, she was cremated according to family customs and her funeral was presided over by the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Delhi|Roman Catholic Archbishop of Delhi]].<ref>{{cite news|date=6 February 1964|title=Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, 75, Dies|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/02/07/rajkumari-amrit-kaur-75-dies.html}}</ref> Kaur had never married, and had no children.<ref name=":3" />
Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, she joined the Indian National Congress party, and became socially and politically active. She participated in a number of movements initiated by Mahatma Gandhi for the freedom of India, including a 240 mile march led by Gandhi in March 1930, known as the [[Salt Satyagraha|Dandi march]]. During the march, Rajkumari was arrested and imprisoned by the authorities of the British Raj.


Today, her private papers are part of the Archives at the [[Nehru Memorial Museum & Library]], at [[Teen Murti House]], Delhi.<ref>{{cite web|title=Archives|url=http://www.nehrumemorial.com/archivehead.php|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110503203613/http://www.nehrumemorial.com/archivehead.php|archive-date=3 May 2011|publisher=[[Nehru Memorial Museum & Library]]}}</ref><ref name=":3" />
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==Pre-independence==


==Career==
She was educated at [[Sherborne School]] for Girls in [[Dorset]], and later at [[University of Oxford|Oxford]]. Upon returning to India she attached herself to [[Mahatma Gandhi]] during the first [[Non-Cooperation Movement]] and, for the next sixteen years, acted as his secretary. During this period she was one of the founding members and administered the [[All India Women's Conference]], which was subsequently headed by [[Sarojini Naidu]], and played a crucial role in the recommendation of welfare legislation to the Government as well as at the [[Round Table Conference]]s. She was prominent in the [[Indian National Congress]] and was arrested and jailed twice, the second time during the [[Quit India Movement]] of 1942.
-->
==As a Gandhian==


===Participation in India's independence movement===
After her father’s death, she left her home and came to live in Mahatma Gandhi’s [[Sabarmati Ashram|ashram]] in 1934. She started wearing clothes made of [[khadi]], and became an active disciple of Mahatma Gandhi. Sometime, visitors from [[Europe]] and the [[USA]] would be amazed to learn an Indian princesses living in the ''ashram'' in an environment of austerities.
[[File:Amrit_kaur_sahiba.jpg|thumb|c. 1933]]
After her return to India from England, Kaur became interested in the [[Indian independence movement]]. Her father had shared close association with [[Indian National Congress]] leaders including [[Gopal Krishna Gokhale]], who often visited them. Kaur was drawn to the thoughts and vision of [[Mahatma Gandhi]], whom she met in Bombay ([[Mumbai]]) in 1919. Kaur worked as Gandhi's secretary for 16 years, and their correspondence was subsequently published as a volume of letters titled ''Letters to Rajkumari Amrit Kaur''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Roychowdhury|first=Adrija|date=2020-08-27|title=Rajkumari Amrit Kaur: The princess who built AIIMS|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/research/rajkumari-amrit-kaur-the-princess-who-built-aiims-6570937/|access-date=2020-08-30|website=[[The Indian Express]]}}</ref><ref name=":3" />


Following the [[Jallianwala Bagh massacre]] later that year, when the British forces shot and killed over 400 peaceful protestors in Amritsar, Punjab, Kaur became a strong critic of the British rule in India. She formally joined the Congress and began active participation in India's independence movement while also focusing on bringing about [[social reform]].<ref name="bhardwaj">{{cite web|url=https://theprint.in/theprint-profile/rajkumari-amrit-kaur-the-princess-who-was-gandhis-secretary-indias-first-health-minister/186245/|website=[[ThePrint]]|last=Bhardwaj|first=Deeksha|title=Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, the princess who was Gandhi's secretary & India's first health minister|access-date= 18 October 2019|date=2 February 2019}}</ref> She was strongly opposed to the practice of [[purdah]] and to [[Child marriage in India|child marriage]], and campaigned to abolish the [[devadasi]] system in India.<ref name=":3" />
She was assigned the role of Mahatma Gandhi’s English language secretary, and it was a challenging assignment. Mahatma Gandhi received and enormous quantity of mails, and he himself used to write more than 160 notes in own hands, and his other secretaries (namely, [[Mahadev Desai]] and [[Pyarelal Nayyar|Pyarelal]]) handled thousands of mails every week. Beside these, the secretaries were also required to manage innumerable editorials, essays, and public statements. Generally Mahatma Gandhi was tender to her in the early days, but was a strict disciplinarian. She once recalled that she delivered a note written by Mahatma Gandhi to a wrong person, and this made the Mahatma very unhappy. However, at the same time Mahatma Gandhi used to care for all the people around her, and on her birthday she received a hand written note from Mahatma Gandhi which read: ''"an ideal secretary keeps her chief straight when he is going astray. She hovers over him, watches all movements about him ... picks up his papers, even those torn ... lest he might have torn something important, by mistake. She leaves after him and seeks what he left behind ... and if not owned by anyone else, collects it. Follow the spirit of this note and you will be the ideal secretary. This is my birthday present, which goes loaded with all the good wishes that I am capable of conveying ... Love, Bapu."'' She continued to serve Mahatma Gandhi as one of his secretaries for sixteen years.


Kaur co-founded the [[All India Women's Conference]] in 1927.<ref name="bhardwaj" /> She was later appointed its secretary in 1930, and president in 1933. She was imprisoned by the British authorities for her participation in the [[Dandi March]], led by Mahatama Gandhi in 1930. Kaur went to live at Gandhi's [[ashram]] in 1934 and adopted an austere lifestyle despite her aristocratic background.<ref name="bhardwaj" /><ref name=":3" />
As a representative of the Indian National Congress, she was sent on a mission of goodwill to [[Bannu]], [[Northwest Frontier Province]]. The British government of the [[British Raj|Raj]] arrested her, charging her with [[sedition]], and she was convicted and imprisoned on [[16th July]] [[1937]]. In 1942, she again became active in the [[Quit India Movement]]; led many protest rallies, and in one of such rallies in [[Kalka]] (Punjab) suffered injuries when the troops charged the protesters. She was arrested and imprisoned again.


As a representative of the Indian National Congress, in 1937 she went on a mission of goodwill to [[Bannu]], [[North-West Frontier Province]], colonial India (in the present-day [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa]] province of Pakistan). The British authorities charged her with sedition and imprisoned her.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, an epitome of patriotism and sacrifice |url=http://www.navrangindia.in/2017/08/rajkumari-amrit-kaur-epitome-of.html |access-date=2023-05-23}}</ref><ref name=":3" />
She was a co-founder of the All India Women’s Conference in 1927, and became its secretary in 1930. During 1931-33 she served as the president of the Women’s Association. She also championed the cause of universal suffrage, and espoused and testified before the Lothian Committee on Indian franchise and constitutional reforms, and before the Joint Select Committee of Parliament on Indian constitutional reforms.
[[File:Mahatma Gandhi with Rajkumari Amrit Kaur at Simla in 1945.jpg|thumb|Rajkumari with Mahatma Gandhi, Shimla 1945]]


The British authorities appointed her as a member of the Advisory Board of Education, but she resigned from the position following her involvement with the [[Quit India Movement]] in 1942. She was imprisoned by the authorities for her actions during the time.<ref name="pib">{{cite web|url=https://pib.gov.in/newsite/feacontent.aspx?relid=151084|website=[[Press Information Bureau]]|publisher=Ministry of Health and Family Affairs|last=Srinivas|first=V|title=RajKumari Amrit Kaur|access-date= 18 October 2019|date=24 September 2016}}</ref><ref name=":3" />
In 1938 she was elected as the president of All India Women’s Conference. She had also served as the Chairperson of the All India Women’s Education Fund Association and as a member of the Executive Committee of [[Lady Irwin College]], [[New Delhi]]. She was an appointed as a member (the first women to be so appointed) by the British Raj to the Advisory Board of Education, a position which she resigned in the wake of the Quit India Movement. She was sent as a member of the Indian delegation to participate in [[UNESCO]]’s conferences in [[London]] (1945), and in [[Paris]] (1946). She also served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the All India Spinners’ Association.


She championed the cause of universal suffrage,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-01-24 |title=Amrit Kaur: The princess turned Gandhian who fought Nehru on women's political participation |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/gender/amrit-kaur-the-princess-turned-gandhian-who-fought-nehru-on-womens-political-participation-5037044/ |access-date=2023-05-23 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref> and testified before the Lothian Committee on Indian franchise and constitutional reforms, and before the Joint Select Committee of British Parliament on Indian constitutional reforms.<ref>{{Cite web |title=EMINENT PARLIAMENTARIANS MONOGRAPH SERIES |url=https://eparlib.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/761593/1/Eminent_Parliamentarians_Series_Rajkumari_Amrit_Kaur_English.pdf}}</ref>
She was committed to Mahatma Gandhi’s objective of making India a free nation, and at the same time continued to be active in elimination of several bad practices of the Indian society, and such practices included early or [[child marriage]], system of [[purdah]] both among the [[Muslim]] and [[Hindu]] women, illiteracy. She articulated her views on these issues in these words: ''"the abolition of earl marriage and purdah, therefore, will not only improve the health of millions of women but will remove two of the main obstacles in the way of the spread of [[female education]]. Needless to say that the position of the widows in Hindu homes, marriage laws and the laws relating to the inheritance of property by women need radical alteration."''


Kaur served as the Chairperson of the All India Women's Education Fund Association.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-03-07 |title=Meet Princess Amrit Kaur, India's First Health Minister Who Built AIIMS |url=https://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/meet-princess-amrit-kaur-india-s-first-health-minister-who-built-aiims-341005.html |access-date=2023-05-23 |website=Indiatimes |language=en-IN}}</ref> She was a member of the Executive Committee of [[Lady Irwin College]] in New Delhi.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rajkumari Amrit Kaur: India's First Health Minister And Her Efforts For Reforming The Nation |url=https://thelogicalindian.com/app-lite/history/rajkumari-amrit-kaur-32123 |access-date=2023-05-23 |website=thelogicalindian.com}}</ref> She was sent as a member of the Indian delegation to [[UNESCO]] conferences in London and Paris in 1945 and 1946, respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Place of women in UNESCO: an Indian view |url=https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000073882 |access-date= |website=}}</ref> She also served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the All India Spinners' Association.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Celebrating Navratri with 9 Women Heros!! Lets Salute Amrit Kaur |url=https://www.bankersadda.com/celebrating-navratri-with-9-women-heros-lets-salute-amrit-kaur/amp/ |access-date=2023-05-23 |website=www.bankersadda.com}}</ref>
She also actively espoused the cause of female education, and believed in reforms in the education of Indian women. In one of the women’s conferences, she had presented her views as follows: ''"in the realm of educational reform, we have urged ever since our inception that there should be free and compulsory education. Again, as far as proper facilities for the female education are concerned until such time as universal, free and compulsory primary education as well as an adequate supply of infant and girl’s schools equipped with trained women teachers are introduced, we must continue to do our utmost to have the system of education in our exiting institutions changed."''


Kaur worked to reduce illiteracy,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Sriprakash |first1=Arathi |last2=Sutoris |first2=Peter |last3=Myers |first3=Kevin |date=2019 |title=The science of childhood and the pedagogy of the state: Postcolonial development in India, 1950s |journal=Journal of Historical Sociology |language=en |volume=32 |issue=3 |pages=345–359 |doi=10.1111/johs.12246 |issn=0952-1909 |pmc=7198113 |pmid=32412520}}</ref> and eradicate the custom of [[child marriage]]s and the [[purdah]] system for women, which were then prevalent among some Indian communities.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rana |first=Ratika |date=2021-11-24 |title=Rajkumari Amrit Kaur: India's First Health Minister And Her Efforts For Reforming The Nation |url=https://thelogicalindian.com/history/rajkumari-amrit-kaur-32123 |access-date=2023-05-23 |website=The Logical Indian |language=en}}</ref>
==Post-independence==


===Representative of the Christian Indian community ===
After India’s independence, Amrit Kaur became part of [[Jawaharlal Nehru]]'s first [[Cabinet of India|Cabinet]]; she was the first woman to hold Cabinet rank. She was assigned the Ministry of Health, being one of only two Indian Christians in the Cabinet (along with [[John Mathai]]. She was also elected the president of World Health Assembly in [[1950]], a position held by only two women in the first 25 years of the [[World Health Organization|WHO]]’s history.
Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur was a [[Punjabi Christian]] and was linked with several [[Christian mission]]ary organizations around the world.<ref name="FrykenbergYoung2009"/> From 1947 to 1957, she served as the [[Ministry of Health and Family Welfare|Minister of Health]] in India and as a result, she had close contact with the Prime Minister.<ref name="FrykenbergYoung2009"/> [[Christianity in India|Indian Christians]] thus made issues relevant to their community known to Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur, who delivered their concerns to him.<ref name="FrykenbergYoung2009"/> [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] thus saw Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur as "a kind of representative of Christians in India".<ref name="FrykenbergYoung2009"/> For example, in 1955, Kaur informed Nehru about the intimidation of Christians in the United Provinces' city of [[Meerut]].<ref name="FrykenbergYoung2009"/> Nehru then proceeded to forward two letters written by Kaur to the district magistrate there.<ref name="FrykenbergYoung2009">{{cite book |last1=Frykenberg |first1=Robert Eric |last2=Young |first2=Richard Fox |title=India and the Indianness of Christianity |date=2009 |publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing |isbn=978-0-8028-6392-8 |page=225 |language=en}}</ref>


===AIIMS ===
She was also the moving force behind the conceptualization and building of the [[All India Institute of Medical Sciences]] in [[New Delhi]], and for establishing this institute she secured aid from [[New Zealand]], funds form the [[West Germany]] for books, equipments form the [[Sweden]], and assistance for a rehabilitation centre from the Vocational Rehabilitation Centre of US to establish a rehabilitation centre. She also secured aid from the [[Rockefeller Foundation]] and Punjab Government for the medical Community Block. She and her brother even donated their ancestral property and house named ''Manorville'' (Simla, [[Himachal Pradesh]], India) to serve as a holiday home for the staff and nurses of the institute. She functioned as the Chairperson of the Indian [[Red Cross]] society for fourteen years, and during her leadership, the Indian Red Cross did a number of pioneering works in the [[adivasi|tribal]] belts and hinterland of India.
On February 18, 1956, the then Minister of Health, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, introduced a new bill in the [[Lok Sabha]] (House of the People). In her speech, Kaur said:
{{blockquote|It has been one of my cherished dreams that for post graduate study and for the maintenance of high standards of medical education in our country, we should have an institute of this nature which would enable our young men and women to have their post graduate education in their own country.}}


The creation of a major central institute for post-graduate medical education and research had been earlier recommended by the Health survey of the government of India. By 1956, the AIIMS was formed as an autonomous institution through an Act of Parliament.<ref name="Host Bibliographic Record for Boundwith">{{cite book | title=Host Bibliographic Record for Boundwith Item Barcode 30112116676187 and Others: (1956:Feb.-Mar.) | series=Host Bibliographic Record for Boundwith Item Barcode 30112116676187 and Others | year=2013 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xk1PAQAAMAAJ| page=259}}</ref>
She continued to be the Health Minister of India until 1957, after which she retired from ministerial activity but remained a member of the [[Rajya Sabha]] until her death on 2nd October, 1964. However, until her death, she continued to hold charge of the Presidentship of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, and the [[Tuberculosis]] Association and the Chairperson of the Indian Red Cross and St. John’s Ambulance Corps. Rajkumari Amrit Kaur remained a spinster all her life.


===Member of the Constituent Assembly ===
==Quotes==


[[File:Rajkumari Amrit Kaur receiving penicillin cases.jpg|thumb|Ninety-three cases of penicillin, a gift from the Canadian Red Cross to India arrived at New Delhi in a special plane from Canada on 17 October 1947. Presenting the gift to Amrit Kaur, the then Health Minister in the Government of India at the Palam aerodrome. [[Jivraj Narayan Mehta]], Director General of Health Services appears on the left and standing on the right is Sardar Balwant Singh Puri of the Indian Red Cross.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sethu |first=Divya |date=2021-02-17 |title=India's Journey From Requesting Penicillin in 1947 to Making Vaccines for the World |url=https://www.thebetterindia.com/249438/india-covid-19-vaccine-hub-covishield-serum-institute-narendra-modi-justin-trudeau-canada-partition-penicillin-malaria-history-div200/ |access-date=2023-05-23 |website=The Better India |language=en-US}}</ref>]]
*About [[Harijan]]s<br>
''"It is a crying shame that the people who cater for our services are relegated in most towns to live in the most abominable dwellings—if, indeed we can call their hovels by this name."''
*About [[Child marriage]]<br>''"Child marriage is eating as a canker into the vitality of our national life. Girls become mothers while they are children themselves, and bring into the world off—springs, who are, in the very nature of things, the victims of disease and ill health."''


Following India's independence from the colonial rule in August 1947, Kaur was elected from the [[United Provinces (1937–50)|United Provinces]] to the [[Constituent Assembly of India]], the government body that was assigned to design the [[Constitution of India]].<ref>[http://cadindia.clpr.org.in/ CADIndia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329161051/http://cadindia.clpr.org.in/ |date=29 March 2019 }}. Cadindia.clpr.org.in. Retrieved on 7 December 2018.</ref> She was also a member of Sub-Committee on Fundamental Rights and Sub-Committee on Minorities.<ref>[http://cadindia.clpr.org.in/constituent_assembly_members/rajkumari_amrit_kaur Rajkumari Amrit Kaur] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323063912/http://cadindia.clpr.org.in/constituent_assembly_members/rajkumari_amrit_kaur |date=23 March 2019 }}. Cadindia.clpr.org.in (6 February 1964). Retrieved on 2018-12-07.</ref> As a member of the Constituent Assembly, she supported a proposal for a [[Uniform Civil Code]] in India.<ref name=":0" /> She also advocated for universal franchise, opposed affirmative action for women, and debated the language concerning the protection of religious rights.
==Further reading==


=== Health Minister ===
*''India’s 50 Most Illustrious Women'' (ISBN 81-88086-19-3) by Indra Gupta
After India's independence, Amrit Kaur became part of [[Jawaharlal Nehru]]'s first [[Cabinet of India|Cabinet]]; she was the first woman to hold Cabinet rank, serving for ten years. In January 1949, she was appointed a [[Dame]] of the [[Order of Saint John (chartered 1888)|Order of Saint John]] (DStJ).<ref>{{cite web |title=Page 81 {{!}} Issue 38503, 4 January 1949 {{!}} London Gazette {{!}} The Gazette |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/38503/page/81 |website=www.thegazette.co.uk}}</ref> She was assigned the [[Ministry of Health (India)|Ministry of Health]].<ref name="bhardwaj" /> In 1950, she was elected the president of [[World Health Assembly]].<ref name=":0" /> As Health Minister, Kaur led a major campaign to fight the spread of [[malaria]] in India.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /> She also led the campaign to eradicate tuberculosis and was the driving force behind the largest B.C.G vaccination programme in the world.<ref name=":3">Sambuy, L. M., & Portnowitz, T. (2023). ''[[In Search of Amrit Kaur]]: A lost princess and her vanished world''. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.</ref> In 1956, Kaur was awarded with an honory degree of Doctor of Laws by the [[Princeton University]].<ref name="P.C. Kapoor at the Citizen Press 1956 p. ">{{cite book | title=Civic Affairs | publisher=P.C. Kapoor at the Citizen Press | issue=v. 3 | year=1956 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vfsmAQAAIAAJ| page=65}}</ref>


Kaur believed that the only proper method of birth control was continence, and promoted the [[Calendar-based contraceptive methods|rhythm method]] of birth control in India.<ref name="time1955">{{cite web |title=INDIA: Baby Days Are Black |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,891127,00.html |website=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |access-date=4 August 2023 |date=17 January 1955}}</ref> Government money was not spent on [[Birth control|contraceptives]], and instead women were given beads to keep track of "safe" days (green) and "baby" days (black).<ref name="time1955"/> Some women refused to use the beads, believing that only cows should wear that kind of bead, while others were embarrassed or believed that the beads would guarantee against conception.<ref name="time1955"/>
==Notes==

Kaur was also instrumental in founding the Indian Council of Child Welfare.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Aboutus|url=http://www.iccw.co.in/dared_dream.html|access-date=2020-08-30|website=www.iccw.co.in}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> Kaur served as the Chairperson of the [[Indian Red Cross]] society for fourteen years. During her leadership, the Indian Red Cross did a number of pioneering works in the hinterlands of India. She served on the boards of governmental bodies aimed at fighting tuberculosis and leprosy.<ref name=":0" /> She started the Amrit Kaur College of Nursing and the [[National Sports Club of India]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" />

Rajkumari Amrit Kaur played a key role in the development of College of Nursing, New Delhi (established in 1946), Government of India renamed the college as [[Rajkumari Amrit Kaur College of Nursing]] in her honor.<ref name=":3" />

From 1957 until her death in 1964, she remained a member of [[Rajya Sabha]]. Between 1958 and 1963 Kaur was the president of the All-India Motor Transport Congress in Delhi. Until her death, she continued to hold the presidencies of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, the Tuberculosis Association of India, and the St. John's Ambulance Corps. She also was awarded the Rene Sand Memorial Award,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://members.iinet.net.au/~royalty/ips/k/kapurthala.html |title=Genealogy |access-date=5 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808230543/http://members.iinet.net.au/~royalty/ips/k/kapurthala.html |archive-date=8 August 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and was named TIME Magazine's Woman of the Year in 1947.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" />

==References==
<references />
<references />

==Further reading==

*''[https://books.google.com/books?id=C0gaAAAACAAJ India's 50 Most Illustrious Women]'' ({{ISBN|81-88086-19-3}}) by Indra Gupta

==External links==
==External links==
* [https://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20000318/windows/fact.htm "Rajkumari Amrit Kaur"] by Illa Vij, and short extract from Kaur's ''Gandhij and Women'', ''[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]]'', Chandigarh
*[http://nrcw.nic.in/shared/sublinkimages/125.htm Rajkumari Amrit Kaur]
*[http://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20000318/windows/fact.htm The Tribune, Chandigarh]
*http://www.vandemataram.com/biographies/patriots/amritkaur.htm


{{First Indian Cabinet}}
{{First Nehru ministry}}
{{Ministry of Communications (India)}}
{{IndiaFreedom}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaur, Rajkumari Amrit}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaur, Rajkumari Amrit}}
[[Category:First Indian Cabinet]]
[[Category:First Nehru ministry]]
[[Category:Indian independence activists]]
[[Category:1887 births]]
[[Category:Indian Christians|Kaur, Rajkumari Amrit]]
[[Category:1964 deaths]]
[[Category:1889 births|Kaur, Rajkumari Amrit]]
[[Category:Politicians from Lucknow]]
[[Category:1969 deaths|Kaur, Rajkumari Amrit]]
[[Category:People from Lucknow]]
[[Category:People from Kapurthala]]
[[Category:People from Kapurthala]]
[[Category:Indian women freedom fighters]]
[[Category:Indian rebels]]
[[category:Indian women in politics]]
[[Category:Indian women in war]]
[[Category:Prisoners and detainees of British India]]
[[Category:Dames of the Order of St John]]
[[Category:Dames of the Order of St John]]
[[Category:Rajya Sabha members from Punjab, India]]

[[Category:India MPs 1952–1957]]
[[es:Rajkumari Amrit Kaur]]
[[Category:Members of the Constituent Assembly of India]]
[[id:Rajkumari Amrit Kaur]]
[[Category:People educated at Sherborne Girls]]
[[Category:Gandhians]]
[[Category:Expatriates from British India in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Women in war 1900–1945]]
[[Category:Health ministers of India]]
[[Category:Indian Protestants]]
[[Category:Indian people of World War II]]
[[Category:Indian women in World War II]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women politicians]]
[[Category:Women members of the Lok Sabha]]
[[Category:Members of the Cabinet of India]]
[[Category:Women members of the Cabinet of India]]
[[Category:Women members of the Rajya Sabha]]
[[Category:Kapurthala State]]
[[Category:Indian female royalty]]

Latest revision as of 06:51, 23 November 2024

This article is about Amrit Kaur, the Indian activist and politician. For the Indian princess, see Amrit Kaur of Mandi. For the Canadian actress, see Amrit Kaur (actress).

Dame
Amrit Kaur
A South Asian woman of middle age, her head covered with a shawl
Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, from a 1936 issue of The Indian Listener
Born(1887-02-02)2 February 1887
Lucknow, North-Western Provinces, British India (present-day Uttar Pradesh, India)
Died6 February 1964(1964-02-06) (aged 75)
New Delhi, India
Organization(s)St John Ambulance,
Tuberculosis Association,
Indian Red Cross, All India Institute of Medical Sciences
Political partyIndian National Congress
MovementIndian independence movement
Minister of Health
In office
16 August 1947 – 16 April 1957
Prime MinisterJawaharlal Nehru
Preceded byPost established
Succeeded byD. P. Karmakar (as MoS)
Personal details
Parent(s)Harnam Singh
Priscilla Golaknath

Rajkumari Dame Bibiji Amrit Kaur (née Ahluwalia) DStJ (2 February 1887 – 6 February 1964) was an Indian activist and politician. Following her long-lasting association with the Indian independence movement, she was appointed the first Health Minister of India in 1947 and remained in office until 1957.[1] She also held the charge of Sports Minister and Urban Development Minister and was instrumental in setting up the National Institute of Sports, Patiala.[2][3] During her tenure, Kaur ushered in several healthcare reforms in India and is widely remembered for her contributions to the sector and her advocacy of women's rights.[4] Kaur was also a member of the Constituent Assembly of India, the body that framed the Constitution of India.[5][6]

Life

[edit]

Amrit Kaur was born on 2 February 1887 in Badshah Bagh, Lucknow University Campus, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (then North-Western Provinces), India. Kaur was born to Raja Sir Harnam Singh Ahluwalia the younger son of the Raja Randhir Singh of Kapurthala. Harnam Singh left Kapurthala following a conflict over succession to the throne, becoming the manager of estates in the former princely state of Oudh, and converted to Christianity on the urging of Golakhnath Chatterjee, a missionary from Bengal, Singh later married Chatterjee's daughter, Priscilla, and they had ten children, of which Amrit Kaur was the youngest, and their only daughter.[7]

Kaur was raised as a Protestant Christian, and had her early education in Sherborne School for Girls in Dorset, England, and had her college education at Oxford University. After completing her education in England, she returned to India in 1918.[8][6]

Kaur died in New Delhi on 6 February 1964.[9] Although she was, at the time of her death, a practicing Christian, she was cremated according to family customs and her funeral was presided over by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Delhi.[10] Kaur had never married, and had no children.[6]

Today, her private papers are part of the Archives at the Nehru Memorial Museum & Library, at Teen Murti House, Delhi.[11][6]

Career

[edit]

Participation in India's independence movement

[edit]
c. 1933

After her return to India from England, Kaur became interested in the Indian independence movement. Her father had shared close association with Indian National Congress leaders including Gopal Krishna Gokhale, who often visited them. Kaur was drawn to the thoughts and vision of Mahatma Gandhi, whom she met in Bombay (Mumbai) in 1919. Kaur worked as Gandhi's secretary for 16 years, and their correspondence was subsequently published as a volume of letters titled Letters to Rajkumari Amrit Kaur.[12][6]

Following the Jallianwala Bagh massacre later that year, when the British forces shot and killed over 400 peaceful protestors in Amritsar, Punjab, Kaur became a strong critic of the British rule in India. She formally joined the Congress and began active participation in India's independence movement while also focusing on bringing about social reform.[13] She was strongly opposed to the practice of purdah and to child marriage, and campaigned to abolish the devadasi system in India.[6]

Kaur co-founded the All India Women's Conference in 1927.[13] She was later appointed its secretary in 1930, and president in 1933. She was imprisoned by the British authorities for her participation in the Dandi March, led by Mahatama Gandhi in 1930. Kaur went to live at Gandhi's ashram in 1934 and adopted an austere lifestyle despite her aristocratic background.[13][6]

As a representative of the Indian National Congress, in 1937 she went on a mission of goodwill to Bannu, North-West Frontier Province, colonial India (in the present-day Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan). The British authorities charged her with sedition and imprisoned her.[14][6]

Rajkumari with Mahatma Gandhi, Shimla 1945

The British authorities appointed her as a member of the Advisory Board of Education, but she resigned from the position following her involvement with the Quit India Movement in 1942. She was imprisoned by the authorities for her actions during the time.[15][6]

She championed the cause of universal suffrage,[16] and testified before the Lothian Committee on Indian franchise and constitutional reforms, and before the Joint Select Committee of British Parliament on Indian constitutional reforms.[17]

Kaur served as the Chairperson of the All India Women's Education Fund Association.[18] She was a member of the Executive Committee of Lady Irwin College in New Delhi.[19] She was sent as a member of the Indian delegation to UNESCO conferences in London and Paris in 1945 and 1946, respectively.[20] She also served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the All India Spinners' Association.[21]

Kaur worked to reduce illiteracy,[22] and eradicate the custom of child marriages and the purdah system for women, which were then prevalent among some Indian communities.[23]

Representative of the Christian Indian community

[edit]

Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur was a Punjabi Christian and was linked with several Christian missionary organizations around the world.[24] From 1947 to 1957, she served as the Minister of Health in India and as a result, she had close contact with the Prime Minister.[24] Indian Christians thus made issues relevant to their community known to Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur, who delivered their concerns to him.[24] Jawaharlal Nehru thus saw Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur as "a kind of representative of Christians in India".[24] For example, in 1955, Kaur informed Nehru about the intimidation of Christians in the United Provinces' city of Meerut.[24] Nehru then proceeded to forward two letters written by Kaur to the district magistrate there.[24]

AIIMS

[edit]

On February 18, 1956, the then Minister of Health, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, introduced a new bill in the Lok Sabha (House of the People). In her speech, Kaur said:

It has been one of my cherished dreams that for post graduate study and for the maintenance of high standards of medical education in our country, we should have an institute of this nature which would enable our young men and women to have their post graduate education in their own country.

The creation of a major central institute for post-graduate medical education and research had been earlier recommended by the Health survey of the government of India. By 1956, the AIIMS was formed as an autonomous institution through an Act of Parliament.[25]

Member of the Constituent Assembly

[edit]
Ninety-three cases of penicillin, a gift from the Canadian Red Cross to India arrived at New Delhi in a special plane from Canada on 17 October 1947. Presenting the gift to Amrit Kaur, the then Health Minister in the Government of India at the Palam aerodrome. Jivraj Narayan Mehta, Director General of Health Services appears on the left and standing on the right is Sardar Balwant Singh Puri of the Indian Red Cross.[26]

Following India's independence from the colonial rule in August 1947, Kaur was elected from the United Provinces to the Constituent Assembly of India, the government body that was assigned to design the Constitution of India.[27] She was also a member of Sub-Committee on Fundamental Rights and Sub-Committee on Minorities.[28] As a member of the Constituent Assembly, she supported a proposal for a Uniform Civil Code in India.[12] She also advocated for universal franchise, opposed affirmative action for women, and debated the language concerning the protection of religious rights.

Health Minister

[edit]

After India's independence, Amrit Kaur became part of Jawaharlal Nehru's first Cabinet; she was the first woman to hold Cabinet rank, serving for ten years. In January 1949, she was appointed a Dame of the Order of Saint John (DStJ).[29] She was assigned the Ministry of Health.[13] In 1950, she was elected the president of World Health Assembly.[12] As Health Minister, Kaur led a major campaign to fight the spread of malaria in India.[12][8] She also led the campaign to eradicate tuberculosis and was the driving force behind the largest B.C.G vaccination programme in the world.[6] In 1956, Kaur was awarded with an honory degree of Doctor of Laws by the Princeton University.[30]

Kaur believed that the only proper method of birth control was continence, and promoted the rhythm method of birth control in India.[31] Government money was not spent on contraceptives, and instead women were given beads to keep track of "safe" days (green) and "baby" days (black).[31] Some women refused to use the beads, believing that only cows should wear that kind of bead, while others were embarrassed or believed that the beads would guarantee against conception.[31]

Kaur was also instrumental in founding the Indian Council of Child Welfare.[32][12] Kaur served as the Chairperson of the Indian Red Cross society for fourteen years. During her leadership, the Indian Red Cross did a number of pioneering works in the hinterlands of India. She served on the boards of governmental bodies aimed at fighting tuberculosis and leprosy.[12] She started the Amrit Kaur College of Nursing and the National Sports Club of India.[12][6]

Rajkumari Amrit Kaur played a key role in the development of College of Nursing, New Delhi (established in 1946), Government of India renamed the college as Rajkumari Amrit Kaur College of Nursing in her honor.[6]

From 1957 until her death in 1964, she remained a member of Rajya Sabha. Between 1958 and 1963 Kaur was the president of the All-India Motor Transport Congress in Delhi. Until her death, she continued to hold the presidencies of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, the Tuberculosis Association of India, and the St. John's Ambulance Corps. She also was awarded the Rene Sand Memorial Award,[33] and was named TIME Magazine's Woman of the Year in 1947.[12][6]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, 75, Dies; India's First Minister of Health; Gandhi's Secretary 17 Years, a Princess, Led Campaign to Eradicate Malaria". The New York Times. 7 February 1964. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  2. ^ "Who was Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, named in TIME's magazine list of 100 influential women?". The Indian Express. 6 March 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  3. ^ Campbell, Alexander. "INDIA'S GIRLS: FROM PURDAH TO THE PLAYING FIELDS". Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  4. ^ Gupta, Sahima (6 February 2018). "Meet Rajkumari Amrit Kaur: India's First Health Minister | #IndianWomenInHistory". Feminism in India. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  5. ^ "Rajkumari Amrit Kaur". Constitution of India. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Sambuy, L. M., & Portnowitz, T. (2023). In Search of Amrit Kaur: A lost princess and her vanished world. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
  7. ^ Studies, HP General (3 May 2020). "Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur". Himachal Pradesh General Studies. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, 75, Dies; India's First Minister of Health; Gandhi's Secretary 17 Years, a Princess, Led Campaign to Eradicate Malaria". The New York Times. 7 February 1964. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  9. ^ Verinder Grover (1993). Great Women of Modern India. Vol. 5: Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur. Deep & Deep. ISBN 9788171004591.
  10. ^ "Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, 75, Dies". The New York Times. 6 February 1964.
  11. ^ "Archives". Nehru Memorial Museum & Library. Archived from the original on 3 May 2011.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h Roychowdhury, Adrija (27 August 2020). "Rajkumari Amrit Kaur: The princess who built AIIMS". The Indian Express. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  13. ^ a b c d Bhardwaj, Deeksha (2 February 2019). "Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, the princess who was Gandhi's secretary & India's first health minister". ThePrint. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  14. ^ "Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, an epitome of patriotism and sacrifice". Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  15. ^ Srinivas, V (24 September 2016). "RajKumari Amrit Kaur". Press Information Bureau. Ministry of Health and Family Affairs. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  16. ^ "Amrit Kaur: The princess turned Gandhian who fought Nehru on women's political participation". The Indian Express. 24 January 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  17. ^ "EMINENT PARLIAMENTARIANS MONOGRAPH SERIES" (PDF).
  18. ^ "Meet Princess Amrit Kaur, India's First Health Minister Who Built AIIMS". Indiatimes. 7 March 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  19. ^ "Rajkumari Amrit Kaur: India's First Health Minister And Her Efforts For Reforming The Nation". thelogicalindian.com. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  20. ^ "The Place of women in UNESCO: an Indian view".
  21. ^ "Celebrating Navratri with 9 Women Heros!! Lets Salute Amrit Kaur". www.bankersadda.com. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  22. ^ Sriprakash, Arathi; Sutoris, Peter; Myers, Kevin (2019). "The science of childhood and the pedagogy of the state: Postcolonial development in India, 1950s". Journal of Historical Sociology. 32 (3): 345–359. doi:10.1111/johs.12246. ISSN 0952-1909. PMC 7198113. PMID 32412520.
  23. ^ Rana, Ratika (24 November 2021). "Rajkumari Amrit Kaur: India's First Health Minister And Her Efforts For Reforming The Nation". The Logical Indian. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  24. ^ a b c d e f Frykenberg, Robert Eric; Young, Richard Fox (2009). India and the Indianness of Christianity. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 225. ISBN 978-0-8028-6392-8.
  25. ^ Host Bibliographic Record for Boundwith Item Barcode 30112116676187 and Others: (1956:Feb.-Mar.). Host Bibliographic Record for Boundwith Item Barcode 30112116676187 and Others. 2013. p. 259.
  26. ^ Sethu, Divya (17 February 2021). "India's Journey From Requesting Penicillin in 1947 to Making Vaccines for the World". The Better India. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  27. ^ CADIndia Archived 29 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Cadindia.clpr.org.in. Retrieved on 7 December 2018.
  28. ^ Rajkumari Amrit Kaur Archived 23 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Cadindia.clpr.org.in (6 February 1964). Retrieved on 2018-12-07.
  29. ^ "Page 81 | Issue 38503, 4 January 1949 | London Gazette | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk.
  30. ^ Civic Affairs. P.C. Kapoor at the Citizen Press. 1956. p. 65.
  31. ^ a b c "INDIA: Baby Days Are Black". Time. 17 January 1955. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  32. ^ "Aboutus". www.iccw.co.in. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  33. ^ "Genealogy". Archived from the original on 8 August 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2019.

Further reading

[edit]
[edit]
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