The Inspiring Story of India’s First Woman IAS Officer, Anna Rajam Malhotra

You’ve probably heard about the inspiring journey of India’s first female IPS officer, Kiran Bedi, but very few of us know about India’s first lady IAS officer, Anna Rajam Malhotra. Youngsters these days have it easy. Owing to technological advancements and plenty of resources available, the access to quality education isn’t as difficult as it used to be back in the day. However, UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) still continues to remain the toughest examinations in India. Post-independence, women’s dreams were only limited to finding a good match for themselves. Also, they were only confined to their homes and kitchens. The thinking of society was pretty patriarchal as well. However, there was one woman who dared to break the shackles.

She rose like a phoenix from the ashes and went onto writing history.

First Woman IAS Officer of Independent India

In 1927, Anna Rajam George was born in Kerala’s Ernakulam district to Ottavelil O. A. George and Anna Paul. However, she was raised in Calicut. After completing her school education, she did her bachelors from Calicut’s Malabar Christian College. Soon after this, she moved to Chennai (then Madras) to complete her Masters in English Literature from Madras University. Despite being raised in a world where men prevailed over women, she did not quit. In fact, for a woman to be so educated at that time was considered rare. During this time, she was even mocked by her female friends for making such a decision. Little did they know that her name would go down in the books.

In 1950, Anna made a brave attempt to give the civil services examination. Sweet were her fruits of labour when she cleared the examination. She was the first woman to do so. She was then invited to attend the interview in 1951. Instead of being welcomed with open arms, she was shunned. The distinguished board (it comprised four civil service officers, and was headed by the chairman of UPSC – R.N Banerjee) also stated that IAS is a male-dominated field. When Anna expressed her desire to join IAS, the panel urged her to choose Foreign Service and Central Services. The reason was pretty absurd. The gentlemen believe that those posts were more “women-oriented”. Well, despite the criticism she received, she joined the Madras Cadre of civil service. This was her first victory.

Just when she thought that she had fought all stereotypes and proved her mettle, her appointment letter came in which strictly stated “In the event of marriage your service will be terminated”. However, these rules were changed later.

Her Second Innings

When Anna was posted in Madras, she worked under the able leadership of C. Rajagopalachari. He was against women entering public service as he felt they weren’t good enough to manage law and order situations. Anna wanted different things from life. Owing to this pre-conceived notion of Raja, she was offered a post in the Secretariat instead of district sub-collector.

Instead of giving in, she decided to fight. She found herself to be at par with her male counterparts. Besides being an impeccable student, she also excelled at rifle and pistol shooting and horse-riding. She also had several managerial powers. Despite facing tremendous gender bias, she went on to achieve many laurels during her career. She also argued that she was equally competent to men. During this stint, she even worked with Rajiv Gandhi in the Asiad Project alongside Indira Gandhi as well. Looking at her many talents, the board had no choice but to post as sub-collector in the Hosur district. She was the first woman who achieved such a feat. She faced every prejudice that came her way.

The same chief minister, C. Rajagopalachari who was hesitant to give her a designation cited her as an example of a progressive woman at a gathering held at Tiruchirappalli. Anna, who was the first woman of IAS was not just hardworking but extremely deserving too. Her approach to solving administrative problems was rather different. During her service, there was an instance when six elephants entered a village in the Hosur district. If it was any other officer, they would have shot them down. However, Anna’s thought-process was different. She used her general knowledge and wit, and asked her colleagues to lead the elephants back to where they came from.

Anna’s other victories include setting up the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust near Mumbai, and becoming India’s Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund in Washington. She even travelled with Indira Gandhi to eight states to understand the food production patterns.

In 1989, Anna Rajam Malhotra was awarded the prestigious Padma Bhushan. Even today, her story continues to inspire several women who dare to dream.

At the age of 91, she passed away but inspired future generations. 

Takeaway

A key takeaway here is to always stay determined and focused no matter what comes one’s way. She showed the world that she was never bound by anything. Safe to say, Anna was a committed officer and public servant. Above all this, she was a superior woman who slammed patriarchy and fought all odds to carve a place for herself.