Srinidhi chidambaram biography of michael

By Sinchana Shetty

Seldom do stories start with “Once upon a time there was a queen…” as kings seem to have taken precedence over the queens in history. However, this story about Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi starts with the triumphant tune of “Once, there lived a queen…”

The Travancore Dynasty

The Travancore dynasty ruled from , over most of the south of Kerala and the southernmost part of modern-day Tamil Nadu. The Travancore family was matrilineal, where succession passed through the female lines. This meant that the throne did not go from father to son but rather, to a sister’s son. Since at the time the royal family came to consist solely of Maharajah Moolam Thirunal, Senior Rani Lakshmi Bayi and her two nephews; the Senior Maharani decided to adopt the daughter of her nieces. As such, Pooradam Thirunal Sethu Lakshmi, the granddaughter of artist Raja Ravi Varma was adopted into the Kingdom of Travancore. 

Since King Moolam Thirunal died and his heir to the throne was only 12 years old at the time, a regency became necessary until the minor King Chithira Thirunal came of age. So, in September , Sethu Lakshmi Bayi became the Maharani of the Kingdom of Travancore. Though a regent, she ruled as a monarch due to the matrilineal system which gave women equal power and right to reign.

Putting an End to Archaic Traditions

During her rule, Sethu Lakshmi Bayi abolished the Devadasi system. This was a practice where women would dedicate themselves to the worship of a deity. This was harmful because the devadasis had no legal right to marry and were obligated to dedicate themselves to the deity for the rest of their lives. She also put a stop to the sacrifice of animals.

Sethu Lakshmi Bayi’s reign began with the Vaikom Satyagraha. At the time, people of lower castes were not allowed to enter the Vaikom Mahadeva Temple. Therefore, a satyagraha which was launched on 30 March, , aimed at allowing temple entry for worship of god, irrespective of caste, creed or

By Srinidhi Murthy

As part of our ongoing series, read about some more Nobel Laureates with Indian origins, whose Indian roots, education or heritage have helped them earn international acclaim.

Har Gobind Khorana 

Born in , in Raipur village in Multan, Punjab (present-day Pakistan), Har Gobind Khorana was the youngest among his four siblings. His father, who was a village agricultural taxation clerk in the British government, was dedicated to educating all his children from an early age. The Khorana family was the only literate family in the village at that time, inhabited by about a hundred people. Khorana advanced his later education through scholarships, and he obtained his bachelor&#;s and master’s degree at the Punjab University, Lahore, in and , respectively. He lived in British India till and then moved to England, where he got an opportunity to study organic chemistry at the University of Liverpool. Khorana moved to the United States in , when he received an opportunity to join as a co-director of the Institute for Enzyme research at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. During his tenure at the university, he began his work on the genetic code, which led to his sharing the Nobel Prize in Medicine with his colleagues, Robert W. Holley and Marshall W. Nirenberg, in Khorana was granted American citizenship in He was awarded the Nobel Prize with Holley and Nirenberg, two years later for ‘their interpretation of the genetic code and its function in protein synthesis’. He also got recognition for his work in the construction of the first artificial gene in Khorana breathed his last on 9 November , at the age of 89, in Concord, Massachusetts, United States. 

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Venkatraman Ramakrishnan 

Born on 1 April , Venkatraman Ramakrishnan is an Indian-born American structural biologist, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry with Israeli protein crystallogra

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Kavitha Ramu: She's the Inspiration You Need

Kavitha Ramu is an IAS official from the batch. She was born in Madurai's beautiful temple town and stands 5 feet 8 inches tall. She consistently displayed dedication and desire, even as a small child. She has drawn a lot of inspiration from her father, an IAS officer. Her UPSC rank was another impressive life milestone that she accomplished. She followed in her family's footsteps, pursuing a higher education and expanding her skill set across multiple fields because her family was well-educated. She was a dedicated and motivated student all the time.

With great effort and serious study, the honorable IAS officer passed her 12th-grade exam with a score of %. She believes that having an education helps you become a decent and wise person in the world. You have to put in constant effort to advance your knowledge and seek out superior guidance. She started attending dancing lessons when she was four years old. Nothing and no one could stop her from accomplishing her objectives. Her life is an endless source of inspiration for everybody who aspires to achieve their goals, not only CSE candidates but also everyone else.

Power of Dreams

Kavitha Ramu's father, IAS M Ramu, was an IAS official who made remarkable services to the country. Kavitha was the best student in the school and obtained a master's degree in economics. On her campus, she came in sixth place. She has put in so much effort that she has succeeded in every way wherever she has worked. She ended up going to 10 different schools as a result of her father's relocation.

Nothing is known about her optional subject. Her constant moving has allowed her to see the world from several angles, allowing her to observe everything from working to nature, beauty, education, and behavior. She says you can learn a lot by paying attention to the small details around you, and you don't need someone else to inspire you.