Mrs. Vijayalakshmi Pandit

Mrs. Vijayalakshmi Pandit :She was born on August 18, 1900. She was younger to Jawaharlal Nehru. Mrs. Pandit had several firsts to her credit. She was the first Indian woman to become a Cabinet Minister, when appointed as the Minister of Local Government & Health in the Congress Ministry of U.P. from 1937-1939. She was the first woman Ambassador, the first woman to lead a delegation to the U.N. General Assembly (1946-51) as well as first President (1953-54). Also led the first Indian delegation to China after the Communist regime was established. Also the first woman to head a London diplomatic mission in 1954 when she became the High Commissioner for India in London.She served as the Governor of Maharashtra for two years from 1962. The first woman to be accorded the unique honour in international diplomacy, she treated her election as President of the U.N. General Assembly more as an honour to India.Her autobiography “The Scope of Happiness” and “Selection of Speeches” are two of her well-known books. [She was awarded the “Padma Vibushan” by the Government of India and the “One world award” and medal for services to humanity in the U.S.]Her death on December 1, 1990 symbolises the fading of an era, a powerful voice that had led India’s prestige soaring in international diplomacy.