->1234qwer1234qwer4 at 08:32, 21 October 2021

2021-10-21T08:32:12Z

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{{Use Indian English|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2015}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Janaki Venkataraman
| nickname =
| image = Janaki Venkataraman (cropped).jpg
| caption =
| order1 = [[First Ladies and Gentlemen of India|First Lady of India]]
| term_label1 = In role
| term_start1 = 25 July 1987
| term_end1 = 25 July 1992
| president1 = [[Ramaswamy Venkataraman]]
| primeminister1 = [[Rajiv Gandhi]]<br>[[Vishwanath Pratap Singh]]<br>[[Chandra Shekhar]]<br>[[P. V. Narasimha Rao]]
| secondlady = [[Vimala Sharma]]
| predecessor1 = [[Pardhan Kaur]]
| successor1 = [[Vimala Sharma]]
| order2 = [[Spouse of the Vice President of India|Second Lady of India]]
| spouse = [[Ramaswamy Venkataraman]]
| children = {{unbulleted list|Padma Venkatraman|Vijaya Ramachandran|[[Lakshmi Venkatesan]]}}
| term_label2 = In role
| term_start2 = 20 August 1982
| term_end2 = 27 July 1987
| vicepresident2 =[[Ramaswamy venkataraman]]
| predecessor2 = Pushpa Shah
| successor2 = [[Vimala Sharma]]
| party =
| alma_mater =
| birth_date = 1921
| birth_place = [[Bago, Myanmar|Pegu]], Burma (now [[Myanmar]])
| death_date = 13 August 2010 (aged 89)
| death_place = [[New Delhi, India]]
| residence =
| relations =
| signature =
}}

'''Janaki Venkataraman''' (1921 – 13 August 2010) was the [[First Lady]] of [[India]] from 1987 until 1992. She was the wife of Indian [[President of India|President]] [[Ramaswamy Venkataraman|R. Venkataraman]] who served as India's head of state from 25 July 1987 until 25 July 1992.

== Early life ==
Janaki was born in [[Bago, Myanmar|Pegu]], Burma, to [[Tamil people|Tamil]] [[Iyer]] [[Burmese Indian]] parents, Kamala and Krishna Iyer. Her mother died with she was five and as her father did not remarry, she assisted with the household duties along with her siblings.<ref name=bio>{{Cite web|url = http://presidentvenkataraman.in/images/pdf/JanakiVenkataramanProfile.pdf|title = Mrs. Janaki Venkataraman|access-date = 19 October 2015|website = President Venkataraman}}</ref> Janaki was married to [[Ramaswamy Venkataraman|R. Venkataraman]] in 1938 and had three daughters.<ref name="Dubey2015">{{cite book|last=Dubey|first=Scharada|title=First among equals President of India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ToBFJZiRsxMC&pg=PA80|date=15 January 2015|publisher=Westland|isbn=978-81-89975-53-1|page=80}}</ref> She was considered "deeply pious" in her [[Hinduism]] by [[Gopalkrishna Gandhi|Gopal Gandhi]].<ref>{{Cite book|title = Of a Certain Age: Twenty Life Sketches|last = Gandhi|first = Gopalkrishna|publisher = Viking|year = 2011|isbn = 9780670085026|pages = 115}}</ref> After her marriage, her husband's political and unionist activities increased. To assist him, she became a partner in the ''Labor Law Journal'' which he had established.<ref name=bio />

== Human Rights Activist ==
Janaki was a human rights activist and led "hundreds of supporters" in protests about the war violence perpetrated upon women during the [[Bangladesh Liberation War|Bangladeshi War]]. She was an ardent feminist and supported women's self-reliance, as well as a humanitarian, working on projects for the poor. In addition, she was an animal rights activist refusing to wear silk which required worms to be killed and instead popularized the wearing of [[Ahimsa silk]], which does not require harming the cocoon.<ref name=bio /> Her promotion of wearing [[sari]]s created without harming the silkworms led to popularity of Ahimsa Silk (also called "mulberry silk") and inspired entrepreneurs to develop the technology further.<ref name=silk>{{cite news|last1=Parekh|first1=Dhimant|title=Ahimsa Silk: Silk Saree without killing a single silkworm|url=http://www.thebetterindia.com/135/ahimsa-silk-silk-saree-without-killing-a-single-silkworm/|access-date=19 October 2015|publisher=The Better India|date=11 September 2008|location=India}}</ref> In addition to obtaining a patent, the Andhra Pradesh State Handloom Weavers Co-operative Society began marketing its "vegan wild silk" products to high end fashion labels.<ref name=fashion>{{cite news|last1=Harchandrai|first1=Padmini|title=The real deal: Karma conscious Ahimsa Silk shawls, only in India|url=http://travel.cnn.com/mumbai/shop/real-deal-karma-conscious-ahimsa-silk-shawls-only-india-104289|access-date=19 October 2015|publisher=CNN|date=7 October 2009}}</ref>

When a documentary about her husband's life was made and Janaki was included in only one frame, she requested removal of the image. She preferred to be "noticed in the absence than to be ignored as an insignificant presence."<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.gitakrishnaraj.com/gita/Individual-articles/Once%20a%20First%20Lady.pdf|title = Once a First Lady…|access-date = 19 October 2015|website = Gita Krishnaraj|last = Krishna Raj|first = Gita|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304061946/http://www.gitakrishnaraj.com/gita/Individual-articles/Once%20a%20First%20Lady.pdf|archive-date = 4 March 2016|df = dmy-all}}</ref> She accompanied her husband on state visits and was the public face of "Indian womanhood" during his presidency.<ref name=bio /> As an active first lady, she was responsible for implementing social welfare programs that came from the president's office.<ref name="implementer of policies">{{cite news|last1=Mathew|first1=Liz|title=The first ladies of Rashtrapati Bhavan|url=http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/xRTTVgpPc6llFXcJrddTPI/Views--The-first-ladies-of-Rashtrapati-Bhavan.html|access-date=19 October 2015|publisher=Livemint|date=25 July 2012|location=Mumbai, India}}</ref>

Janaki Venkataraman died on 13 August 2010, a year and a half after her husband died. She is survived by her three daughters.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100816175815/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Former-first-lady-Janaki-Venkataraman-dies/Article1-586526.aspx Former first lady Janaki Venkataraman dies]. ''The Hindustan Times''. 14 August 2010</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of spouses of vice presidents of India]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Venkataraman, Janaki}}
[[Category:1921 births]]
[[Category:2010 deaths]]
[[Category:Burmese people of Indian descent]]
[[Category:First Ladies and Gentlemen of India]]
[[Category:Second Ladies and Gentlemen of India]]
[[Category:Women in Tamil Nadu politics]]
[[Category:Indian human rights activists]]
[[Category:Indian women's rights activists]]
[[Category:People from Bago Region]]
[[Category:Indian women activists]]
[[Category:Burmese women activists]]
[[Category:Burmese activists]]
[[Category:Indian women philanthropists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian philanthropists]]
[[Category:Indian expatriates in Myanmar]]

Janaki Venkataraman - Revision history

->1234qwer1234qwer4 at 08:32, 21 October 2021