Dhanvanthi Rama Rau


Dhanvanthi, Lady Rama Rau was founder and president of the Family Planning Association of India. She was married to Sir Benegal Rama Rau, the noted civil servant, and was the mother of Santha Rama Rau, the writer.

Biography

Dhanvanthi was born into a Kashmir Brahmin family as Dhanvanthi Handoo, born and brought up in Hubli and was therefore conversant with Kannada. After schooling in Hubli, she moved to Madras to join the Presidency College, from where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in arts.
In Madras, she met and married the distinguished economist and diplomat Sir Benegal Rama Rau a Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin and a south Indian from a distinguished family. Dhanvanthi served as president of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, against opposition from Margaret Sanger. She was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Indian Government in 1959. Her memoirs have been published under the title An Inheritance.