You must have heard of words like IAS, IPS, IFS and Civil Services in general. Ever wondered what exactly they stand for? Do you also know that the first female IAS officer to ever come into charge in the 1950s was from Kerala? Well, IAS stands for Indian Administrative Services, IPS stands for Indian Police Services, while IFS stands for Indian Foreign Services. And the first woman IAS officer from the batch of 1951 was none other than Anna Rajam Malhotra, and this is her story.

Early age

Born in July 1927, Anna Rajam George was the daughter of Ottavelil O. A. George and Anna Paul (believed to be one of the first ever women graduates from Madras University). She was also the granddaughter of Malayalam author Pailo Paul. Growing up, her family shifted to the present-day Calicut/Kozhikode in search of better educational opportunities as well as a better career. 

After completing her schooling at Providence School, she joined the Malabar Christian College to finish her intermediate (11th and 12th standard, in present days). Post which she moved to Chennai (erstwhile Madras) to complete her Bachelor’s in Literature Honours at Presidency College. India was not yet as socially developed back then, and job opportunities for women were still limited. After her graduation, Anna started her career as an upper division clerk at the Accountant General’s Office in Madras.

Luck and hard work

One of the major lucky points of Anna’s life came when she happened to stumble upon the application for the Civil Services examinations in 1950, and she filled it out even though she did not hold any hope for it. But much to her surprise, she soon got a call to join.

Her interviewers encouraged her to take IFS since it was considered a better opportunity for a woman, while IAS was considered to be more difficult on-ground work in various parts of the country. However, Anna stood her ground and demanded equal opportunities beyond societal norms and barriers. 

Her first posting as a civil servant was in Madras State, and it is said that the then Chief Minister of Madras Presidency, C. Rajagopalachari, was sceptical about giving a woman the charge of a district sub-collector and instead offered her a post in the Secretariat. However, she had undergone training in horse riding, rifle and revolver shooting and in using magisterial powers and stood up for herself, finally leading to her eventual appointment as the sub-collector. 

She ended up becoming the sub-collector of places like Hosur and Tirupattur despite the initial protests by multiple higher-level officials, where she proved her credibility on the ground for any doubtful minds. Stories of a herd of elephants attacking a village under Anna’s jurisdiction and how she tactfully handled it without bringing damage to the gentle giants or the people still get told time and time again whenever the name Anna Rajam Malhotra comes up. 

Future career

Anna’s career had just begun there, and she went on to hold multiple government positions in the Government of Madras, including Agriculture, Revenue, Education and Culture. She worked under seven chief ministers and worked closely with Rajiv Gandhi in the Asiad Project and briefly with Indira Gandhi on an eight-state tour to review food production. However, an iconic project Anna undertook would be the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) in Mumbai, which, under her leadership, paved towards modernisation. Anna thus became responsible for building India’s first computerised container port, Nhava Sheva, to handle the increasing demands.

Personal life, when the system forbade

Back in those days, women were not often given such positions, also due to the patriarchal system of marriage (where the wife leaves her house and starts living in her husband’s house) and later even motherhood, which might hinder work according to the systemic rules. Even in civil services, it was explicitly stated, “in the event of marriage, your service will be terminated,” which was changed much later. 

Anna Rajam Malhotra was not someone who was against it either and strongly believed the work required her full attention. It was much later, in the late 1970s, that she got married to her long-term partner Ram Narain Malhotra — her IAS batchmate, former governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and India’s Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund. 

She was a mentor and kept giving guidance to multiple people from her years of experience and expertise in multiple areas till her passing away in 2018. A name etched in the history of civil services, Anna Rajam Malhotra, stands out as an icon in the journey of equality in the country.