Avadai Dhanam Lakshimi (1925 – 18 April 2005) was a Singaporean former politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) representing Moulmein SMC from 1963 to 1968 and the First Lady of Singapore when her husband,

Devan Nair Chengara Veetil Devan Nair (5 August 1923 – 6 December 2005), also known as C. V. Devan Nair, better known as Devan Nair, was a Singaporean politician and union leader who served as the third president of Singapore from 1981 until his resign ...

, served as president of Singapore from 1981 to 1985. Dhanam became the first female MP of Indian ethnicity, when she was elected as the MP for Moulmein SMC in

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

. In her role as an MP she was known for her public health advocacy. Serving in the role for 5 years, she retired in

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

, continuing to serve in the public service. She married

in August 1953, who later became the

President of Singapore The president of the Republic of Singapore, is the head of state of Singapore. The president represents the country in official diplomatic functions and possesses certain executive powers over the government of Singapore, including the contro ...

Early life

Born in 1925, Dhanam was a fourth-generation Singaporean Indian of

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

descent with ancestry from

Thanjavur Thanjavur (), also known as Thanjai, previously known as Tanjore, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the 12th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of southern Indian religion, art ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

as the daughter of a contractor, both her parents died before she was 11. She was brought up by her mother's brother and her maternal grandmother along with her five siblings. Her grandmother later died during the Japanese Occupation. Due to her family's poverty, she was only educated up to primary three. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, she took up sewing and farming to support her family.

Marriage

Dhanam met her husband during childhood at Rangoon Road School. Her husband, then an anti-colonial protestor, was detained in prison from 1951 to 1953. Upon his release, they married in August 1953. During that period, she gave birth to two children, including journalist,

Janadas Devan Janadas Devan (born 1954) is a former journalist and the current Chief of Government Communications at the Ministry of Communications and Information of Singapore, coordinating the government's public communications. He is also a director at th ...

. During her husband's second political detention, from 1956 to 1959, she raised her children and managed her family by herself. During her political career, she and her husband served as Members of Parliament (MP) in two different countries, with Devan Nair serving as the People Action Party's sole MP in the

Malaysian Parliament The Parliament of Malaysia (; Jawi script, Jawi: ) is the national legislature of Malaysia, based on the Westminster system. The bicameral parliament consists of the Dewan Rakyat (House of Representatives, Literal translation, lit. "People's As ...

for Bungsar Constituency until

1969 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 2nd millennium, the 69th year of the 20th century, and the ...

Career

Member of Parliament (1963–1968)

Dhanam was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Moulmein SMC in

, representing the

People's Action Party The People's Action Party (PAP) is a major Conservatism, conservative political party in Singapore and is the governing contemporary political party represented in the Parliament of Singapore, followed by the opposition Workers' Party of Singap ...

. She became an MP to stand for her husband as he had not gotten Singaporean citizenship yet. During her tenure, she was known for her advocacy in Singapore's Public Health Service, launching an X-Ray campaign in her constituency, in order to combat

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

. She stepped down from Parliament in

Public life

After her retirement from the Public Office, Dhanam continued to keep a public profile, representing her husband at public events.

First Lady of Singapore

After her husband was elected as president in

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

, she became the 3rd

First Lady of Singapore The spouse of the president of Singapore, sometimes referred to as the first lady or first gentleman, is a title typically held by the wife or husband of the president of Singapore, concurrent with the president's term in office. A courtesy te ...

, continuing to advocate for health related causes, supporting organisations such as the

Singapore Red Cross Society The Singapore Red Cross (SRC), formally the Singapore Red Cross Society, is a humanitarian aid and community services charity in Singapore. The SRC is a national member of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IF ...

. She served in this position until her husband's unexpected resignation in 1985.

Later life

After Devan Nair's resignation, Dhanam and her husband migrated first to the United States in 1988 where they settled in

Gaithersburg, Maryland Gaithersburg ( ) is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. At the time of the 2020 United States census, Gaithersburg had a population of 69,657, making it the third-largest incorporated city and the ninth-most populous communit ...

. They later moved to

Bloomington, Indiana Bloomington is a city in Monroe County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. The population was 79,168 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Indiana, seventh-most populous city in Indiana and ...

. The couple later moved to

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...

, Canada, where they lived for the rest of their lives. She died on 18 April 2005, in Hamilton, from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

, 8 months before her husband.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dhanam Lakshimi, Avadai 1925 births Singaporean people of Tamil descent 2005 deaths First ladies and gentlemen of Singapore Singaporean people of Indian descent Deaths from pneumonia in Ontario 20th-century Singaporean politicians