C. B. Muthamma Biography 
C. B. Muthamma was the first woman to clear the Indian Civil Services examinations, and also the first woman to join the Indian Foreign Service. Thus she is the first female diplomat of the country. She also became the first Indian woman Ambassador. Thus she stands as a great example for gender equality in the Indian Civil Services, which was till then considered as a ‘Man’s dominated area’. She hailed from Virajpet of Kodugu district of Karnataka. She cleared UPSC examination in 1948 soon after independence, the service in 1949 and also topped the IFS list that year. She was also a known philanthropist, who donated a large part of her land to build a school for orphans.
C. B. Muthamma was born in Virajpet in Coorg in 1924. Her father was a forest officer. She lost her father at the age of 9. She had three siblings. Her mother gave a lot of importance for children’s education. She completed her schooling from St.Joseph’s Girls School in Madikeri, and graduated from the Women’s Christian College in Chennai, followed by post-graduation in English Literature from Presidency College, Chennai.
Later she became the first female entrant to UPSC exams. She cleared the examination in 1948 and joined IFS the following year. She was the topper. But she had to sign a contract that she would resign if she gets married. She was first posted to the Indian Embassy at Paris. Later she served as a diplomat in Rangoon, London, Pakistan and New Delhi.
When she became India’s Ambassador to Hungary in 1970, it was yet another history born. It was for the first time an Indian woman served as an ambassador for any country. She retired from the IFS in 1982 after 32 years of service. She died in 2009.
Published: February 03, 2019
Updated: February 03, 2019
