‘Women need economic independence for emancipation’

Madras High Court Justice M. Sundar delivered the V.L. Ethiraj Endowment Lecture on the occasion of the founder’s 134th birth anniversary on Thursday

Dignitaries at the event celebrating the 134th birth anniversary of V.L. Ethiraj on Thursday. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

Speaking at a function held to celebrate the 134^th birth anniversary of V.L. Ethiraj, the founder of the Ethiraj College for Women, Madras High Court Justice M. Sundar on Thursday said the social reformer thought that higher education for women was important for their economic independence.

Delivering the V.L. Ethiraj Endowment Lecture on the occasion, he said women needed economic independence for emancipation. Justice Sundar spoke about how Ethiraj utilised funds from his illustrious career in the legal profession to build institutions for the emancipation of women.

Ethiraj College Chairman V.M. Muralidharan said society’s stability was ensured when women were empowered. “Being a man of great determination, V.L. Ethiraj worked single-mindedly for the growth and upliftment of women through education. We will see greater growth in the years ahead. The college has grown in the last seven-and-a-half decades from a mere few hundred students to 8,000 students, who are pursuing arts, humanities, commerce, and science courses, up to the Ph.D level,” he said.

Financial Trustee M. Sekar participated.