Jaya Arunachalam was an Indian social worker and the founder of Working Women's Forum, a non-governmental organization based in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, working for the welfare of marginalized women.
10 Facts About Jaya Arunachalam
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Jaya Arunachalam was a member of the governing council of the Society for International Development, Rome, and was recognized as the first South Asian woman to join the council.
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Jaya Arunachalam served as the vice president of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee and a member of the All India Congress Committee, along with several committees related to women's welfare and development across India.
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In 1978, Jaya Arunachalam founded the Working Women's Forum, an organization that aims to organize and unite women working in the informal sector, especially small-scale traders and sellers.
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In 1981, Jaya Arunachalam initiated India's first cooperative organization for poor women, the Indian Cooperative Network for Women.
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Jaya Arunachalam is a recipient of many awards such as Global Leadership Award for Economic Development from Vital Voices, International Activist Award from the Gliestman Foundation, California, and the Rashtriya Ekta Award from the National Awareness Forum, India.
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Jaya Arunachalam was born on 8 February 1935 in Tamil Nadu, India, to a Brahmin family.
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Jaya Arunachalam was shunned by her family, including her parents and six sisters, who after the death of her mother reconciled with her.
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Jaya Arunachalam died on June 29,2019, after an illness that lasted for two weeks.
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Jaya Arunachalam spent her last days in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.