did have one definite result: the abandonment of the matrilineal Marumakkathayam system and the severance of affiliation with the Vadakkath family and the matrilineal Nair community to which Ammu and her parents had belonged. Henceforth, she and her children would be known by the name of their husband/father. Thus, the family came to be known by the name Swaminathan. Career Ammu's life was transformed and blossomed under the tutelage of her husband. Subbarama Swaminathan both indulged and nurtured his much younger wife and encouraged her talents. He appointed tutors to teach her English and other subjects at home, and thus rectify to the extent possible the fact that she was uneducated. She soon became fluent in English, and the confidence which her husband's support gave her meant that she also developed a forceful and willful personality. Indeed she later came to dominate her husband thoroughly, because she was much younger and better-looking than him, and because she had a forceful personality. It was under her husband's influence that Ammu became a follower of Mahatma Gandhi and took part in India's struggle for independence. After independence, she served as a member of the Constituent Assembly of India. In 1952, Ammu Swaminadhan was elected a member of the Rajya Sabha from Madras State. She was associated with several cultural and social organizations, and served as President of the Bharat Scouts and Guides from November 1960 to March 1965. She was also selected as 'Mother of The Year' in 1975 on the inauguration of International Women's Year. Children and family Ammu Swaminathan had four children: Govind Swaminadhan, the elder son, a barrister at the Madras High Court. He served as the Advocate-General of Tamil Nadu from 1969 to 1976. Captain Lakshmi Swaminadhan (1914-2012) was a medical doctor, a revolutionary of the Indian independence movement and an officer of the Indian National Army. She was a member of Rajya Sabha and was nominated as a presidential candidate in 2002. Mrinalini Sarabhai, a Bharatanatyam dancer and wife of Vikram Sarabhai, a renowned scientist. They are the parents of Mallika Sarabhai, a dancer and former Gujarati film actress. Subbaram, the younger son, was a director at Mahindra and Mahindras. References 1894 births 1978 deaths Scouting and Guiding in India Malayali people India MPs 1952–1957 Lok Sabha members from Tamil Nadu Members of the Constituent Assembly of India People from Palakkad district People from Dindigul district