Google celebrates the birthday of Cornelia Sorabji [  India’s First Female Lawyer ] with a doodle

November | Wednesday | 15, 2017 :: Google celebrates the birthday of Cornelia Sorabji [  India’s First Female Lawyer ] with a doodle

Cornelia Sorabji (15 November 1866 – 6 July 1954) was an Indian woman who achieved several notable firsts: the first female graduate from Bombay University, the first woman to read law at Oxford University  (indeed, the first Indian national to study at any British university, the first female advocate in India, and the first woman to practise law in India and Britain.

In 2012, her bust was unveiled at Lincoln’s Inn, London.

Born in Nashik, she was one of nine children of Reverend Sorabji Karsedji, a Parsi, and his wife, Francina Ford, a Parsi who had been adopted and raised by a British couple. Her father was a missionary and Sorabji claims that he was a key figure in convincing Bombay University to admit women to their degree programs. Her mother helped to establish several girls’ schools in Poona (now Pune). Due in part to her influential social position, she was often consulted by local women in matters pertaining to inheritance and property rights. Many of Sorabji’s later educational and career decisions would be heavily influenced by her mother.

Cornlia Sorabji had five surviving sisters and a brother, and two more brothers that died in infancy. She spent her childhood initially in Belgaum and later in Pune. She received her education both at home and at mission schools.