Mythili Sivaraman

Mythili Sivaraman (14 December 1939 – 30 May 2021) She completed her higher education from the Syracuse University in the United States. During this time she was involved in research related to non-self-governing territories. She also participated in the Anti-Vietnam war movement. She was also a member of the Indian political party Communist Party of India (Marxist). She also served the party as a member of its Tamil Nadu state committee. Sivaraman was amongst the first to visit the site of death of forty-four dalit women agricultural laborers and children who were killed when they were leading a strike demanding higher wages. Her writings documented the arson committed by upper caste groups. Her petition to the commission resulted in the case being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation leading to justice after over 19 years of trials in the courts.

Through her writings and ground root activism, Sivaraman contributed towards women's empowerment, particularly women from disadvantaged communities. She argued against the political and economic structures in the country, which she viewed as being concentrated in the hands of few in the upper classes, further perpetuating the economic and political inequalities and placing women at a significant disadvantage both along with social mobility as well as economic mobility. Her social justice themed works were published in the Economic and Political Weekly, and other publications including the Mainstream, and the Radical Review.

Personal life Sivaraman was married to Karunakaran. The couple had a daughter. She died from COVID-19 on 30 May 2021, at the age of 81.