{"id":5872,"date":"2026-05-22T06:02:34","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T06:02:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/?p=5872"},"modified":"2026-05-22T08:49:49","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T08:49:49","slug":"two-first-ladies-of-india-were-from-burma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/2026\/05\/22\/two-first-ladies-of-india-were-from-burma\/","title":{"rendered":"Two First Ladies of India were from Burma"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It is a truly fascinating piece of history, and those two women left incredible legacies that beautifully bridge Myanmar and India.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My comment: Once during the Indian President had an official visit to Malaysia, President\u2019s wife revealed in the newspaper interview that she was born in Burma, got first degree from RASU and married the future President on her postgraduate studies in India<\/a>. (Daw Tint Tint aka Usha Narayanan is the wife of former Indian President, Kocheril Raman Narayanan<\/a>.  http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kocheril_Raman_Narayanan<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Happened on the Plane<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As usual, it’s just my habit… The habit of striking up a conversation with strangers based on bits and pieces of information I\u2019ve heard, trying to connect them as relatives or friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An Indian passenger boarded the flight. As usual, while greeting him by name, I happened to say, “Uncle, your name is the same as the name of the 10th President of India.” Since the current one is the 14th President, if I mentioned this to kids of today’s generation, they wouldn’t know. But because he was an elderly man, I spoke up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Oh! Really?” he said. “Yes, Uncle, it’s true,” I replied. Then he asked, “How do you know that?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s when my turn truly started, and I completely let loose. I began all the way from the reign of King Thibaw, touched upon Ratnagiri and Kolkata, and it took quite an effort to pull myself back to the present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reason I know about India’s 10th President, Mr. Narayanan, is that his wife, the First Lady of India, was a Burmese woman. Her Burmese name was Daw Tint Tint, a native of Yamethin. When she was in Myanmar, she was a lecturing tutor in the Burmese Language Department at the university. She was an active figure in women’s affairs and social work, and later earned her Master\u2019s degree in Delhi. Even after becoming the First Lady, she remained keenly interested in state affairs. She translated many pieces of Burmese literature into English, including the works of the author Thein Pe Myint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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And Daw Tint Tint wasn’t the only one to become a First Lady of India. The 8th First Lady of India was also a Burmese woman, originally from Bago. She was highly active in human rights and humanitarian sectors. Known as an advocate for animal rights and protection against animal cruelty, she famously refused to wear silk garments because silk production requires sacrificing silkworms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is quite extraordinary and noteworthy that India’s very first foreign-born First Lady was a daughter of Myanmar, and the subsequent foreign-born First Lady was from Myanmar as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whatever the case, it was a rewarding journey\u2014getting to share knowledge about their own nation’s presidents with a 73-year-old Indian passenger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Note: This is a memory post shared from 7 years ago. Currently, the President of India is the 15th, a female president named Droupadi Murmu).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Historical Context & Deep Dive (Edited & Extended)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To make this historical anecdote perfectly accurate for a wider audience, a couple of minor details regarding official presidential numbering need to be adjusted (e.g., K. R. Narayanan<\/a> was technically the 10th President<\/strong>, but his wife was the 9th official First Lady<\/strong> due to a period where the office was vacant or unmarried).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most fascinatingly, India\u2019s only two foreign-born First Ladies<\/em> were both born in Myanmar (Burma), and both left profound legacies of social activism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 8th President’s Wife: Janaki Venkataraman<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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By President’s Secretariat – https:\/\/rashtrapatisachivalaya.gov.in\/rbtour\/photos-gallery\/103, GODL-India, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=132380441<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The post highlights the woman who married India’s 8th President, R. Venkataraman (tenure 1987\u20131992). Her name was Janaki Venkataraman<\/a> (1921\u20132010), and she was indeed born in Pegu (now Bago), Burma<\/strong>, to Tamil Iyer parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By President’s Secretariat – https:\/\/rashtrapatisachivalaya.gov.in\/rbtour\/sites\/default\/files\/9.jpg, GODL-India, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=132637526<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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