Even as a child, Rukmini Devi loved animals. She was horrified to see goats being sacrificed in temples. She would say, 'The frightened look in the eyes of the animals used to haunt me in my dreams for a long time.'

The person who used to jokingly say she would one day be elected to Parliament by her friends, the animals, became a member of the Rajya Sabha in 1952. She said, 'I should like to be the chosen representative of the tiger, the lion, the dog and the deer, the helpless and the voiceless.'

She was instrumental in getting the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (1960) passed as a Central Act. As a result of her effort, the Animal Welfare Board of India was established in 1962 as a statutory body under the PCA Act. Her landmark achievement was making sure Act 51 (G) of the Constitution of India was included under Part IV, making it the fundamental duty of every citizen to show kindness and compassion to all living beings.

She also started a powerful national vegetarian society in India.

Also see: Bismillah Khan in the Parliament

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