Hello! I’m Dr. Vijayalakshmi Aluri, a gynaecologist, writer, and social activist, currently based in Hyderabad. My medical career spans over 50 years, during which I have cared for countless women through different stages of life.

Being a doctor gave me more than a profession—it gave me a sense of duty. I began with small acts of service, like offering free medicines or consultations. But soon I realized that true change required more than medical care. Women needed opportunities, knowledge, and dignity in everyday life.

This led me to take up leadership roles in organizations such as Chaitanya Vanitha Mandali, the Indian Medical Association, Rotary Club, and the Indian Red Cross Society. Through these, I worked on health camps, awareness drives, seminars, and workshops. These experiences opened my eyes to the deeper struggles women face: limited access to education, poor healthcare, lack of income, and the burden of social discrimination.

Yet one thought kept returning—can women truly be empowered in isolation? I firmly believe empowerment must be a shared mission. Men and women live together, and progress is possible only when both walk side by side.

With this conviction, I founded the Centre for Empowerment and Development of Women (CEDOW). The trust works to make empowerment a collective journey—not a struggle carried by women alone.

Introduction

Professional Life

Personal Life & Family

Philanthropy

Social Work

Having a very successful and extremely fulfilling career that spanned 5 decades and longer was never enough for me-as I decided to dedicate more time to social activism as well. My aim was simple- to empower women from all walks of life- by helping them gain knowledge with formal education, teaching them to prioritise their health too, to empower them to make decisions for themselves and their families without judgement or repercussions and to be able to advocate for themselves freely.

Dreaming of A Better and Just Society

I was born in a family of farmers, in the Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh in 1944, who understood the importance of providing a sound education, especially for a young girl and later as a young woman. I was privileged to be able to enrol and complete my MBBS, along with an MS in Obstetrics and Gynaecology by 1970. Since then, I have had a thriving practice and have completed 25000+ deliveries and thousands of surgeries. I have had the privilege of training many undergraduate and postgraduate doctors over these years.

I enjoy reading and writing and have written hundreds of short stories, 4 novels, 3 health education books in Telugu, which have all been translated to different languages. I have also published 20 books on my own, with more than half focusing on women’s health alone. At present, I work closely with government schools and colleges to provide scholarships for deserving, underprivileged girls.

The Story of My Life

I have always wanted to give back to society, which is why I began CEDOW in 1998. It began as a charitable trust with 4 trustees- where I was the Managing Trustee and among the others- there was Dr. Paladugu, a man – and this was a deliberate decision, as I wanted men around too, to help understand the issues that women dealt with. As we became bigger, 30% of our workforce consisted of men alone.

We have conducted health camps, workshops and seminars, campaigns and rallies and taken out district level initiatives. I don’t want to just feel better by giving to charity, but I want to enable individuals to stand on their own with grace and dignity.

I Dream of a Better Future for our Women and Society in General

Date of Birth – 7th September 1944

Date of Marraige – 18th July 1964

Two daughters:

1. Dr. Sameera Aluri, M.B.B.S, M.D (Obs & Gyn), W/o Dr. C.H. Venkat Rao, M.S., F.R.C.S, Surgical Gastroenterologist

2. Dr. Tushara Aluri, DOMS, MRCO Fellow, Ophthalmologist, W/o Dr. V.S. Ram Chandra, MBBS, MD, DM, FACC, FSCAI, FESC, Cardiologist & Electrophysiologist

Journey of My Life

MBBS, Andhra Medical College (1967); MS (OBG), Prince of Wales Medical College, Patna – University 1st Rank (1970)
Fellow, Indian College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists (FICOG, 1990)
55 years in medical practice, Founder of Vijayalakshmi Nursing Home, Kakinada, now with Sri Sri Holistic Hospitals, Hyderabad
25,000+ deliveries, thousands of surgeries, trained generations of doctors
National Trainer in Adolescent Health (FOGSI–IMA–IAP–WHO)
Research papers presented at international conferences, including FIGO World Congress (2006)