Mumbai: Convocations are usually about looking ahead —graduates crossing thresholds into the unknown. This season, though, at Sydenham College of Commerce, a different compass is guiding the celebration: One that points back a hundred years, to a woman who dared to step where none had before.
In 1925, Yasmin Khurshedji Surveyor walked across the stage at Sydenham College and into history, becoming Asia’s first woman commerce graduate. The milestone, even now, feels quietly seismic. At a time when female literacy was a question mark, and higher education a privilege reserved for a few, Yasmin chose commerce, a field dominated by men then.
But she persisted. Navigating not only limited resources and institutional hurdles but also the invisible weight of societal expectations, Yasmin didn’t just earn a degree, she carved a path. Among her teachers was none other than Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, then a young professor of economics, law, and political science. It was a moment of quiet convergence, two icons in their own right, both challenging the boundaries of their time, said Homi Bhabha State University Vice Chancellor, Professor Rajanish Kamat.
After graduation, Surveyor entered yet another male preserve—the banking sector —joining the Central Bank of India as its first woman employee. Retirement didn’t dim her resolve. At the Ratan Tata Institute, she continued her life’s quiet mission, working for the welfare of women and children, right up until her passing at 81. The university is trying to trace the Surveyor family to felicitate them for being the visionaries they were then and are.
“Cities are not built only of concrete and steel,” added Prof Kamat. “The financial capital that is Mumbai stands on strong pillars like her.” In remembering Surveyor, Sydenham College is not just honouring a legacy, it is reminding a new generation that history is made not just by those who speak loudest, but by those who refuse to be silent, said higher education minister Chandrakant Dada Patil.
He added, “Surveyor’s legacy marks a pivotal moment in the history of women’s education. It is heartening to note that keeping up with this tradition, over 54% of the graduating class this year comprises women. This is not just a dry statistic, it’s a celebration of resilience and progress of this gender.”
The convocation stage, usually adorned by pictures of the governor, the chancellor of the university, and other guests, will have a backdrop of women empowerment.
Shriniwas Dhure, principal of Sydenham College, said he was poring over the archives to look for the Surveyor family details.
“This is not merely about honouring a name. It is about restoring her rightful place in history. And in doing so, we remind every girl sitting in a classroom today that the future is hers to shape, just as Yasmin did, a hundred years ago,” said Prof Kamat.