As a child G. Thilakavathi, born in 1952 in Kumarasamypettai village in the backward Dharmapuri region, displayed an extraordinary aptitude for academics. She was enrolled in school early. With accelerated promotions, she progressed to higher classes, rubbing shoulders with children much older than her.
At 16, her parents pulled her out of the first year of her B.A. Economics course in Auxilium College, Katpadi, and married her to a man, who turned out to be an abusive husband. Pregnant with her first child, she was subjected to domestic abuse at her matrimonial house, prompting her father to bring her back.
With a baby in hand and enduring a broken marriage at 17, Ms. Thilakavathi managed to graduate. She and her aunt, moved to Madras and rented a house in Valluvar Kottam, leaving her infant daughter in the care of her parents.
