100 years on, Mumbai's Sydenham College to honour Yasmin: Asia’s first woman commerce graduate

Mumbai's Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics will mark the centenary of Yasmin Khurshedji Surveyor’s graduation by unveiling her statue and launching a scholarship in her name on August 18. Surveyor, who became Asia’s first woman to earn a commerce degree in 1925, went on to become the first female employee at the Central Bank of India.

A ₹20-lakh endowment, jointly funded by the college and the Central Bank of India, will support the scholarship. The award will grant ₹1 lakh annually to the best-performing female commerce student at Sydenham College.

Surveyor faced significant resistance when applying to the then all-boys college, eventually securing admission through a court case. With the support of Dr B.R. Ambedkar, then a lecturer at the college, and the principal, she completed her degree and inspired future generations of women in commerce. 

In 1926, Surveyor became the first woman to join the Central Bank of India, one of the earliest institutions to employ women in clerical roles. She worked there for 35 years before joining the Tata Trusts, where she served until the age of 81.

The college will host a special programme on August 18 to celebrate her 100th graduation anniversary. The programme will feature notable alumni, including playback singer Sanjeevani Bhelande and Dilnavaz Variava, among the first three women to earn a postgraduate degree from IIM Ahmedabad in the 1964-66.