Bangalore, Oct 15 (PTI) : The country's first woman diplomat, C B Muthamma, died at a private hospital here today following a brief illness, family sources said.
Muthamma (85) was born in a modest family at Virajpet in the hilly Kodagu district of Karnataka.
She had served as the ambassador to Hungary, the Netherlands and Ghana. She was also part of Indian diplomatic missions in several countries in Europe, Asia and Africa.
Muthamma, the first woman to enter Civil Services in 1949 after clearing UPSC examinations, opted for foreign service and was posted as Third Secretary in the Indian Embassy,Paris.
She had also served in Indian Missions in Yangon and London, besides the Pakistan Division and American Division of the Ministry of External Affairs.
The late diplomat was member of the special Non-Governmental Commission on Disarmament and Security Issues set up by Olof Palme, better known as the Palme Commission.