She was born into a family of Indian ancestry.She was educated at the University of Natal, where she was an "outspoken opponent of apartheid", and became a member of the Student Council of the Indian National Congress, which fought against anti-Indian discrimination in South Africa.
She went on to become head of the women's section, and also a member of the executive committee of the African National Congress (ANC).She married the physician Dr.
Valaydon Poonoosamy, and they settled in Mauritius in 1952.
She became a naturalized citizen, and continued her activism there within Mauritius's Labour Party.In 1975, Poonoosamy was elected a Member of Parliament, became the country's first female minister, the inaugural minister in charge of the Ministry of Women's Affairs, and helped pass laws against sex discrimination.