Physics, Chemistry or Biology, Indian Women Got it all as Scientists!

In a recent statement, India's Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, mentioned how women have to work harder—almost three times as much as men—to prove themselves for the same work and receive recognition. No doubt, a diverse country like India still faces discrimination in various fields. However, women have, time and again, proven themselves to society through their work and contributions. One such field is science, which has been dominated by men in both India and the world. Thanks to the women scientists of the country, who have made the nation proud and broken barriers.

Janaki Ammal

Janaki Ammal was the first scientist from India to receive the Padma Shri Award in 1977. When she studied Botany in the 1930s, it was considered an unconventional choice for women of that time. Ammal earned her honours degree in Botany from Presidency College in 1921 and dedicated her time to studying the relationship between chromosomes and cell behaviour in cytogenetics, a subfield of genetics that examines the geographic distribution of plant species. Later, she was appointed the Director-General of the Botanical Survey of India.

Anandibai Gopalrao Joshi

Today, the world remembers Anandibai Gopalrao Joshi as the first Indian woman physician. Born in March 1865, she is believed to have graduated with a degree in Western Medicine in the United States, which was a two-year course. It was her personal life that led her into the field; she was married at the age of nine and gave birth to a son who passed away due to the lack of healthcare. This was the turning point when, at the age of 14, she decided to become a doctor. She studied at the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1886, which was the first women’s medical programme in the world.

Asima Chatterjee

Born in September 1917, Asima Chatterjee graduated from the University of Calcutta's Scottish Church College in 1936. She held a degree in Chemistry and went on to conduct research. Her work on the development of anti-epileptic and anti-malarial medications, along with her research on vinca alkaloids (a substance derived from periwinkle with anti-cancer properties), is remarkable. She is also highly regarded for her contributions to the fields of organic chemistry and phytochemistry (chemicals derived from plants).

Kamala Sohonie

Do you know who was the first woman from India to receive a PhD in a scientific field? It was Kamala Sohonie, also the first female student of Professor C.V. Raman, who was the director at IISc. Owing to her commendable performance, Raman helped her pursue further research, and Sohonie went on to discover that every cell of plant tissue contained the enzyme ‘cytochrome C', which was involved in the oxidation of all plant cells. This discovery came as a stark contradiction, as she was initially rejected for a research fellowship at IISc simply because she was a woman!

Dr. Indira Hinduja

It was Dr Indira Hinduja who mastered the Gamete Intrafallopian Transfer (GIFT) technique and delivered India’s first GIFT baby on 4 January 1988. The gynaecologist, obstetrician, and infertility specialist, before her discovery, delivered India’s first test-tube baby at KEM Hospital on 6 August 1986. Along with this, she was also well-known for developing an oocyte donation technique for menopausal and premature ovarian failure patients.