INDIAN WOMEN PIONEERS IN STEM FIELD
To mark the achievements of women in different fields the Women’s day is celebrated across the world. The dates differ from country to country. In India Dr. Sarojini Naidu’s birthday is celebrated as national women’s day to recognize the powerful contribution of Indian women. However, the United Nations officially started celebrating international women’s day on March 8th since 1977. The year 2021 marks 44th international Women’s day, celebrating the glory of women achievers across the globe.
The main aim of Women’s day is to promote gender equality, and to make women aware of their rights and opportunities so that more and more women can come forward and make contribution to the society on par to men.
When it comes to achievement, women of India from age old times have contributed in all walks of life in their own way and the STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics is no exception. Today on the occasion of 44th International women’s day I take the honor to highlight some of the pioneering women in the field of STEM.
Kamala Sohonie (18/06/1911–28/06/1998) is the first Indian woman on whom “the title of PhD degree was conferred”. She was also the first woman to receive the doctorate from foreign university in a scientific discipline. Her research work related to the study of cytochrome C in respiration of plant tissue, bagged her the PhD degree in the field of biochemistry from the renowned Cambridge University in 1939. Kamala Sohonie had a big educative background. Her father and her uncles were biochemists and were working in Indian Institute of Science (IISC) Bangalore. Sohonie following her family tradition completed her bachelor’s degree in the year 1933 in chemistry from Bombay University and applied for master’s program with fellowship at IISC. Her fellowship was rejected because she was a woman. Kamala responded to the rejection by holding a ‘satyagraha’ outside the IISC office till her fellowship was granted. Thus, becoming the first woman to get fellowship in Indian Institute of Science. She completed her masters in 1936. She received the prestigious Rashtrapati award by Dr. Rajendra Prasad for her contribution in the study of nutritional benefits of ‘Neera’ which was consumed basically by poor Indians. This work was done by her and her students at Royal Institute of Science, Bombay. Where she was appointed as the professor and head of the biochemistry department. Most of her work was focused towards the study of finding nutritive values of food items such as pulses, paddy, etc. consumed mostly by poor Indian people. Kamala Sohonie has received many honors and awards some of them are- National Award of Excellence and Contribution to Science in 1997. She was elected as the Assistant Director of the Nutrition Research Lab, Coonoor where she did research on Vitamins. Kamala was an active member of the Consumer Guidance Society of India (CGSI). She was elected President of the CGSI for the 1982–83 period and she also authored several articles on consumer safety for the organizational magazine called ‘Keemat’. She breathed last during her felicitation ceremony organized by Indian Council of Medical Research for immense contribution in the field of biochemistry.
Rajeshwari Chatterjee (24/01/1922–03/09/20210) was the first woman who started elecelectromagnetic theory, electron tube circuits, microwave technology in India. She has the honor of being the first engineer from Karnataka. She completed her BSc. Honors and MSc. Honors in mathematics from Mysore University and was the university topper. She received Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar Award and M.T. Narayana Iyengar Prize and the Walters Memorial Prize for securing first rank in BSc. And MSc. Respectively. In 1946, she was selected as a “bright student” by the Government of Delhi to pursue PhD in foreign university. Rajeshwari opted for Michigan University, The USA. In 1953, after obtaining her PhD degree, she returned to India and became a faculty member at the IISc Department of Electrical Communication Engineering, later saying that she taught “electromagnetic theory, electron tube circuits, microwave technology, and radio engineering. She has contributed many research articles in the field of electrical communication engineering and has authored many books. She is a proud recipient of Mountbatten prize for the best paper from the Institute of Electrical and Radio Engineering (UK), J.C Bose Memorial prize for the best research paper from the Institution of Engineers and Ramlal Wadhwa Award for the best research and teaching work from the Institute of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers. Few of the books authored by her are- Elements of Microwave Engineering, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: The Whole World Is But One Family: Real Stories of Some Women and Men of India, Antennas for Information Super Skyways: An Exposition on Outdoor and Indoor Wireless Antenna etc.
Ayyalasomayajula Lalitha (27/08/1919 -12/10/1979) is recognized as the first woman engineer of India she completed her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from CEG-College of Engineering Guindy in 1943 where she was the only girl studying electrical engineering. After graduation, Lalitha worked at Central Standards Organization, Shimla and helped her father research smokeless ovens and the Jelectromonium (an electrical musical instrument). She served as a technical assistant in the Indian Government’s Office of the Electrical Commissioner in Indian Railways. In 1948, Lalitha joined a British firm Associated Electrical Industries (AEI) in Calcutta and worked on the largest dam in India, Bhakra Nangal Dam project as an Engineer. In 1953 she was selected as associate member of London’s Council of the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) and in 1966 she became the life time member. A. Lalitha was the only female engineer from India who had the honor of attending the First International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientist (ICWES) in New York in 1964 and served as the Organizing Committees’ India representative for the Second International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientist (ICWES) held in Cambridge in July 1967. The girl who became a widow at the age of 17, who might have died along with the pyre of her husband chose the path of education and set landmarks of success inspiring millions of women engineers in India and around the world.
Tekkath Amayankottukurussi Kalathil Sarasvati a.k.a T. A. Sarasvathi Amma (26 December 1918–15 August 200) was a renowned mathematical scholar of India born in Cherpulassery, Palakkad District, Kerala. She has contributed to the fields of history of Mathematics and Sanskrit, through her work on Geometry of ancient and medieval India. She did her BSc. from Madras University with mathematics and physics as subjects and obtained an M.A. degree in Sanskrit from Banaras Hindu University. Her knowledge and interest in Mathematics and Sanskrit made her to pursue her research in Vedic mathematics. Her guide was Dr. V. Raghavan, an eminent Sanskrit scholar. Her doctoral thesis on “Geometry in Ancient and Medieval India” submitted to Ranchi University, 1964 is considered a significant event in the study of the history of Indian mathematics. However, another 15 years passed (due to various reasons) before her thesis was finally published in book form as Geometry in Ancient and Medieval India (Delhi, 1979). However she was the first woman from Bihar university (at that time Ranchi was in Bihar) to get the PhD degree in Mathematics. Like the History of Hindu Mathematics Parts I and II, the presentation of Sarasvati’s research on ancient and medieval Indian geometry, is topic-wise. The coverage is quite thorough and comprehensive. A more detailed treatment of quadrilaterals, triangles and circles is not available elsewhere. And this work is considered as the landmark contribution in the field of geometry. She served as the principal of the Shree Shree Lakshmi Narain Trust Mahila Mahavidyalaya (Women’s College), Dhanbad, from 1973 to about 1980. In her honour, the Kerala Mathematical Association organizes, in its annual conference, a Prof. T.A. Sarasvati Amma Memorial Lecture.
Dr. UMMESALMA M
Assistant Professor
Department of Computer Science
CHRIST (Deemed to be University)
Bengaluru-560029
