The Contribution Of Women In Science
“I measure the progress of a community with the degree of progress women have achieved.”
- Dr. B.R. Ambedkar
We as a society have evolved a lot, from being the foundational part of society to being the pinnacle of it. There have always been instances that proved to everyone again and again that women are actually more capable than men.
The 21st century is indeed a progressive one in that we’re not just talking about women but are also empowering them. However, there was a time when women did not have their own voice. There was a time when women in science were burned alive in the name of witchcraft.
Despite the subliminal domination of the male counterpart, women have always managed to provide everything for the betterment of the world. The story was similar but quite different for the women in India.
Having been born in the land of knowledge and a place female are considered the origin of life, they really have to carve their way to the top. Contributing in every field, the field of science is a stream their contribution has been recognized the most.
The contribution of these women has been so influential that it is still inspiring the generations of today. Bringing such stories of Indian Women who contributed to changing society into what it is today, here are the lesser-known gems of Indian women in science.
- Irawati Karve:
Anthropology, a scientific realm of studies that are deemed to be more complex than anticipated. Irawati Karve carving the way all the way to the top, became the first female Anthropologist in the male-dominated Indian society. Her multidimensional works comprise philosophy and storytelling. She was awarded the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award for Marathi in 1968 for the book, “Yuganta”, giving her a prominent position as the first female author in the state. While inspiring every female author in Maharashtra and India.
- Bibha Chowdhuri:
Made her way to the stars while staying on the Earth, and Bibha Chowdhuri literally did that. Her contributions to elementary particle physics and cosmic rays led to the foundation for early research space study. Furthermore, she was the only girl in her class during her master’s studies in Physics in 1934 and alone was enough to stand out because of her skills. Accomplished her Post-graduation from Calcutta University and then made her life revolve around research projects in Physics. To award her contribution and efforts in Physics, a star was named after her ‘Bibha’, which is 340 light-years away from the Earth.
- ·Rajeshwari Chatterjee:
The first female Indian engineer who revolutionized technology during the early days. The upbringing by Rajeshwari Chatterjee marked the revolution of education, especially in the field of engineering. She further went for a Master’s program in mathematics to attain detailed insights into engineering aspects. Working in the field of microwave engineering, she was bestowed with diverse awards recognition, including the Mountbatten Prize, J.C. Bose Memorial price, and Ramlal Wadhwa Award for her distinguished research and teaching work, as she was the only female faculty in the Indian Institute of Science at the Department of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers.
- Kadambini Ganguly:
The need for a gynaecologist in today’s world is quite crucial. Basically, moving away from tradition and following modern techniques for giving birth was a task in India. That is the reason the contribution of Kadambini Ganguly cannot be compared with anything else. Apart from that, she was one of the first women to gain a formal degree in India. The college degree made her move ahead on the path of medicinal practice. She was the first Indian woman to practice medicine in India. She led her life to serve as a medical practitioner till the age of 61 years. Her medicinal practices and the proficiency to help diverse humans with her medicinal insight. Other than scientific achievements, she posed as the first speaker of the Indian National Congress.
- Shakuntala Devi
Popularly known by the name “The Human Computer” for her extraordinary talent to perform numerous complex calculations in seconds. Her name today is well known all across the world. Shakuntala Devi also holds the record in Guinness Book of world records for the Fastest Human Computation, ultimately giving her the name “The Human Computer”. Her successful computation of two arbitrary 13-digit numbers in just 28 seconds at Imperial College London. Her strengths and command in numbers made her try out her hands over the Astrology, which also earned her decent fame in the stream. She also wrote books involving mathematical tricks and puzzles, strands about super memory and mathematical abilities.
While women are helping each other empower and rise to the top as equals with their male counterparts, their involvement in the IT industry or the global workforce is relatively less. While this growing industry is making significant progress in providing equal opportunities for both males and females, somewhere, the traditional approach is restricting them from making a mark in the industry.
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