Eleven chairs in the names of female scientists will be established at institutes across India to honour their contribution in the field of science, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani said on February 28.

In a series of tweets, Irani said the decision has been made on the occasion of National Science Day. She said these 11 chairs will not only honour and recognise female scientists’ contribution to the field of science but also inspire women and encourage greater participation of young girls in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

Here’s a brief look at the lives of the 11 female scientists who have been honoured.

Archana Sharma (cytogeneticist)

Born in 1932, Archana Sharma contributed to the study of chromosomes by evolving a new technique of chromosome visualisation. Her much appreciated work is the book entitled Chromosome Techniques: Theory and Practice. Her research and findings on chromosomal study on flowering plants showed a new way of classification. A recipient of the Padma Bhushan, Archana was also the founding editor of Nucleus, an international journal on cytology and allied topics. A chair in her name will be established in any institute of Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) to encourage research activity in this area.

Janaki Ammal (botanist)

Every time we take sugar, Janaki Ammal lives on in spirit because her research is what added that extra bit of sweetness to sugar. Her notable work is the development of a sweeter variety of sugarcane. After receiving a D.Sc from the University of Michigan as the first Oriental Fellow in 1931, Ammal joined the John Innes Horticultural Institute in London in 1940. In 1951, she returned to India and served as the director general of the Botanical Survey of India. There is a small flowered variety of the magnolia plant named after her: the Magnolia Kobus Janaki Ammal. A recipient of the Padma Shri, Ammal died in 1984 at the age of 87 in Chennai. A chair in the field of biotechnology is a tribute to her contribution.

Darshan Ranganathan (organic chemist)

Darshan Ranganathan was known for reproducing natural bio-chemical processes in the laboratory. She was a specialist in designing proteins to hold a wide variety of different conformations and designing nanostructure using self-assembling peptides. As an organic chemist from India, she was known for her work in bio-organic chemistry, including pioneering work in protein folding. As deputy director at IICT, Hyderabad, she was also recognised for her work in supramolecular assemblies, molecular design, chemical simulation for key biological processes and synthesis of nanotubes. A chair in her name will be established in the field of immunology at several institutes to honour her work for reproducing natural biochemical processes. She died in 2001. 

Asima Chatterjee (chemist)

Known for her work in the fields of organic chemistry and phytomedicine, Asima Chatterjee was the first woman to receive a doctorate of science from an Indian university in 1944. She also authored a considerable volume of work on medicinal plants of the Indian subcontinent. In 1961, she became the first woman to be awarded the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize. Her work led to the development of an epilepsy drug called Ayush-56 and several anti-malarial drugs. A chair will be established in her name in the area of phytomedicine. She died in 2006. 

Kadambini Ganguly (physician)

Breaking several myths, Kadambini Ganguly practised as an independent physician in the 19th century. She graduated in western medicine from Calcutta Medical College in 1886 and became one of the first two women in India to be eligible to practice medicine, the other being Anandi Gopal Joshi. Kadambini earned three licentiate PG diplomas in medicine and surgery from colleges in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dublin. Apart from being a practising doctor, she also participated in India’s freedom struggle. Her notable societal contribution was her involvement to improve the conditions of female coal miners in eastern India. She died in 1923.

Irawati Karve (anthropologist)

Irawati Karve was a stalwart of Indian sociology at a time when it had just been institutionalised in the country. In 1930, she was awarded the D.Phil degree for outstanding research in anthropology by the University of Berlin. In 1939, Karve was appointed as the head of the department of sociology and anthropology at the Deccan College of PG Research Institute of Pune. Karve’s study on the kinship organisation in India revolutionised and simplified future research on the subject. She used language patterns and geographical divisions to study the variations in kinship structures across the country. Her prominent work Yuganta: The End of a Epoch, is a historical rendering of the Mahabharata. The characters are not treated as fictional, instead their circumstances and actions are explained using socio-political cues. Yuganta was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award for Marathi in 1968, making Karve the first female author from Maharashtra to receive it. She died in 1970. A chair will be established in her name in social sciences institutes.

Anna Mani (meteorologist)

Anna Mani’s passion for climate science made her take remarkable ventures. She worked with Sir C.V. Raman for her doctoral thesis from 1940 to 45. She joined the India Meteorological Department in 1948 and developed the programme to make India self-sufficient in designing and manufacturing its own weather instruments. She was responsible for organising wind speed instruments at over 700 sites using state-of-art equipment round the year. Internationally, Mani had several key positions within the World Meteorological Organisation. An elected member of the Commission for Instruments and Methods of Observation advisory group, she published two books - The Handbook for Solar Radiation Data for India and Solar Radiation over India - that became landmark publications. She started a company in the industrial suburbs of Bengaluru that made precision instruments to measure solar radiation and wind speed. She died in 2001. 

Raman Parimala (mathematician)

Known for her contributions to algebra, Raman Parimala achieved many firsts in the field of mathematics, including the first example of nontrivial quadratic space over an affine plane - an achievement that is said to have surprised experts in the field. She is a PhD holder from the University of Mumbai and was the arts & science distinguished professor of mathematics at Emory University and professor at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. She has been a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Indian National Sciences Academy and American Mathematical Society. She received the Srinivasa Ramanujan Birth Centenary Award and TWAS Prize for Mathematics. A chair in her name may inspire young girls to pursue mathematics.

Bibha Chowdhuri (physicist)

Bibha Chowdhuri was the first female researcher selected by Homi Bhabha to join the newly established Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in 1949. The pioneering Indian physicist who discovered a subatomic particle in the 1940s later found a place among the stars when a distant celestial body was named after. Bibha demonstrated that the density of penetrating events is proportional to the total particle density of an extensive air shower. She was also involved in the Kolar gold mine experiments. She died in 1991. 

Kamal Ranadive (medicine)

A biomedical researcher, Kamal Ranadive is known for her research in cancer and viruses. She was a founding member of the Indian Women Scientists’ Association (IWSA). Kamal worked with the Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital in Mumbai, which later became a cancer research centre. A chair will be established in her name in the field of biomedical research. She died in 2001. 

Rajeshwari Chatterjee (engineer)

The first female engineer from Karnataka, Rajeshwari Chatterjee’s contribution encouraged many women to join engineering. Just a month before India attained independence, she travelled to the US and received her Masters and PhD from the Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Michigan. She was a professor and later chairperson of the Department of Electro-communication Engineering at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, where she taught electromagnetic theory, electron tube circuits and microwave technology. Rajeshwari received the Mountbatten Prize from the Institute of Electrical and Radio Engineering in the UK. A chair in her name will be established in engineering institutes. She died in 2010. 

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