Sunday Special: 160th Birthday of India's First Female Doctor - Dr Kadambini Ganguly

On the 160th birthday of India's very first female doctor – Dr. Kadambini Ganguly, Google presented a doodle honouring her life and work on its national homepage.

We at the Su-Niti News would like to pay our tribute and bow down to the great lady through our "Sunday Special" who not just paved way for involvement of women in medical sector but also empowered them in every way possible. Thus Dr Kadambini can be considered as one of the First Feminist Ladies in India.

Who is the Artist of Today's Google Doodle?

The Google doodle has been designed by Bengaluru-based artist Oddrija, who said that representing the young, spirited woman who was a frontrunner in her contribution to medical infrastructure in India, is a "proud moment for a Bengali".

"In the year of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have seen how medical infrastructure and doctors have been hailed as heroes and heroes for becoming the saviors the world needs," Oddrija said. "Looking back in time, Kadambini Ganguly was a frontrunner in her contribution to medical infrastructure in India with her indomitable spirit and inquisitiveness that landed her a triple diploma in her studies in Western Medicine."

Know the medical pioneer – Dr Kadambini Ganguly:

Born on July 18, 1861, Dr Ganguly was the first woman to gain admission to the Calcutta Medical College in 1884, an exceptional triumph by the late 19th-century standards since the institution was almost exclusively attended by men at the time.

Pioneering a successful medical practice in India, Dr Kadambini is often confused with Anandibai Joshi who was supposed to become a doctor but Joshi's career was cut short by her untimely death early in 1887, at the age of 21. Both, Ganguly and Joshi obtained their degrees in medicine back in 1886. While Ganguly graduated from Calcutta Medical College, Joshi obtained her degree from Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania in the US. Kadambini's graduation ceremony was attended by the Great Bengali noble laureate Ishwar Chandra Vidya Sagar.

A Symbol of Women’s Liberation

Kadambini Ganguly graduated in 1886, a good eight years before Rukhmabai Raut qualified as a physician. In the process, Ganguly also became the first Indian woman to obtain a graduate degree (BA).

In 1886, Dr Ganguly became the first practising lady physicians in South Asia trained in European medicine. Three years later, she was the first woman to be on the dais of an Indian National Congress session. In 1892, Ganguly went to the United Kingdom (UK) and obtained further training from Dublin, Glasgow, and Edinburgh. On returning, she joined the Lady Dufferin Hospital in Kolkata, kickstarting her career as a gynaecologist. There, she continued to practise till the day she breathed her last on October 3, 1923.

Kadambini Ganguly paved the way for women's liberation at a time when the cultural and social discourse was dominated by men. She was the second wife of Dwarakanath Ganguly ("Abala Bandhab" meaning friend of the helpless, especially women), a prominent Brahmo Samaj leader, Teacher and Journalist who lost his first wife a few years before he tied the knot with her. Dwarkanath's contribution in supporting Kadambini had played a Great role in achievements.

Curated by Arth Chakraborty