10 Indian Women in Science!

It is heartening to know that there is an increasing number of women receiving an education in the sciences in India. Working in science has not been easy for women, with its long hours, societal biases, and the need to get married and have children in between. Let’s look at some of these women, often forgotten heroes, who have made great contributions to science and paved the way for others.

Janaki Ammal
At a time when women were regarded as ornaments of society and were confined to the four walls of their houses, Janaki Ammal certainly broke the stereotype when she pursued a career in scientific research. She was a botanist who studied cytogenetics and phytogeography. She lived in England for a few years, conducting chromosome studies on a wide range of garden plants, but soon returned to India and became the Director General of the Botanical Survey of India. She was awarded the Padma Shri in 1957.

Anandibai Joshee
Anandibai Joshee was one of the first Indian women doctors qualified to practice western medicine).
Dr. Joshee’s short life was full of hardships; her family used to be rich landlords in Kalyan, Mahasrashtra, but they lost all their riches, and she was married at age 9 to a widower 20 years her senior. She gave birth at age 14 to a son who died shortly afterwards, and she herself suffered from poor health with an undiagnosed condition that often left her exhausted with shortness of breath and constant headaches. The death of her newborn son due to inadequate medical care is what inspired her to become a physician. She was also encouraged by her husband to study medicine abroad. Dr. Joshee, MD was in the class of 1886 at the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania (which was the first women’s medical program in the world). On her return to India, she was appointed as the physician-in-charge of the female ward of the local Albert Edward Hospital in the princely state of Kolhapur.

Kalpana Chawla
was the first Indian American astronaut and first Indian woman in space. She first flew on Space Shuttlee Columbia in 1997 as a mission specialist and primary robotic arm operator. In 2003, Chawla was one of the seven crew members killed in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. She completed her earlier schooling at Tagore Baal Niketan Senior Secondary School, Karnal and completed her Bachelor of Engineering degree in Aeronautical Engineering at Punjab Engineering College at Chandigarh in 1982. She moved to the United States in 1982 where she obtained a Master of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1984. Determined to become an astronaut even in the face of the Challenger disaster, Chawla went on to earn a second Masters in 1986 and a Ph.D in aerospace engineering in 1988 from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Rajeshwari Chatterjee
Rajeshwari Chatterjee was the first woman engineer from Karnataka. In 1946, she was given a scholarship by the (then) Govt of Delhi to study abroad, and studied at th University of Michigan where she obtained her Master’s degree from the Department of Electrical Engineering. After obtaining a Ph.D degree, she returned to India and joined the Department of Electrical Communication Engineering at IISc as a faculty member where she along with her husband set up a microwave research laboratory where they did pioneering work on Microwave Engineering.

Dr. Aditi Pant
Dr. Aditi Pant is a well known oceanographer who was the first Indian woman to have visited the icy terrain of Antarctica in 1983. She was a part of the third Indian expenditure to Antarctica and received the Antarctica award along with three of her colleagues for their contributions to the project. She worked in the National Institute of Oceanography and the National Chemical Laboratory.

Charusita Chakravarty
Charusita Chakravarty has been a professor of Chemistry at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi since 1999. Born in the USA, she relinquished her U.S. citizenship and now works in India. She has won several awards for her work, most notably, the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize. She is an Associate Member of the Centre for Computational Material Science, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore.

Asima Chatterjee
Asima Chatterjee was an Indian chemist noted for her work in the fields of organic chemistry and phytochemistry (chemicals derived from plants). Her most notable work includes research on vinca alkaloids (derived from the periwinkle that is known for its anti-cancer properties), and the development of anti-epileptic and anti-malarial drugs. She also authored a considerable volume of work on medicinal plants of the Indian subcontinent.

Dr Indira Hinduja
Dr. Indira Hinduja M.D., Ph.D. is an Indian gynaecologist, obstetrician and infertility specialist based in Mumbai. She pioneered the Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) technique resulting in the birth of India’s first GIFT baby on 4 January 1988. Previously she delivered India’s s first test tube baby at KEM Hospital on August 6, 1986.  She is also credited for developing an oocyte donation technique for menopausal and premature ovarian failure patients, giving the country’s first baby out of this technique on 24 January 1991

Dr. Suman Sahai
Sahai obtained a Ph.D from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in 1975. She then successively worked at the University of Alberta, University of Chicago,  and the University of Heidelberg,  where she obtained her habilitation in human genetics.  According to the Web of Science, , Sahai has published over 40 articles, mostly on policy issues relating to genetically modified organisms, which have been cited over 150 times, giving her an h-index of 7. She is director of the NGO,  Gene Campaign

Dr Sunetra Gupta
is a  Professor of Theoretical Epidemiology at the University of Oxford with an interest in infectious disease agents that are responsible for malaria, HIV, influenza and bacterial meningitis.. Gupta is currently Professor of Theoretical Epidemiology in the Department of Zoology at the University of Oxford. She sits on the European Advisory Board of Princeton University Press. She has been awarded the Scientific Medal by the Zoological Society of London and the Royal Society Rosalind Franklin Award for her scientific research. Her novels have been awarded the Sahitya Academy Award, the Southern Arts Literature Prize, shortlisted for the Crossword Award, and longlisted for the Orange Prize. Gupta’s portrait was on display during the prestigious Royal Society’s Summer Science Exhibition along with leading female scientist such as Madame Curie in July 2013

(source: Wikipedia)

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Your days are numbered

It’s January 26. Write a post in which the number 26 plays a role.
Photographers, artists, poets: show us NUMBERS.

                   (Pic:  rediff.com)

26th January is celebrated as Republic day in India – the day when India’s constitution came into existence in 1950.

This day evokes strong memories for me. I loved to watch the republic day parades, floats and displays of air crafts, battle tanks and missiles. The air show by the Indian Air force is the main attraction. The march past by the army, airforce, police, border security is majestic to watch and the shows by school children adds colour and splendour to the show.

India’s military might, its multi-hued cultural heritage and the nation’s achievements in various fields were on display today at Rajpath, the ceremonial boulevard in the heart of Delhi, as the nation celebrated its 65th Republic Day amid tight security

Other interesting posts in this category:
1) http://passionatelybored.wordpress.com/2014/01/26/the-26-letters/
2) http://bzzybz.wordpress.com/2014/01/26/26-twenty-six/
3) http://aballofgoof.wordpress.com/2014/01/27/tdp-your-days-are-numbered-26/
4) http://vannillarock.wordpress.com/2014/01/26/numbers-26365/
5) http://swordfishradio.wordpress.com/2014/01/26/daily-prompt-your-days-are-numbered-26/

On Cloud Nine

During my recent trip to India my daughter tried to capture some pictures from the flight of the clouds.  It was a wonderful feeling flying over the clouds.   We were literally ‘On Cloud nine’, excited to be able to spend some time bonding with our family in India.

 

 

 

 

2012 – A flashback

Many events have shaped the year gone by.  The world witnessed the London Olympics, Spain winning  the Euro Cup, Felix Baumgartner’s supersonic skyfall, the US Presidential election, catastrophes like floods in Manila and hurricane Sandy in the US.

The Arab Spring and the Israel-Gaza conflict continued to dominate the Middle-eastern news.  In Asia, the East and South China Sea dispute has drawn a lot of countries into the conflict and it triggered a spat between Japan and China which could hurt economic ties in future.

In entertainment, Gangnam style a video featuring Psy the K-pop star from Korea garnered more than a billion views on Youtube. The world lost people like Whitney Houston, Neil Armstrong, Ravi Shankar, Gore Vidal, Stephen Covey etc.  Indian celebrities like Rajesh Khanna, Yash Chopra, I.K. Gujral ex-PM, A.K. Hangal, Verghese Kurien, Thilakan , Bal Thackeray and Jaspal Bhatti also left us.

The year also witnessed the opening up of Myanmar after decades of isolation and the visit by US President Obama to the region.

In India, Pranab Mukherjee was elected 13th President of India,  Narendra Modi wins third consecutive assembly election in  Gujarat and Sachin Tendulkar quits ODI cricket.

You can witness some of these events in the video below:

(courtesy: Google)

India – A celebration of life!

The majestic Himalayas
kiss the azure skies
And the Ganges flow down
Blessing the land below

Bruised and bloodied
By ruthless conquerors
She stood her ground
Strong and resilient

Vibrant and chaotic
With an energy that awakens
Exotic and colourful
India – a celebration of life!

The blare of horns
The maze of daily traffic
The muezzins call
and temple chants

A creative burst
A dizzying plethora
A dazzling confluence
Of cultures and tradition

Dances and drumbeats
A riot of colours
Lights and sounds
Its festival time

A land of saints and sages
Who meditated in solitude
Seeking truth and knowledge
To free the world from ignorance

As the sun sets
The crowds disperse
And at the street-corner
A little boy greets you with a smile!

 

© copyright skm, 9th May 2012

India win Cricket World Cup 2011 – after 28 years

A  glorious new chapter has been scripted in cricketing history when India lifted the World Cup 2011 today.  All the team members wanted to dedicate the cup to Sachin Tendulkar.

SriLanka opted to bat first after winning the toss.  The highlight of the SriLanka innings was a brilliant 103 not out by Mahela Jayawardene.  SriLanka put up a total of 274/6.  The match was nerve-wrecking with many exciting moments.

A brilliant and gusty 97 from Gautam Gambhir, Kohli’s 35 and a captains innings from MS Dhoni (91 not out)were the highlight of the Indian innings after the openers Sehwag and Tendulkar were out to Malingas bowling.  Victory was sealed  by 6 wickets with 10 balls to spare.  Dhoni who had promoted himself up the order hit 2 consecutive boundaries off the bowling of Lasith Malinga when 15 runs were needed from 17 deliveries.

The tense crowd at the Wankhede stadium erupted in wild celebrations as Dhoni hit the winning six runs of Kulasekaras bowling  to give India their biggest cricketing moment.

This victory will long be remembered as it is after 28 long years that India has been able to achieve this feat!   The team mates lifted Sachin  as celebrations began.  It was also a fitting farewell to coach Gary Kirsten.

(Picture courtesy: NDTV, Zeenews)

Cricket World Cup – India, Sri Lanka eye second title!

All roads lead to Wankhede today for the cricket world cup finale!  Who will win the cup this year? Will it be India or Sri Lanka? This is India’s best chance to win the world cup! Muralitharan and Nehra are unlikely to play today.  A keen contest is on the cards and hoping that the Indian team puts up a good show today!

With favourites India looking to win the trophy for the first time since 1983, newspapers summed up the mood of expectation, with many focusing on whether local hero Sachin Tendulkar could secure a victory on his home ground.

(Source: Hindustan times.com)

So its an India vs Srilanka final!

So, yesterday turned out to be a really high pressure , adrenaline pumping semi-final.  What with all the bollywood celebrities, the Indian PM, the Pakistani PM, Sonial Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and the list of celebrities go on. ..  All roads led to Mohali and the bookies must have made a lot of money!

India put in to bat started off in great style.  Sehwag was at his best and managed a quick-fire 38 runs.  Sachin had a record number of 4 lives which helped him to reach 85.  It was not one of his great innings but what mattered is that it was important for India.  Raina also played a very useful innings of 36 not out to help India to reach 260/9.

The Pakistan top order gave them some hope. Mohammad Hafeez made 43 before Munaf  got Hafeez out caught behind. After Asad Shafiq’s wicket the  Mohali crowd came alive.  He made 30 runs. After that it was difficult for Pakistan to recover. They could only manage 231 and India won the match by 29 runs.

This time the fielding as well as the bowling of Nehra and Patel  worked  for India.
Overall, it was a great team effort and the Pakistan fielding also contributed to our win.
Now, we are all set to take on the Lankans at Wankhede!
Good luck India! to win the world cup (and the extra perks of watching Poonam Pandey fulfil her promise!)

India vs Pakistan – The final before the final

In yesterdays quarter-final, India ended Australia’s 12-year reign as world champions with a five-wicket win in Ahmedabad. Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Gambhir and Sachin chipped in with nice contributions and it was a team-effort. In the other quarter-final, Pakistan vanquished the Windies.

Now, the stage is all set for what is being termed as ‘the final before the final’ as Team India sets up a clash with perennial rivals Pakistan in the semi-final of the ongoing ICC World Cup 2011. India, and their neighbours, Pakistan, battle against each other on March 30 in Mohali.

Tickets for the near-28,000 capacity stadium were sold out in a record day-and-a-half, with PCA officials claiming that 16,500 tickets were sold and the remainder were sold to ICC, who in turn would be issuing tickets to its guests and officials.

India and Pakistan have played each other four times in past world cups and each time India has emerged victorious against their fiercest rivals. Proceedings in the matches themselves have been nothing short of hugely entertaining and even now images of the clash in 1996 when Pakistani opener Aamir Sohail carted two successive boundaries off Venkatesh Prasad, showing him the bat and then Prasad clean bowling him off the very next delivery still come to mind.

‘India v Pakistan in semi-finals – it doesn’t get better. A World Cup hosted by the sub-continental nations and India and Pakistan making it to the semis,’ said India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

‘There will be more pressure on the Indian side and it will be from outside. People will say ‘win the semis, we don’t care about the final’.

Pakistan coach Waqar Younis said it will be ‘awesome’ to take on India for a place in the final at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on April 2.

‘There is no bigger rivalry in the game than that. We have not played each other in our own country in recent years,’ he said.

Source: Times of India & AFP

Great start by Team India! Way to go

 

 

 

Today’s match saw great batting displays by Virendar Sehwag (Nawab of Najafgarh) – a great knock of 175 (14 fours & 5 sixes) and Virat Kohli 100 not out (8 fours & 4 sixes) and an also good bowling display by Munaf Patel (10-0-48-4).  Bangladesh did try to put up a good fightback and ended on 283/9.  It is easy to put the blame squarely on Sreesanth (5-0-53-0) but it would be wiser not to forget his aggressive bowling against South Africa in the recent series.

India put up a mammoth total of 370 for 4 that was out of  reach but  Imrul Kayes (34), Tamim Iqbal (70) and Shakib (55) put up a tough fight.

This match has been a very good practice match for both teams and Bangladesh will go into the rest of the matches with greater confidence and as for India a win in their first world cup match sets the tone for the rest of the matches.  Go India! Now take on England with the same vengeance!