We have achieved some significant feats when it comes to empowering and uplifting the status of women in our society. However, it has not been a breezy ride up till here. The fruits of success that we bear today has involved the strenuous efforts of revolutionary women over the years. One such woman is Kadambini Ganguly. Not only did she pave the path for ages of women to follow but also proved to be an outstanding woman in her own era.
Kadambini Ganguly was born on 18 July 1861 to a Bengali family. It was a time when the social environment could be seen as slowly transitioning towards progression. The socio-political atmosphere was charged, with the Revolt of 1857 being the nucleus. A lot of protests and movements were in motion.
Unlike many women in her time, she was not held back from reaching out to opportunities. Her father was a staunch advocate of women’s rights and also co-founded India’s first woman rights organisation, Bhagalpur Mahila Samiti. He did not wish to deprive his daughter of the basic right to education. In a time where the education of girls was not deemed a necessity, she went on to complete her schooling and formal education. She was a student at the Banga Mahila Vidyalaya. It was a school founded by members of Brahmo Samaj who wished to see an equal society free of casteism, superstition and discrimination. They advocated the importance of education of women and also stood against sati and child marriage. Banga Mahila Vidyalaya founded by them was known for teaching those subjects which were considered “hefty” for the fragile female brains of that time. Women were ordinarily taught subjects like etiquette, needlework and housework. On the other hand, this school taught subjects like Arithmetic, Biology, Literature and Political Science.
Kadambini proved to be a top performer throughout her years of schooling. She became the first woman to clear the entrance examination for the University of Calcutta in 1878. She was given much deserved recognition and was showered with accolades by the Department of Education. She received monthly scholarship and stipend to continue her studies, however, the opportunities for further education were limited in Bengal. She always wanted to pursue medicine but due to lack of options at that time, she enrolled herself at Bethune College for a BA Degree. In 1882, Kadambini Ganguly and Chandramukhi Bose became the first women graduates of India!
She then applied to Calcutta Medical College in June 1883. The college couldn’t deny her admission because of her stellar records. However, the internalised patriarchy did show up eventually in 1887 when she was given a poor grade in one subject merely because the professors opposed the idea of female doctors. Instead of being conferred with MB (Bachelor in Medicine), the college principal, Dr. Coates offered her the GBMC degree (Graduate of Bengal Medical College). And then, Kadambini became the first woman licensed to practice medicine in India. She went on to marry the social reformer and widower, Dwarakanath Ganguly. She bore children with him and also looked after the kids from Mr. Ganguly’s previous marriage. Everyone believed that balancing her work life and domestic life would not bode well for her. Women in demanding professions such as hers were always forced to make a choice between the two. Dr. Ganguly went ahead to prove the society wrong and slammed their judgements.
Her remarkable work ethic and laurels caught the attention of Annie Besant and Florence Nightingale. She was referred to as, “a symbol that India’s freedom would uplift India’s womanhood” by the former. The latter was quoted saying, “This young lady, Mrs. Ganguly, married! after she made up her mind to become a doctor! and has had one, if not two children since. But she was absent only thirteen days for her lying-in!! and did not miss, I believe, a single lecture!!”. Well-known American historian David Kopf also wrote about her in his book The Brahmo Samaj and the Shaping of the Modern Indian Mind, “Ganguli’s wife, Kadambini, was appropriately enough the most accomplished and liberated Brahmo woman of her time”.
Kadambini joined the Lady Dufferin Women’s Hospital as a doctor but was never given the respect she deserved. She wanted to head a full ward but the British didn’t let it happen as it would place her on the same pedestal as the European doctors. She revolted but to no avail. At this time, she was also publicly humiliated in a newspaper which called her a ‘prostitute’ and questioned her doctoral qualifications. This incident proved to be a testament to the sad fact that a successful woman is associated with an immoral character, which is still quite prevalent in the current times.
Kadambini kept her chin up and took all the hardships in a stride. She went to the UK to study further. She came back with three more doctoral certifications and having earned a name for herself abroad as well. She was given the respect she deserved after bagging foreign qualifications. Dr. Ganguly then became the superintendent of Lady Dufferin Women’s Hospital and the first Indian woman to teach students at a higher- level foreign school, Campbell Medical. She started her practice of obstetrics and gynaecology. Having set milestones in the medical field, she also involved herself in the socio-politic reformative forefront. She was instrumental in the fight that sought to elevate the conditions of women coal miners in Eastern India. She became the first Indian woman to address a session of the Indian National Congress as a delegate. She was also a part of the Indian National Congress’ first ever female delegation (women who were selected to vote) in its 5th session. She became the first chair of the Transvaal Indian Association, started by Mahatma Gandhi to protest against anti-Indian legislation.
Besides all this, she is famous for solving a case of a woman with an inoperable tumour (declared so by male doctors) by diagnosing it as a healthy pregnancy! Kadambini Ganguly led a life coloured with tribulations and strife, and what makes her phenomenal is the way she dealt with all the adversities and stood her ground through it all. She has rightly been called as “A Woman of Many Firsts” for her pioneering contributions which have paved a better future for generations of women to come. On the morning of the day of her demise, she performed a complex surgery on a patient and said with pride, “They say that Dr. Ganguly has aged. If they saw the operation I did today, they wouldn’t dare make that remark!”
She may have left us but her impact on this world can never be forgotten.
Sources:
https://www.lowellmilkencenter.org/programs/projects/view/kadambini-ganguly-a-woman-of-firsts/hero
Piece By-
Aditi Kapoor
Aditi is currently pursuing her Bachelors in English (Hons.) with a minor in Psychology from Daulat Ram College, University of Delhi. She took to writing poems, articles and reading books from a very young age owing to her parents who are both avid readers. She is a coffee addict and she loves to observe people. She loves to stay in her little cocoon and would occasionally venture out when an opportunity knocks!
Amazing piece Aditiii so much informative !!!
❤❤❤💯