Anandi Joshi
Anandi Joshi’s (1865–1887) life is a story of remarkable grit, determination & relentless effort of how she went on to become the 1st Indian woman to receive a degree in western medicine.
Featuring artwork by Arghya Manna & words by Dr. Sumbul Jawed Khan. Set in motion by Dr. Radhika Patnala.
The 19th century was a phase of social & political transformation in colonial India. On one hand it was a time of increasing discontent with the British rule culminating into the initiation of Independence movement in 1857. It was also a period that saw remarkable social & educational reforms introduced by the British- including making English the primary medium of instruction & increased emphasis on higher education by establishing major universities, such as Bombay, Calcutta & Madras. It was in these tumultuous times of national awakening that Anandi Joshi (also known as Anandibai Gopalrao Joshi),was born.
Early Years — A Comfortable Upbringing.
Upon her birth on 31 March 1865 she was named Yamuna, after the holy river. Her parents Gunputrao Amritaswar Joshee & Gungabai Joshee came from a long lineage of wealthy landlord family in Kalyan of Bombay Presidency, whose wealth was now waning. There is not enough documentation about Anandi’s childhood, except from what can be gleaned from her biography by Caroline Healey Dall. Anandi was the sixth of 10 children, & had 4 brothers (only two of which survived) & five sisters. Her father was particularly fond of her, as she was a bright child with an inquisitive mind. Being an educated man himself, Gunputrao assured that his daughter was taught Marathi in a school established in a part of their mansion.
As was common practice she was married at a tender age of 9, to Gopalrao Joshi, a 29 year old widower who worked as a postal clerk in the same city. Being the doting father that he was, Gunputrao gifted heirloom items, jewelry & even sacred household Gods as wedding present to his daughter. After marriage her husband named her ‘Anandibai’ (which means ‘Joy of my heart’). Gopalrao was man ahead of his times with reformist ideas & had married Anandibai on the condition that he would be allowed to educate his wife.
The making of ‘Anandibai’ — Beginning of a Journey
Gopalrao was a progressive thinker who championed for women’s education & wanted Anandi to learn English & Sanskrit. Soon after their marriage they moved to Alibaug, then to Kutch, Serampore & Calcutta (now Kolkata). Gopalrao took keen interest in her education & started teaching Anandi at home. This became a part of an unconventional lifestyle that was often frowned upon, even when Gopalrao would take his wife for an evening stroll it was considered breaking societal norms. He even tried to enroll Anandi in a missionary school, but did not succeed. Despite being the supportive husband, Gopalrao had his flaws. He was a strict teacher & would sometimes resort to beating if Anandi slacked in her studies.
A tragedy in 1878 became a critical turning point in Anandi’s life. When Anandi was 14 years old, she gave birth to a son. Sadly, the baby did not survive beyond ten days. Anandi realized that she was not comfortable around the attending male physician, & she suffered more during pregnancy because there were no native female doctors. The pain of loss of the child was immense, but Anandi resolved that she would become a doctor herself. . Higher education of women was uncommon in the conservative Hindu society, & to become a professional woman was unheard of. Gopalrao nevertheless avowed to send Anandi to the United States for medical education. This attracted even more criticism from the people around them. But Gopalrao’s vision was to set the bright Anandi as an example for womenfolk to have a role beyond household chores, for which he strongly fought against societal pressures & intense objections of an orthodox Hindu society.
Help from Unexpected Quarters
In an attempt to garner further support, in 1880 Gopalrao wrote to a missionary friend Rev. Wilder from New Jersey, presenting his case of a persecuted couple that wanted to move to the U.S. for education. The missionary proposed that the couple converted to Christianity before coming to the U.S, which was unacceptable to them. As a result his plea was dismissed. . Wilder however published Gopalrao’s letter & the missionaries’ response in the Princeton Missionary Review that led to some unexpected developments. Mrs. Theodicia Carpenter of Roselle, New Jersey, read the letter when she was idly going through the missionary publication while waiting in her dentist’s office. She was deeply moved by the letter & replied back to the Joshi’s offering her help & willingness to host Anandi at her residence during her stay.
Mrs. Carpenter turned out to be a guardian angel for Anandi. What ensued was a strong bond between Mrs. Carpenter & Anandi through a series of correspondences between them. In the letters they discussed about various topics, as Mrs. Carpenter had no idea about Indian culture, Anandi wrote to her describing Indian customs & religious traditions. Anandi referred to Mrs. Carpenter as ‘aunt’ or ‘mawashi’ & considered herself her niece, even signing her letters that way. The letters give rare insight into Anandi’s thoughtful mind, her eloquence & paints a picture of the social conditions around her.
When Anandi applied to the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania, it was met with severe condemnation from her neighbors. Some would even throw stones & spit at her when she would walk with her books. In order to put all controversy to rest Anandi made a well-publicized public address at the Serampore College in 1883 on the subject of “My future visit in America & public inquiries regarding it”.
She stated during the address:
“We must try. Never mind whether we are victorious or victims. Manu has divided people into three classes. The meanest are those who never attempt anything for fear of failure. Those who begin, & are disheartened by the first obstacles, come next, but those who begin, & persevere through failure & obstacles, are those who win.”
Her words were well received & after publication of her speech, support started pouring in. Even the Viceroy sent 200 rupees as financial support.
New Life in a Foreign Land
Finally, in 1883, at age 19 Anandi set sail from Calcutta (now Kolkata) to New York on a four month long journey. Two missionary women accompanied her, as Gopalrao was unable to join due to lack of funds. Upon reaching the U.S. she was received by Mrs. Carpenter, & Anandi spent the summer with her family in Roselle before starting her college in October of the same year at the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania. Even during her time at the medical college she constantly wrote to Mrs. Carpenter, who became her local guardian in a foreign land.
Anandi’s sweet temperament & brightness impressed everyone, & she soon made many friends. She had to adapt her traditional Marathi attire to the local environmental conditions, but she maintained her traditional Hindu lifestyle. However, the harsh weather conditions & inadequate nutrition due to her vegetarianism took a toll on her health & she started to remain sick.
Anandi finished her medical degree in 1886 with a thesis on the topic “Obstetrics among the Aryan Hindoos”. Two family members, Gopalrao & her cousin sister Pandita Ramabai, a social reformer, attended her convocation. Newspapers published her achievement as the first Hindu woman from India to receive a medical degree in western medicine. Even Queen Victoria of England sent her a congratulatory note on her graduation. Anandi had planned to stay back another summer for practicing medicine in the New England region. But fate had it otherwise. When she was appointed the Physician-in-charge of the Women’s Ward at the Albert Edward Hospital in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, she decided to return to her homeland.
A Short-lived Historical Life
Anandi was given a warm celebratory welcome upon her return to India in 1886. She had achieved what she had set out to do. Not only did she earn a medical degree but in the process earned respect of her previous detractors. . Her dream of practicing medicine, however, was interrupted due to her ill health. The journey back to India worsened her already fragile health & she acquired tuberculosis. She was taken to her parental home in Poonah (now Pune), but neither medicine nor prayers could heal her. She took her last breath on Feb 26th, 1887 at the age of 21, cutting short a life that had so much to give. Such was her lasting appeal that her ashes were placed in Mrs. Carpenter’s family cemetery at the Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery in Poughkeepsie, New York.
Anandi’s legacy lives today in many forms. Her biography by Caroline Wells Healey Dall is based on their personal interactions. Another biography in Marathi by Kashibai Kanitkar provides a female perspective to her story. A fictionalized depiction of her life was written in a Marathi novel by Srikrishna J. Joshi, which was adapted into a play, & recently into the 2019 movie ‘Anandi Gopal’. A crater Venus has been named ‘Joshee’ in her honor, it is 34.5 km in diameter & lies at 5.5° N latitude & 288.8° E longitude.
She will always be remembered as an intelligent, self-sufficient, independent young woman, who was staunchly nationalistic but open minded about ideas on religion, & outspoken about women’s healthcare & education. Anandi succeeded in converting countless minds who ever doubted women’s capabilities & inspired generations to be unafraid of challenges.
Timeline
1865 — Born in Kalyan to Gunputrao Joshee & Gungabai Joshee on March 31st
1874 — Married to Gopalrao Joshi on March 31st
1879 — Gave birth to a baby boy
1883 — Sailed to New York on April 7th, & reached on June 4th
1886 — Graduated from Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania with an M.D. degree on March 11th
1886 — Appointed the Physician-in-charge, Female Ward, at Albert Edward Hospital, Kolhapur, India, on June 1st
1886 — Sailed from New York back to India on October 9th
1887- Died in Poonah on February 26th.
Author’s Note:
There have been varying accounts of Anandi’s life, the most exhaustive of which is her biography by Caroline Healey Dall called “The Life Of Dr. Anandabai Joshee, A Kinswoman of the Pundita Ramabai”(1888). The descriptions in the book are from personal dialogs between the author & Anandi while she was in the U.S. & from letter correspondences during Anandi’s life. It is impossible to corroborate details from any single variation about the events that took place 154 years ago. In the current article I have tried to extract the core essence of Anandi’s persona, & present a story that makes us better understand how a young woman became a pioneer & achieved something that was seemingly impossible.
Artist’s note:
Anandi Joshi attended the Woman’s Medical College Pennsylvania, the college building is shown in the background of this illustration. This is the new building where the medical college was shifted in 1860–62, & where Anandi finished her medical education. In many popular depictions of Anandi’ life, including her Wikipedia page & Google doodle, pictures of the older medical college building established in 1850 are shown. The architectural details of this new building have been verified from the Greater Philadelphia Archive.
Sources:
About the author:
DR. SUMBUL JAWED KHAN
Content Editor, Women In Science, Sci-Illustrate Stories.
Dr. Khan received her Ph. D. in Biological Sciences and Bioengineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, where she studied the role of microenvironment in cancer progression and tumor formation. During her post-doctoral research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Dr. Khan investigated the gene regulatory networks that are important for tissue regeneration after damage or wounding. Dr. Khan is committed to science outreach activities, to make scientific research understandable and relatable to the non-scientific community. She believes it is essential to inspire young people to apply scientific methods to tackle the current challenges faced by humanity.
About the artist:
ARGHYA MANNA
Contributing Artist, Sci-Illustrate stories
Arghya Manna is a comics artist and illustrator. He began his biomedical career as a doctoral student at Bose Institute, India working on Tumor Cell migration in a 3D environment, but soon left wet lab research and his doctoral studies to find refuge in art. Finding himself becoming increasingly passionate about visual science communication through comics, he now is an History of Science enthusiast and showcases his work through his blog “Drawing History of Science”.
Arghya, through his artwork, aspires to engage the readers of history and science with the amalgamation of images and texts.
Motion by Dr. Radhika Patnala
About the Series:
These are stories I wish I knew when I was growing up.
There are the stories of persistence, ingenuity, calibre, scientific achievement against all odds.
These are the stories of Indian women who were the pioneers of Science in India.
These are stories of lives that must be remembered and cherished.
Sci-Illustrate stories is proud to add a new chapter in our WIS series where through the words of the sci-illustrate team, complimented by the artwork of a very talented Indian artist Arghya Manna, we will be revisiting and highlighting the lives of some incredible Indian women in science.
— Dr. Radhika Patnala, Series Director
