ANANDI KATHA

There is a saying in Sanskrit “आरोग्यम् धनसंपदा” which translates to “Health is wealth” which almost all of us have heard from our elders. 

Let us travel a little back to the start of this decade that is 2020-21. Imagining those years is quite horrible right…. Covid-19 had put a big question mark on our existence and medical knowledge. So now can you imagine what would have been the condition of women back in times when there was not even a single "female doctor"?

Greetings, I am Anandibai Joshee, the first female doctor of India. My journey has been one of incredible struggle and perseverance, and I am honoured to share it with you today. As a young girl growing up in India, I was acutely aware of the limitations placed on women in my society. Education and professional careers were reserved for men, and women were expected to marry and take care of their households.

 

Image source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/Signature_of_Anandibai_Joshee.jpg/225px-Signature_of_Anandibai_Joshee.jpg

INTRODUCTION:

Let me introduce myself to y’all. Hello! I’m Yamuna Joshi (Joshee as per British English) a sweet girl born in the city of Kalyan, Bombay presidency in British India (presently in the Thane district of Maharashtra).

  

 

Image source:  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Anandibai_joshi.jpg/330px-Anandibai_joshi.jpg 

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I was always passionate about learning and studying but society did not allow me to do so. Time flew away and one fair morning my mother and father were talking to pandit kaka (priest) about my marriage. I was just nine and knew very little about the world outside. One day pandit kaka came to our house with a marriage proposal. The man was 20 years elder than me and was a widower with one child, his name was Gopalrao Joshi and he was working as a clerk in the post office at Kalyan. Pandit kaka said this man is quite silly and stubborn, he wants a wife who is educated and can read, write and is willing to study. I had no idea about the concept of marriage at this young age and soon we tied the knot. Gopalrao changed my name from “Yamuna” to “Anandi” and now I was Anandibai Gopalrao Joshi.

VOYAGE FROM YAMUNA TO ANANDI:

As soon as I left my parents’ house and entered Gopalrao's house, he handed me over some Mathematics and Marathi (the native language of Maharashtra) books and ordered me to study. I was nervous and was trying to adjust to the new environment and soon within a few days, I realised Gopalrao was serious about education as described by pandit kaka. One day I went over to play with my friends which did not go well with Gopalrao and he left me at my parents’ house saying- “I wanted to marry a girl who is serious about education”. I was hurt by his rude and stubborn behaviour. Years passed away he didn't come back to me. At the age of 13, I entered puberty and got my first period. My parents delivered this message to Gopalrao mentioning, “now our girl has entered youth and you are supposed to take her back along with you”. Soon Gopalrao came back, and by then I had become a studious and sincere girl of whom Gopalrao dreamt. 

 

Image source: https://knowledgeyug.in/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/gopal-joshi-1.jpg

JOY AND SORROW OF MOTHERHOOD:

He took me back to his house and a year later I found I was pregnant. I stopped studying and was bedridden for 9 months and soon I delivered a baby boy of ours. My whole day used to go in taking care of our baby and would not get enough time to study. But God had some different plans for me, one day my baby suddenly fell ill and I had no idea what was he suffering from. I told Gopalrao to get a doctor at our place but at late night he found a government hospital to be closed and somehow found a Vaidya (an Indian doctor who specialises in ayurveda). Vaidya came and checked our baby and soon baby stopped crying, with a very sad and low voice Vaidya said- "sorry!! But the baby is no more in this world". My whole world shattered and I was speechless, my baby was just 10 days old.

I was in shock for around a month and one-day Gopalrao said- "Anandi now you will have to recover yourself and start studying again". I stood up and profusely yelled at him saying "What to study and why?" I questioned him on his education and asked him "Did your study help us to save our baby?", he was speechless. 

THE JOURNEY OF DR. ANANDIBAI JOSHI BEGINS:

This was a turning point in my life and I decided to study medicine and pursue a degree as a doctor. I was still in shock at our loss, but then I realised if a doctor would be available easily, today my child would be in my lap. I knew the problem that Indian ladies and girls faced while they were being examined by a male doctor (specially Gynaecologist). All Indian women were not comfortable sharing their sex life and menstruation-related problems with a male doctor. The touch of the male doctor made them utterly uncomfortable.

But the way every story has a villain, mine was not an exception. I had none less, but the whole society as a villain and against my decision of studying and being a doctor. Gopalrao was a clerk in the Indian post office, he had access to education but not me. But looking at my hard work and persistence in education he took a transfer from Kalyan to Alibaug and further to koolhapur (presently known as Kolhapur). I got admitted to a missionary school for girls in koolhapur where all girls were from well-to-do families and daughters of British officials. I was somehow given admission when my husband promised the father at the local church that we would convert to Christianity.

But being from a middle-class Indian family and Hindu I was bullied a lot by girls for my dressing sense, skin complexion, accent, and my way of taking education. Soon the missionary decided to kick me out. Gopalrao somehow managed to send me to Calcutta (presently known as Kolkata) for further studies where I mastered English, Sanskrit, Science and Mathematics. But looking at my progress and the fact that an Indian girl is studying society was not at all happy. They tortured my mother-in-law, Gopalrao's son from the first wife and both of us. Finally, due to society's non-cooperation, Gopalrao lost his job and I was once again shattered.

EXIT FROM HOMELAND:

To continue my education, in 1880 Gopalrao sent a letter to Royal Wilder, a well-known American missionary, stating his interest in inquiring about a suitable post in the US for himself and my dream of becoming a doctor. Wilder published the correspondence in his Princeton's Missionary Review. Theodicia Carpenter, a resident of Roselle, New Jersey, happened to read it while waiting to see her dentist. Impressed by both my desire to study medicine, and Gopalrao's support for my dream, she wrote to me. Mrs Carpenter and I developed a close friendship and came to refer to each other as "aunt" and "niece."

While we were in Calcutta, my health was declining. I was suffering from weakness, constant headaches, occasional fever, and sometimes breathlessness. In 1883, Gopalrao was transferred to Serampore, and he decided to send me alone to America for my medical studies despite my poor health. Though apprehensive, Gopalrao convinced me to set an example for other women by pursuing higher education.

A physician couple named Thorborn suggested applying for the Women’s medical college of Pennsylvania. On learning my plans to pursue higher education in the West, orthodox Indian society censured me very strongly.

Anandibai Joshee graduated from the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania (WMCP) in 1886. Seen here with Kei Okami (centre) and Sabat Islambooly (right). All three completed their medical studies and each of them was among the first women from their respective countries to obtain a degree in Western medicine.

Image source: https://s01.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/inline/912058-enizglmvwy-1549367509.jpg

I travelled to New York from Kolkata (Calcutta) by ship. In New York, aunt Carpenter received me in June 1883. I wrote to the Women’s medical college of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, asking to be admitted to their medical program. Rachel Bodley, the dean of the college, enrolled me.

I began my medical training at age 19. In America, my health worsened because of the cold weather and unfamiliar diet. I contracted tuberculosis. Nevertheless, I graduated with an MD in March 1886; the topic of my thesis was “Obstetrics among the Aryan Hindus”. On my graduation, Queen Victoria sent me a congratulatory message.

BACK TO HOMELAND:

In late 1886, I returned to India, receiving a grand welcome. The princely state of koolhapur (Kolhapur) appointed me as the physician-in-charge of the female ward of the local Albert Edward Hospital (now known as- Rajarshee Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Government Medical College and Chhatrapati Pramilatai Raje Hospital). And finally, my dream came true I became the first Indian Women Doctor.

 

Image source: https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/files/2020/03/Image-1-The-Life-of-Dr-Anandabai-Joshee.jpg

END TO MY JOURNEY:

I died of tuberculosis early the next year on 26 February 1887 before turning 22 in Poona (presently known as Pune). Years preceding my death, I was fatigued and felt constant weakness. My death was mourned throughout India. My ashes were sent to aunt Carpenter, who placed them in her family cemetery at the Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery in Poughkeepsie, New York. The inscription states that- “I Anandi Joshi was a Hindu Brahmin girl, the first Indian woman to receive education abroad and to obtain a medical degree”. 

Although my lifespan was very short, I inspired Indian women to fight for their education and know their worth. Today, I am proud to be remembered as a trailblazer for women's education and healthcare in India. My legacy serves as a reminder that with perseverance and determination, one can overcome even the most daunting of obstacles.

Image source: https://rarebooksocietyofindia.org/photo_archive/196174216674_10151375821731675

Blog by:

Vishal Deshpande (S.Y Mech) 112110037

Team Inspirational Saturday

NOTE: -

This blog is meant for educational purposes only. The information provided in this article is not investment advice. We do not own any Copyrights related to images and information; all the rights go to their respective owners. The sole purpose of this blog is to Educate, Inspire, Empower and to create awareness in the viewers. The usage is non-commercial (Not for Profit) and we do not make any money from it.

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