Anandi Gopal Joshi is widely regarded as the first Indian woman to earn a degree in Western medicine.
Born in 1865 to an orthodox Marathi Hindu landlord family in Kalyan, Thane district, a nine-year-old Anandi, then Yamuna, was married off to a widower, Gopalrao Joshi.
When Anandi was 14 years old, she lost her 10-day-old infant. This instilled in her an intent to pursue the noble profession of medicine.
In order to fulfil his wife’s dream, in 1880, Gopalrao sent a letter to Royal Wilder, a prominent American missionary, requesting aid in securing admission for Anandi.
Wilder agreed on the condition that the Joshis would convert to Christianity. The Brahmin couple did not agree.
Later, in a speech at Serampore College Hall, Anandi said, “There is a growing need for Hindu lady doctors in India, and I volunteer to qualify myself for one.”
Anandi’s speech, whose audience also included the American Consul General, was widely publicised.
Financial aid to support her noble endeavour poured in from across the country. Notably, the Marquess of Ripon, then Viceroy of India, also contributed Rs 200 to the sum.
While Wilder couldn’t help Anandi secure admission to an American medical college, he had their correspondence published in Missionary Review, Princeton University’s periodical.
This eventually caught the eye of one Theodicia Carpenter, who wrote to Anandi in 1880, expressing a desire to support her in her educational journey in whichever way possible.
Anandi secured admission at the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, the world’s first women’s medical college.
When people heard of Anandi’s impending departure to the States, they threw stones and cow dung at her residence. But that did not deter her.
She graduated with Kei Okami and Tabat Islambooly, and all three became the first women to attain a degree in Western medicine in India, Japan, and Syria, respectively.
She also received a congratulatory message from Queen Victoria, who was informed of the former’s accomplishment by the college dean.
On her return to India, Anandi, then 21, was appointed as the physician-in-charge of the female ward of the Albert Edward Hospital by the princely state of Kolhapur.
On 26 February 1887, she succumbed to tuberculosis when she was only 22 years old. Her resilience and grit paved the way for numerous other women to pursue their medical dreams.