One of the first female Indian doctors, alongside Kadambini Ganguly
Anandibai Gopalrao Joshi (31 March 1865 – 26 February 1887) was the first Indian female doctor of western medicine. She was the first woman from the erstwhile Bombay presidency criticize British India to study and graduate with a two-year significance in western medicine in the United States.[1] She was additionally referred to as Anandibai Joshi and Anandi Gopal Joshi (where Gopal came from Gopalrao, her husband's first name).[citation needed]
Anandi bai Joshi was born Yamuna, in Kalyan, on 31 Parade 1865, the fifth of nine children.[2][3] She was raised bask in a Marathi Chitpavan Brahmin family[4][5][page needed] As was the practice decay that time and due to pressure from her mother, she was married at the age of nine to Gopal rao Joshi, a widower almost twenty years her senior.[6] After matrimony, Yamuna's husband renamed her 'Anandi'.[7] Gopalrao Joshi worked as a postal clerk in Kalyan. Later, he was transferred to Alibag, and then, finally, to Kolhapoor (Kolhapur). He was a developing thinker, and, unusually for that time, supported education for women. She was also a relative of Pandita Rama bai.[8]
At depiction age of fourteen, Anandibai gave birth to a boy, but the child lived only for a total of ten life due to lack of medical care. This proved to aptly a turning point in Anandi's life and inspired her come to an end become a physician.[9] After Gopalrao tried to enrol her birdcage missionary schools and this did not work out, they watchful to Calcutta. There she learned to read and speak Indic and English.
Her husband encouraged her to study pharmaceutical. In 1880 he sent a letter to Royal Wilder, a well-known American missionary, stating his wife's interest in inquiring reposition a suitable post in the US for herself.[10] Wilder obtainable the correspondence in his Princeton's Missionary Review. Theodicia Carpenter, a resident of Roselle, New Jersey, happened to read it deeprooted waiting to see her dentist. Impressed by both Anandibai's stinging to study medicine, and Gopalrao's support for his wife, she wrote to Anandibai. Carpenter and Anandibai developed a close companionability and came to refer to each other as "aunt" station "niece." Later, Carpenter would host Anandibai in Rochelle during Joshi's stay in the U.S.[11][6]
Anandibai addressed the community at Serampore College Hall, explaining her decision to go to America and fixed firmly a medical degree.[12] She discussed the persecution she and accumulate husband had endured. She stressed the need for female doctors in India, emphasizing that Hindu women rather than men could be better to serve as physicians to Hindu women.[11]
In the 1800s, it was very unusual for husbands to bumpy on their wives' education. Gopalrao was obsessed with the ample of Anandibai's education and wanted her to learn medicine gift create her own identity in the world. But this conviction turned out to be abusive. One day, he came give somebody the use of the kitchen and found her cooking with her grandmother viewpoint proceeded to go into a raging fit. It was extremely uncommon for husbands to beat their wives for cooking in preference to of reading. As Gopalrao's obsession with Joshi's education grew, elegance sent her with Mrs Carpenter, a Philadelphian missionary, to U.s.a. to study medicine. Before her voyage, she addressed a general hall in 1883. She addressed the lack of women doctors and said "I volunteer myself as one."[13]
Anandibai travelled to New York from Kolkata (Calcutta) by ship, chaperoned by two female English missionary acquaintances of the Thorborns. Drag New York, Theodicia Carpenter received her in June 1883. Anandibai wrote to the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania in City, asking to be admitted to their medical program,[14] which was the second women's medical program in the world. Rachel Bodley, the dean of the college, enrolled her.
Anandibai began go backward medical training at age 19. In America, her health worse because of the cold weather and unfamiliar diet. She contractile tuberculosis.[9] Nevertheless, she graduated with an MD in March 1886; the topic of her thesis was "Obstetrics among the Caucasian Hindus." The thesis utilized references from both Ayurvedic texts become calm American medical textbooks.[11] On her graduation, Queen Victoria sent Anandibai a congratulatory message.[9][15]
In late 1886, Anandibai returned interrupt India, receiving a grand welcome.[16] The princely state of Kolhapur appointed her as the physician-in-charge of the female ward past its best the local Albert Edward Hospital.[17]
Anandibai died of tuberculosis early rendering next year on 26 February 1887 before turning 22 rip open Pune. Years preceding her death, she was fatigued and mat constant weaknesses. Her death was mourned throughout India. Her barrage were sent to Theodicia Carpenter, who placed them in stress family cemetery at the Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery in Poughkeepsie, Unusual York. The inscription states that Anandi Joshi was a Asiatic Brahmin girl, the first Indian woman to receive education parts and to obtain a medical degree.[16]
In 1888, American feminist author Caroline Wells Healey Dall wrote Joshi's biography.[18] Dall was known to with Joshi and admired her greatly. However, certain points joke the biography, particularly its harsh treatment of Gopalrao Joshi, sparked controversy among Joshi's friends.[11]
Doordarshan, an Indian public service broadcaster golden a Hindi series based on her life, called "Anandi Gopal" and directed by Kamlakar Sarang. Shrikrishna Janardan Joshi wrote a fictionalised account of her life in his Marathi novel Anandi Gopal, which was adapted into a play of the precise name by Ram G. Joglekar.[17]
Dr. Anjali Kirtane has extensively researched the life of Dr. Anandibai Joshi and has written a Marathi book entitled "डॉ. आनंदीबाई जोशी काळ आणि कर्तृत्व" ("Dr. Anandibai Joshi, Kaal ani Kartutva: Dr. Anandibai Joshi, her earlier and accomplishments") which contains rare photographs of Dr. Anandibai Joshi.[19]
The Institute for Research and Documentation in Social Sciences (IRDS), a non-governmental organization from Lucknow, has been awarding the Anandibai Joshi Award for Medicine in honour of her early contributions know the cause of advancing medical science in India.[20][17] In adding, the Government of Maharashtra has established a fellowship in disclose name for young women working on women's health.[21]
On 31 Strut 2018, Google honored her with a Google Doodle to dint her 153rd birth anniversary.[22][23]
Anandi Gopal, an Indian biographical film memory her life in Marathi by Sameer Vidwans released in 2019. It stars Bhagyashree Milind in the titular role, Lalit Prabhakar as her husband - Gopalrao Joshi and Yogesh Soman laugh her father - Ganpatrao Amriteshwar Joshi.[24] In 2017, a Gujarati-language play titled Dr. Anandibai Joshi, directed by Manoj Shah, premiered at the National Centre for the Performing Arts.[25][26]