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DR. KADAMBINI GANGULY

1861–1923: BA, GBMC, LRCP, LRCS and LFPSG.

THE LEGACY FORGOTTEN

SARASIJ MAJUMDER

Nehru and his education minister Maulana fabricated a distorted history which glorified MUSLIM & MUGHAL rulers in INDIA, and put all light on that part of CONGRESS, which was ruled by Mohanlal Karamchand, and  Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. Gandhi-Nehru dynasty hijacked Indian history using slave JNU scholars completely in such a way that many legendary leaders, and Personalities  are buried, and  forgotten.

Kadambini Ganguly was one of the first female graduates in the entire British Empire (along with Chandramukhi Bose) and became the first female practitioner of western medicine not just in India, but in the whole of South Asia.

More than a century ago Dr. Kadambini Ganguly was a very  big inspiration to the women of not only BENGAL, but also INDIA. Beyond a distinguished physician,  she was also Congress party’s first female speaker. As a doctor, she has crossed one peak after another and was also one of the pioneers of women's education and  progressive women of British India. She opened the doors of Calcutta Medical College for girls. She was a great professional, be it the Congress session or social work in the Brahmo Samaj or managing her family responsibilities. Even till the day of her death she regularly visited the patients.

Born as Kadambini Bose, to a learned father and headmaster Braj Kishore Bose who was also an ardent follower of the ideals of Brahmo Samaj, Kadambini was always pushing against the glass ceiling set on women's freedom at a time when ill practices such as ‘child marriage’ and ‘sati daha’ were the order of the day.

She was born  at  Chandsi, in Bengal's Barisal district (now in Bangladesh) and even at that time received English education - first at the Brahmo Eden Female School, Dacca, and then at Hindu Mahila Vidyalaya, Ballygunge, Calcutta  which  was later renamed as Banga Mahila Vidyalaya in 1876; and two years later, it merged with Bethune School.

It was at Bethune School that Kadambini met her future husband who played biggest role in helping her to realise her full potential. Her mentor Dwarakanath Ganguly was 17 years senior  to her, and an ardent supporter of Brahmo Samaj and women's emancipation.

Kadambini wanted to appear for the entrance exam at the University of Calcutta (CU), and so did a Bengali Christian girl from Dehra Dun - Chandramukhi Basu. But the varsity was still not admitting female students.

Kadambini cleared the exam just a mark less than first class.

While Kadambini took admission in at the College Class of Bethune School, Chandramukhi joined the Free Church of Scotland College. Both women passed their First Arts (FA) examination in 1880 leading to Kadambini's dream to get admission at the Calcutta Medical College (CMC) –  then known as The Medical College, Bengal. But, she found her road to admission was barred as the medical college didn't admit female students though Madras Medical College had started admitting female students from 1875.

Kadambini took admission in  Bethune College again with Chandramukhi, and graduated in 1882 from Calcutta University.

They became two of the first female graduates in the entire British Empire when they received their degrees in 1883. It was their success that made Bethune College introduce FA (First Arts) and graduation courses in 1883.

Dwarakanath again fought for Kadambini to study at the CMC and finally, in 1884, she became the first woman to get admitted to the Calcutta Medical College.

Kadambini and Dwarakanath got married in 1883 and this was not accepted by many of the Hindus and a section of the Brahmos. Thirty-nine-year-old Dwarakanath was a widower and some even  refused to recognise their marriage.  Life was  not easy.

The government offered Kadambini Rs 20/- per month as scholarship for the medical college education, but the CWC professors didn't like her studying there.

A professor was so against her , and vindictive,  that he failed Kadambini in a paper which led to her losing out on her MB degree certificate in 1888. So, she got only the certificate of First LMS examination from CMC.

When she completed her studies in CMC, as per the practice, the then-principal Dr JM Coates awarded her GMCB diploma that allowed her to start a private practice as a doctor. This was before CMC came under the jurisdiction of Calcutta University.

Kadambini Ganguly's achievements as a pioneering woman reached Europe, and even Florence Nightingale heard about her. She wrote to a friend in February 1888 exclaiming at Kadambini's passion for medicine:--

" (she) has already passed what is called the first licentiate in medicine and surgery examinations and is to go up for the final examination in March next. This young lady, Mrs. Ganguly, married! And 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!!" she wrote.

She added in the letter that she had been asked to recommend Kadambini to Lady Dufferin Women's Hospital.

Annie Besant also hailed Kadambini as a "symbol that would uplift and chieve freedom of India's womanhood" in her book 'How India Wrought For Freedom'.

Kadambini's shaky career start and the discriminations were heaped on her.

In 1888, Kadambini joined Lady Dufferin at Rs 300 /-per month, which comes to around 4.5 lakhs per month on today's scale - a huge sum indeed!

However, she didn't have an MB degree and as a result, the British lady doctors started to look down upon her. She started her private practice but was unsuccessful.

Moreover, there was a predominant bias against female doctors and Kadambini was often treated as a local midwife.

One incident is noted where she and her assistant where served food on the veranda of a rich patient's house instead of inside, and were even asked to clean up.

She was called something akin to a 'whore' in a Bengali periodical as well. Dwarakanath fought for her and against the prejudices against women. He even went to court which ended in the magazine’s editor going to jail for six months with a fine of Rs 100.

Finally, Kadambini decided to go for further medical studies in England. Breaking all conventions, the Bengali woman left her children to the care of her elder sister and travelled to England in 1893.

Empowered by her incredible will power, Dwarakanath's unfailing support, and the help of her cousin Manmohan Ghosh who was a London-based barrister, Kadambini took the decision to appear for triple diploma courses in medical sciences at the Scottish College at Edinburgh.

Since she already had a BA degree from CU and a GMCB from CMC, she completed her triple diploma in a very short time and only had to appear in the last exam.

She had arrived at London on March 23, 1893, and in July, she received the Triple Diplomas of the Scottish College after training in Dublin, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

She was the only WOMAN among the 14 successful candidates that year and definitely the first Indian woman to achieve such a rare feat. Moreover, she also specialised in paediatrics and gynaecology.

The three diplomas she obtained were: Licentiate of the College of Physicians, Edinburg (LRCP), Licentiate of the College of Surgeons, Glasgow (LRCS), and Licentiate of the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons, Dublin (LFPS).

Kadambini Ganguly's life took a turn when she returned from England. She was finally accepted as a senior doctor at Lady Dufferin Hospital and she resumed her private practice as well which boomed and soon made her leave her hospital job.

When she took charge of Nepal's Queen Mother in 1895-96 and helped her recover, she started to be called upon by royal families for treatment.

Yet another striking case took place when male doctors diagnosed a tumour in the abdomen of a girl but Kadambini correctly diagnosed it as a pregnancy and safely delivered the child.

Apart from being a doctor, Kadambini was a powerhouse who symbolised the voice of women. Though the Indian National Congress (INC) was founded in 1885, it didn't allow women to participate - something Dwarakanath was voicing against ever since.

But in 1889, Kadambini and five other women were allowed to participate and India's first female doctor even moved a vote of thanks.

In the next session of the INC in 1890 in Calcutta, Kadambini gave a lecture in English - becoming the first woman to do so at the INC.

After the Bengal Partition, Kadambini organized Women's Conference in Calcutta in 1906. In 1908, she formed an association to help the Satyagraha workers in Transvaal, South Africa. Moreover, when a meeting was arranged at the Sadharan Brahma Samaj in 1914, in honour of Gandhi during his visit to Calcutta, she presided over it.

In 1915, Kadambini spoke against the practice of Calcutta Medical College of not allowing women to study there at a major medical conference. So provoking were her words that they changed their policy and finally started to admit all female students.

She assisted her husband Dwarakanath in condemning the exploitation of the tea garden workers in Assam, and in 1922, looked into the condition of female coal mine workers in Bihar and Odisha along with poet Kamini Roy on behalf of a government enquiry commission.

Surprisingly, another thing Kadambini was known for was her amazing skill in knitting yards of fine and beautiful lace!

There is a common confusion regarding who was India's first female doctor to practice western medicine - Kadambini Ganguly or Anandibai Gopal Joshi. While Anandibai got her MB degree from Women's Medical College, Pennsylvania in 1886, Kadambini received her qualifications in India, and England.

Sadly, Anandibai passed away from tuberculosis in 1887 before she could start her practice just within a year of her return to India. She had been appointed as a resident physician of Albert Edward Hospital at Kolhapur.

Thus, Kadambini was the first female practitioner of western medicine in India while Anandibai was the first female to receive a medical degree in Western medicine from the west.

Kadambini was the most accomplished and liberated Brahmo woman of her time.

Despite being born at a time when women becoming doctor was a fairy-tale aspiration, and despite having to bring up eight children, and attend her socio-political activities, Kadambini Ganguly never compromised on her medical responsibilities.

American historian David Kopf hailed the relationship between her and Dwarakanath as being "most unusual in being founded on mutual love, sensitivity and intelligence."

He praised "her ability to rise above circumstances and to realize her potential as a human being" and rightly called Kadambini "the most accomplished and liberated Brahmo woman of her time."

Kadambini suffered from high blood pressure but never let it come between her and her work. On October 3, 1923, 63-year-old Kadambini conducted a critical operation on a patient. She returned home wilting and on the same evening, passed away.

TODAY, HOW MANY BENGALIS, OR INDIANS REMEMBER HER?? EVEN THE RESIDUAL BRAHMOSAMAJ MAY HAVE ALSO FORGOTTEN  HER.

NOTE:--MAJOR INPUTS ARE FROM AN ARTICLE WRITTEN IN BENGALI BY JAYANTA BHATTACHARIYA—AVAILABLE IN “ACADEMY EDU”.  Other references listed below are also used for verification.

References:-

1.0 https://www.ed.ac.uk/global/uncovered/1860-1900/kadambini-ganguly

2.0 https://www.lowellmilkencenter.org/programs/projects/view/kadambini-ganguly-a-woman-of-firsts/hero

3.0 https://indianexpress.com/article/research/the-forgotten-legacy-of-kadambini-ganguly-indias-first-woman-doctor-9458675/

4.0 https://www.tinkle.in/5-cool-facts-about-kadambini-ganguly/

5.0 https://history.rcplondon.ac.uk/blog/dr-kadambini-ganguli-pioneer-medical-studies-india

Image:  Courtesy: Royal College of Physicians- RCP.