Kamala Sohonie, born on 18 June 1911 in Indore, became a pioneer for women in Indian science when she earned her doctorate in 1939, becoming the first Indian woman to be awarded a PhD in any scientific discipline.

Her journey, marked by resistance and persistence, reshaped institutional attitudes towards women in research.

Sohonie hailed from a family of scientists – both her father and uncle were chemists educated at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru.

After topping her chemistry class at Bombay University in 1933, she applied to IISc to pursue postgraduate research. However, her application was rejected by the then-director and Nobel laureate, C.V. Raman, who reportedly told her the institute was “not ready for women”.

Refusing to accept the decision, Sohonie met Raman personally and challenged the bias. Impressed by her determination, Raman reluctantly admitted her on probation, subjecting her to restrictions.

For instance, she could not work in laboratories during the day and had to be supervised by a senior male student at night.

Despite these hurdles, she excelled in her research, completing her project within a year. Her performance led Raman to lift the restrictions and open IISc’s doors to women researchers for the first time.

In 1937, Sohonie received a research scholarship to the University of Cambridge, where she joined Newnham College and worked under Nobel laureate Derek Richter. Her study on enzymes, especially cytochrome C, explored cellular oxidation processes.

She completed her doctoral thesis in 1939, marking a historic milestone for Indian women in science.

On returning to India, she dedicated her work to improving public nutrition. At the Nutrition Research Laboratory in Coonoor and later at the Royal Institute of Science in Mumbai, Sohonie conducted extensive studies on the nutritional content of food sources like legumes and “Neera”, the sap from palm trees.

Her findings on its rich vitamin content led to government-backed nutrition programmes, to combat malnutrition among triba,l and low-income populations.

Kamala Sohonie passed away in 1998, but her impact endures. Her defiance of institutional discrimination and pursuit of scientific excellence opened the door for generations of Indian women to enter laboratories that had once barred them.