Women achievers of India - 2

Professor Anna Mani

Former Deputy Director General, India Metrological Department

Professor Anna Mani ,a pioneering woman in Indian science, passed away on August 16, 2001. Highly regarded in scientific circles and admired as a woman of great character, she was one of India's early feminists. She transcended the delimited cultural and physical spaces available to her, says ABHA SUR.



As young student Anna worked under Sir C.V.Raman. After she retrired from the Indian metrological service, she continued to work at the Raman Institute in Bangalore as long as she possibly could. She is admired for her scientific achievements internationally and loved for her warmth and laughter; but her most heroic achievements has been her battle in the last few years before her death in 2001 against Parkinson's and a series of strokes.

Over the years, Anna Mani had many associations with the World Meteorological
Organisation (WMO) and the International Association for Meteorology
and Atmospheric Physics (IAMAP). In 1967 she spent three months in the
WMO Secretariat, revising the Guide to Meteorological Instrument and Observing
Practice, while in 1975 she served as a WMO consultant in Egypt, to advise
on the development of a national radiation centre, a radiation station network
and research on radiation. She was an enthusiastic member of several WMO
and IAMAP commissions and working groups and took a leading part in international
comparisons of various meteorological instruments. She was also influential
in the selection of Davos as the World Radiation Centre.

She was awarded K.R. Ramanathan Medal by Indian National Science Academy.

My homages to a great Indian woman scientist.

 

Dear Kamalaji,

Thanks for visiting this thread and posting your appreciations. It gives me a tonic to bring more women achievers in this thread.

Regards,

TDU

 

Dr. Indira N. Hinduja

Consultant Gynaecologist & Obstetrician
KEM Hospital, Mumbai

Dr. Indira Hinduja is an M.D. in Gynaecology and Obstetrics and she was awarded the Ph. D. degree for her thesis entitled HUMAN IN VITRO FERTILIZATION AND EMBRYO TRANSFER from the Bombay University when she was a full time practising Obstetrician and Gynaecologist on the clinical faculty of the Seth G.S. Medical College and King Edward Memorial Hospital, Bombay. This significant contribution lies in combining her basic successful surgical skills with those of experimental embryology, endocrinology and cell biology, which led to the first ever, scientifically documented ‘test tube baby’ in the country on 6th August 1986. This creditable achievement has been the result of the collaborated efforts of the KEM Hospital and Institute for Research in Reproduction (ICMR).



She is the pioneer on Gamete Intra Fallopian Transfer (GIFT) technique resulting in the birth of India’s first GIFT baby on 4th January 1988. She is also credited for developing a oocyte donation technique for menopausal and premature ovarian failure patients, giving the country’s first baby out of this technique on 24th January 1991.

She is very active in the field of research and is involved in a number of research projects.

For her outstanding performances, she has been felicitated on many occasions. She is also the recipient of many awards, amongst which Young Indian Award (1987), Outstanding Lady Citizen of Maharashtra State Jaycee Award (1987), Bharat Nirman Award for Talented Ladies (1994), International Women’s Day Award by the Mayor of Bombay (1995; 2000), Life time Achievement Award by Federation of Obstetrics & Gynaecological Society of India (1999) and Dhanvantari Award by The Governor of Maharashtra (2000) are a few.

 

KAVITA HURRY
42, Managing Director, ING Vysya Mutual Fund

<B><BIG>"L</BIG></B>ife is about balance," states Kavita Hurry, head of ING Vysya Mutual Fund. She should know. Ensconced on a chaise lounge in her 13th floor apartment in Mumbai's plush downtown residential area, Cuffe Parade, she takes a brief break from a hectic schedule which involved an IPO closing over the weekend, even as she checks on the status of her kids' homework (aged 13 and 10). The balance she speaks of comes through all too clearly, as she reflects on her career that has involved a series of decisions that would help her, well, strike that balance.



This MBA from NM Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai, was once sure of a marketing job, that being her academic specialization ("I was really interested in HR though"). She had her first placement offers from a hotel and ad agency. "My parents were not too happy about these industries, and so the moment the offer from the Bank of Credit and Commerce (BCCI) happened, I jumped at it."
After five years of going through various functions in trade finance, retail banking, foreign exchange, among other departments, Hurry landed an opportunity to try her hand at what she had really wanted -- human resource planning, when she got to head the department at the ill-fated BCCI.

When the bank shut operations in India, Hurry had an offer from ANZ Grindlays who was looking for people for line functions, albeit with an HR background. The profile fit Hurry to the T, and the next three years were spent at ANZ Grindlays, largely in a manpower planning role. "I was keen to be in a line function by then, particularly in a business acquisition role and my first opportunity came when a General Manager at ANZ moved to ING and I was offered a job in credit operations. In course of time I figured my skill set was right for private banking." This was 1994. The aftermath of the Harshad Mehta scam was not the best time to start a portfolio management business but "we went ahead and told the regulator we would bring international norms to portfolio management and we actually pioneered private banking then". ING followed up private banking in India with offshore operations in Dubai, London and Singapore. "Offshore private banking was a great way of earning a dollar salary without leaving India," laughs Hurry.

A feat that Hurry considers rather unique in her stint at the helm of ING Vysya Mutual Fund, is the fact that she hasn't spent a single rupee on advertising. Not a single rupee? "Yes that's right," she says, emphatically, adding "I believe that we need to talk to people. Actually make eye contact and talk when we sell our products. I have never been clear about how much bang for the buck advertising really delivers. I have clenched my teeth and decided to do it my way, which means a lot more PR than advertising."

(Thanks to Business Today)

 

Dear Suma,

I am glad that this thread is useful to you. I wish all success in all your endeavours and you find a place in this list.

Regards,

TDU

 

Gowri Chandrakasan

Director of Grade Scientist (retired) and Hon. Professor, CLRI, Chennai, India

Women constitute nearly half the global population but gaining "equal" status in a society still remains a far-fetched and a cherished dream for them. Gender inequality exists in work, employment, earning, education, health status and decision-making powers. In politics, women's representation in decision-making positions is consistently low.



Along with her scientific career, she synchronized social service to the community for the past 4 decades. Being a member and holding leadership positions in some of the following organizations such as Altrusa International Inc, USA (Past President); Lions Club International (First Lady Lion District Governor, Chennai, 2003-2004); Regional development chair (2005-2006); Family Planning Association of India; University Women Association, Madras (Association Representative 2005-2006); Ladies Organization of FICCI; and Madras Science Association (Secretary and Vice President) and Indian Women Scientist Association, during the last 10 years she carried out several development projects for women and children, particularly the girl child. These programs included, nutrition, hygiene and sanitation, environment, education and health, leadership and self-employment opportunities, networking with Self Health Group women. Published a booklet on health care for women and children. Actively participated as moderator, panelist and speaker in Inida, South Asia, Africa, Middle East Forum Workshop on Leadership Opportunities for Women, Ceylon 2004.

In the area of science, involved in popularization of science and was the principal investigator for a project on "Action Research to bring gender parity in science and technology" and organized the conference on state level consultation on science and technology for women - 'A millennium dialogue'. State government recognized her contributions in the awareness program on Rubella virus and vaccination for adolescent girls and childbearing age group of women. She asserts that she will certainly be an important part of our total effort to increase the status of women.