Anandi Gopal

Anandi was born Yamuna Joshi and, under family pressure, was married at age nine to widower Gopalrao Joshi. Her husband renamed her Anandi after the wedding, setting the course for her life within a family that valued education and reform. The marriage took place in Kalyan, where her family had previously been landlords before experiencing financial losses.

Gopalrao worked as a postal clerk and was transferred to Alibaug and later Kolhapur. The couple moved between postings, exposing Anandibai to different communities and challenges. These relocations helped shape her perspective on education and women's roles.

At the age of fourteen, Anandibai gave birth to a boy who lived only ten days due to lack of medical care. The tragedy highlighted the scarcity of female medical support in India. This turning point inspired her to pursue medicine and to seek change for other women.

The family moved to Calcutta, where Anandibai began to read and speak Sanskrit and English. Her health, however, was in decline, with weakness, headaches, fevers, and breathlessness. This period laid the groundwork for her future medical studies as she sought education beyond traditional norms.

Gopalrao wrote to Royal Wilder, an American missionary, in 1880 expressing his wife's interest in studying medicine in the United States. Wilder published the correspondence in Princeton's Missionary Review, bringing wider attention to Anandibai's plans. The public exposure connected Anandibai with potential Western mentors.

Theodicia Carpenter, a resident of Roselle, New Jersey, read Wilder's piece and was moved by Anandibai's determination. She wrote to Anandibai and became a close ally, fostering a friendship that would support Anandibai's journey. Carpenter would later host Anandibai during her U.S. stay.

While in Calcutta, Anandibai addressed the community at Serampore College Hall to explain her decision to study in the United States. She spoke about the persecution she and her husband endured and stressed the need for female doctors in India. The speech attracted publicity and helped mobilize financial contributions from supporters across India.

Anandibai traveled by ship from Calcutta to New York, accompanied by two English missionary acquaintances. She was received by Theodicia Carpenter in June 1883, and prepared to begin medical studies in the United States. Carpenter helped arrange her introduction to the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania.

Anandibai wrote to the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania requesting admission. Dean Rachel Bodley enrolled her, allowing her to begin training at age 19. Her enrollment marked a historic step for women physicians from India.

In America, Anandibai's health worsened due to cold weather and unfamiliar diet. She contracted tuberculosis but continued her studies despite the illness. Her perseverance highlighted the resolve required to pursue medicine in a foreign land.

Anandibai graduated with an MD in March 1886. Her thesis was Obstetrics among the Aryan Hindoos, drawing on Ayurvedic and American medical texts. Queen Victoria sent a congratulatory message on her graduation, recognizing the historic achievement.

Anandibai's achievement opened doors for future generations of Indian women to study medicine. Her determination and collaboration with supportive allies bridged Indian and Western medical worlds. Her story continues to inspire conversations about women's education in India.