Kadambini Ganguli

Kadambini Ganguli (née Basu) was born on 18 July 1861, in Bhagalpur, Bihar, to Bengali parents. Her father, Brajakishore Basu, was a prominent Brahmo Samaj reformer who advocated for women's education. In 1883, she graduated from Bethune College, affiliated with the University of Calcutta, becoming one of the first two female graduates in British India, and the empire as a whole, alongside Chandramukhi Basu.

In 1883, Ganguliwas admitted to Calcutta Medical College, the first woman to study medicine at the institution. With encouragement from her husband, social reformer Dwarkanath Ganguly, she completed her studies and, in 1886, earned the Graduate of Bengal Medical College (GBMC) qualification. She then joined Lady Dufferin Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, becoming the first Indian woman to practice medicine in British India.

In 1892, Ganguli travelled to Edinburgh for further medical qualifications, a year after Scottish Universities accepted the admission of women. Within just a few months, she was awarded the Triple Qualification, admitted as a Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians (Edinburgh), Royal College of Surgeons (Edinburgh) and the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons (Glasgow). Ganguli was now entitled to join the British Medical Register, three years after Dr Annie Jagannadham, the first Indian woman to do so.

Returning to India, Ganguli resumed work at Lady Dufferin Hospital, now as Medical superintendent, before establishing a private practice focused on gynaecology and women's healthcare, with her patients including the women of the Nepalese royal family.

Beyond her medical career, Ganguli was an active advocate for social reform. Like her father and husband, she participated in the Brahmo Samaj reform movement and was among the first six women delegates at the fifth Indian National Congress in 1889 and was the first women to speak at the event. She participated in the Women’s Conference in Calcutta in 1906 and supported the Satyagraha movement in South Africa. Her influence also contributed to legislative changes, including the passage of the Age of Consent Act in 1891. She remained active in medical practice and social advocacy throughout her life.

Kadambini Ganguli died on 3 October 1923, after having conducted an operation the same day. Her contributions to medicine and women's rights remain significant, paving the way for future generations of female physicians and reformers.