AEGAEUM JOURNAL ISSN NO: 0776-3808 One of the Pioneers in Western Medicine- Dr. Kadambini Ganguly Chandrani Sadhya Assistant Professor School of Arts and Humanities REVA University, Bangalore-560064 [email protected] ABSTRACT American Historian David Kopf mentioned Kadambini Ganguly in 1979 in his Book The Brahmo Samaj and the Shaping of the Modern Indian Mind. He considered Kadambini Ganguly as the “the most accomplished and liberated Brahmo woman of her time.” Raja Ram Mohan Roy in association with Dwarkanath Tagore in 1828 formed the Brahma Sabha. The main objective of this Sabha was to bring out the true essence of the Vedanta which was corrupted by Brahmanical dominion and superstitions. The Trust Deed was created in 1830 which assured its inception and is now called as the Adi Brahmo Samaj. In 1861 the Brahmo Samaj was established by Nobin Roy. The ideals of Brahmo Samaj included eradication of dowry as well as caste system, emancipation of women, better educational system, abolition of Sati system, widow remarriage, righteousness, truth, knowledge, reason, free will, virtuous observation, secular principle, renounce polytheism, renounce the need for place for worship, renounce superstition, dismisses distinctions based on caste, creed, colour, race, religion etc. Raja Ram Mohan Roy was instrumental in bringing the modern Indian Renaissance and was motivated by Western thoughts to begin reforms. He was a person of letters and was proficient in Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian, English and Bengali. He was against all valueless religious rituals and ceremonies. He followed monotheism and was against idolatry. He vehemently opposed sati system, polygamy and child marriage and was in favour of widow remarriage. He was opposed by conservative Hindus. He was in favour of reason, humanity and compassion. His activities attracted the attention of the then Governor- General William Bentinck who abolished the Sati system in 1829. He despised the underestimation of women and was against the existing ideas that women were inferior to men. He professed the education of women in English language and western sciences. After the demise of Raja Ram Mohan Roy Maharishi Debendranath Tagore continued the great work. He was a profoundly religious person. He combined the Tattwabodhini sabha with Brahmo Samaj. He was one of the first individuals in Bengal who started higher education for women. Keshab Chandra Sen was affected by Christianity. He believed in the spirit of Christianity. In 1866 Keshab Chandra Sen left Brahmo Samaj. He married his fourteen-year-old daughter to a prince. This act of Keshab Chandra Sen was highly criticised by the existing members of the Brahmo Samaj. Braja Kishore Basu, the father of Kadambini Ganguly was an ardent follower of Raja Ram Mohan Roy. Braja Kishore Basu, was employed as a headmaster who formed the Bhagalpur Mahila Samiti in 1863, and actively participated in social movements related to women empowerment in conjunction with Abhay Charan Mallick. The youngest member of Volume 8, Issue 4, 2020 http://aegaeum.com/ Page No: 962 AEGAEUM JOURNAL ISSN NO: 0776-3808 his Bhagalpur Mahila Samiti was his daughter Kadambini Ganguly. During the period of misogynistic practices, namely Purdah, Infanticide, Child Marriage and Sati, Kadambini Ganguly was considered a pioneer in the field of western medicine. Kadambini Ganguly in conjunction with Chandramukhi Basu was one of the two foremost lady graduates from India and from the erstwhile British Empire. Keywords: Brahmo Samaj, Dwarkanath Ganguly, Western Medicine, Freedom Struggle of India, Education in England, Social Movements 1. Introduction She was born in 18th July, 1861 as Kadambini Basu in Bhagalpur, Bihar, in a Brahmo family which belonged to Barisal. She became one of the first female physicians to practise western medicine. She belonged to a progressive family as her father believed in the principles of Brahmo samaj. She did her education from Bangla Mahila Vidyalaya which was later combined with the Bethune School. Kadambini cleared the entrance examination for the University of Calcutta in 1878. Kadambini in addition to her own studies, she tried to make education available to the reach of the women during that time. Her efforts led to the introduction of the graduation courses and a subject called Fine Arts in Bethune College in 1883. She did her graduation in 1882 with a degree in arts and then resolved to study western medicine. Kadambini wished to appear for entrance exam along with a Bengali Christian girl, a resident of Dehra Dun called Chandramukhi Basu. However, the University was not admitting female students. Due to the efforts of Dwarkanath Ganguly, Kadambini Ganguly and another lady called Sarala were given a chance to appear for the CU entrance exam. Dwarkanath again raised a storm for Kadambini Ganguly to pursue her career in medicine and finally in 1884, Kadambini Ganguly became the first lady to be admitted to Calcutta Medical College. She was able to graduate in 1886 from Calcutta Medical College after clearing hindrances that came in her way as the authorities in the Calcutta Medical College were not in favour of the idea of admission of female candidates. She became one of the two female candidates to complete her graduation from Calcutta Medical College. She was a pioneer in getting education available to women and was looked upon as a role model for women to wage a war for their right to education. Kadambini was given a scholarship of Rs. 20 per month while she was pursuing medicine. A professor was opposed to the concept of Kadambini’s pursual of western medicine that he had failed Kadambini in a particular subject which deprived her of her MB degree Certificate in 1888. She worked in Lady Dufferin Women’s Hospital for a while before commencing her further education in London in 1892. There was a very prominent reason for leaving Lady Dufferin Women Hospital as her co -workers and the staff there were not ready to accept a lady working as a doctor. 2. Kadambini’s Marriage to Dwarkanath Ganguly and their Married Life Rajib Ganguly, the great-grandson of Kadambini Ganguly once commented in an event arranged by Lady Dufferin Hospital to celebrate Kadambini’s 150th birth anniversary in 2012, that “Their extremely successful relationship (marriage) was founded on mutual love, sensitivity, and intelligence”. He also mentioned that “Dwarkanath fully supported Kadambini’s further education.” Kadambini Basu, which was her maiden name was married to Dwarkanath Ganguly in the year 1883. The marriage was not accepted by the Hindus and a section of the Brahmos. Dwarkanath was a widower who age was 39 years at the time of their marriage. She met her husband in Bethune School. Dwarkanath helped her realise her underlying talent. He was her mentor and was 17 years elder to her. He was a follower of Brahmo Samaj and fought for the liberation of women. 3. Dwarkanath Ganguly- Husband of Kadambini Ganguly Volume 8, Issue 4, 2020 http://aegaeum.com/ Page No: 963 AEGAEUM JOURNAL ISSN NO: 0776-3808 Dwarkanath Ganguly was considered as a Brahmo reformer in Bengal of British India. He devoted his life to the emancipation of women and enlightenment of society. Dwarkanath Ganguly was born on 1st Baisakh, 1845 at Magurkhanda village in Bikrampur, Bangladesh. His father was called Krishnapran Ganguly. Dwarkanath Ganguly imbibed the strong will power of his mother. This is proved from the fact that once his mother wanted to visit a pilgrimage called Puri in Orissa. Though she belonged to a rich family she didn’t ask for any help from her father to visit the Pilgrimage. She instead went to the Pilgrimage on foot which shows her strong will power. Dwarkanath Ganguly did his early education from a village Pathsala. Then he studied in a English school. However, he could not clear the entrance class examination. He was a teacher by profession and taught at Sonarang in Bikrampur, Olpur in Faridpur and in the minor school at Lonsingh. At the age of 17 he came to know about a girl who was killed by her family members by poisoning as she had wandered from the normal course of action and he decided never to get involved in polygamy, which was a considered as a fashion in the conservative upper caste Hindu society. He owned a weekly magazine name Abalabandhab which translated into English means Friend of Women. Sivanath Sastri commented, “We were wonderstruck on reading Abalabandhab. Who was the person who was expressing such liberal opinion about the education and development of women from a faraway village”. He later shifted his base to Calcutta and started publishing Abalabandhab from Calcutta. In 1873, he functioned as the Principal, teacher, dietician, guard etc. of Hindu Mahila Vidyalaya. The school was renamed as Banga Mahila Vidyalaya and was later combined with Bethune School. He also published a few articles on the Slave Trade of Assam in the newspaper called Sanjibani on the grim working conditions of the labourers in the tea gardens of Assam. He married Kadambini, few years after the death of his first wife. They had eight children in total which included two children from his first marriage. His daughter Jyotirmoyee became a famous freedom fighter and his son Prabhat Chandra became a Journalist while his daughter from his first marriage called Bindhumukhi was married to Upendra Kishor Ray Chaudhuri. He published a number of works such as Bir Nari(play), Kobigantha, Nababarshiki, Jibanalekya, Suruchir Kutir(Novel), Jatiya Sangeet(compilation), Text Books such as Saral Patiganit, Bhugol, Sasthyatattwa. 4. Kadambini’s association with the Freedom Struggle of India Kadambini was profoundly associated with the freedom struggle of India. She was considered as the first woman to address a gathering of the Indian National Congress. She initiated a number of movements at during the partition of Bengal.