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{{Short description|Indian biochemist (1911–1998)}}
{{EngvarB|date=February 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2018}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name = Kamala Sohonie
| image = Kamala Sohonie.jpg
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth-date|18 June 1911}}
| birth_place = [[Indore]], [[Indore State]], [[British India]] (now part of [[Madhya Pradesh]], [[India]])
| death_date = {{d-da|28 June 1998|18 June 1911}}
| death_place = [[New Delhi]], [[India]]
| field = [[Biochemistry]] scientist
| work_institution =
| alma_mater = [[Bombay University]], [[Mumbai]]. [[Newnham College]], [[University of Cambridge]]
| doctoral_advisor =
| doctoral_students =
| known_for = Being the first Indian female to earn a [[PhD]]
| spouse = M.V Sohonie
| footnotes =
}}
'''Kamala Sohonie''' (18 June 1911 – 28 June 1998)<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://scicomm.iiserkol.ac.in/docs/1/pages/kamala.html |title=Archived copy |access-date=18 June 2023 |archive-date=24 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230424003235/https://scicomm.iiserkol.ac.in/docs/1/pages/kamala.html |url-status=live }}</ref> was an Indian [[biochemist]] who in 1939 became the first Indian woman to receive a PhD in a scientific discipline.<ref name="insa" /><ref name="goi">{{cite web|title=The Glass Ceiling: The why and therefore|url=http://www.vigyanprasar.gov.in/Radioserials/1empowering%20women%20through%20s&T.pdf|work=Vigyansagar|publisher=Government of India|accessdate=19 October 2012|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306062739/http://vigyanprasar.gov.in/radioserials/1empowering%20women%20through%20s%26t.pdf|archivedate=6 March 2016}}</ref> Her acceptance into and work at the [[Indian Institute of Science]], [[Bengaluru]], paved the way for women to be accepted into the institution for the first time in its history.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.thebetterindia.com/91026/kamala-sohonie-india-woman-scientist-iisc-cambridge/|title=How Kamala Sohonie Defied Gender Bias & Became the First Indian Woman PhD in Science|date=10 March 2017|work=The Better India|access-date=20 January 2018|archive-date=20 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190120155728/https://www.thebetterindia.com/91026/kamala-sohonie-india-woman-scientist-iisc-cambridge/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Her research delved into the effects of vitamins and into the nutritive values of pulses, paddy, and groups of food items consumed by some of the poorest sections of the Indian population. Her work on the nutritional benefits of the palm extract called '[[Neera]]' was inspired by the then-president [[Rajendra Prasad]]'s suggestion. Kamala Sohonie received the Rashtrapati Award for this work.<ref name="indianbotanists">{{Cite web |url=http://www.indianbotanists.com/2015/03/kamala-sohonie-woman-who-established.html |title=Kamala Sohonie - Woman, Who Established the Nutritive Value of the Plants, Consumed by Poor People |last=Kumar |first=Ritesh |date=7 March 2015 |access-date=20 January 2018 |archive-date=12 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190312230539/http://www.indianbotanists.com/2015/03/kamala-sohonie-woman-who-established.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Early life==
Kamala Sohonie (née Bhagvat) was born on 18 June 1911 in [[Indore]], now in Madhya Pradesh, India. Her father, Narayanarao Bhagvat, as well as her uncle, Madhavrao Bhagvat, were chemists and alumni of the erstwhile Tata Institute of Sciences (which later became the Indian Institute of Science) in Bengaluru.<ref name=":0" /> Kamala followed 'family tradition' and graduated in '''1933''' with a BSc degree in [[Chemistry]] (principal) and [[Physics]] (subsidiary) from [[Bombay University]].

Kamala then applied to the [[Indian Institute of Science]] for a research fellowship, but her application was turned down by the then-Director and Nobel Laureate Prof. [[C V Raman]] on the grounds that women were not considered competent enough to pursue research.<ref name="insa">{{cite web|url=http://www.arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/bs28ksohonie.pdf|title=Kamala Sohonie|last=Gupta|first=Aravind|publisher=Indian National Science Academy|accessdate=19 October 2012|archive-date=20 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180820095230/http://www.arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/bs28ksohonie.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Kamala responded to the rejection by holding a 'satyagraha' outside Prof. C V .Raman's office, which persuaded him to grant her admission, but with some stipulations:

* She would not be admitted as a regular student.
* She would be on probation for the entire first year.
* Her work would not be officially recognized until CV Raman was himself satisfied with its quality.
* She would not spoil the environment by being a "distraction" to her male colleagues.

Although admittedly humiliated by them, Kamala agreed to the terms, thus becoming in 1933 the first woman to be admitted into the institute.<ref name="stree">{{cite web|title=Kamala Sohonie|url=http://www.streeshakti.com/bookK.aspx?author=11|publisher=Streeshakti|accessdate=19 October 2012|archive-date=28 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428183200/http://streeshakti.com/bookK.aspx?author=11|url-status=live}}</ref> She would later say, "''Though Raman was a great scientist, he was very narrow-minded. I can never forget the way he treated me just because I was a woman. Even then, Raman didn't admit me as a regular student. This was a great insult to me. The bias against women was so bad at that time. What can one expect if even a Nobel Laureate behaves in such a way?".'' Also after a year, many women got their admission to the institution.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=https://feminisminindia.com/2017/12/25/kamala-sohonie-phd-science/|title=Kamala Sohonie: First Indian Woman To Get A PhD In Science {{!}} #IndianWomenInHistory|date=25 December 2017|work=Feminism in India|access-date=20 January 2018|archive-date=14 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190814012510/https://feminisminindia.com/2017/12/25/kamala-sohonie-phd-science/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Career and research==
Kamala's mentor at the IISc was Sri Srinivasayya. During her stint here, she worked on proteins in milk, pulses and legumes (a subject that was especially significant in the Indian context). Her dedication and research mettle influenced Prof. Raman's decision to let women into the IISc a year after she completed her MSc degree with distinction in 1936.

She was then invited to UK's [[Cambridge University]] to work under Dr. Derek Richter in the Frederick G. Hopkins laboratory. She was a student of [[Newnham College]], matriculating in 1937 and studying the Biological Natural Sciences Tripos.<ref>Newnham College student records</ref> When Richter left, she worked under Dr. [[Robin Hill (biochemist)|Robin Hill]] and studied plant tissues. From her work on potatoes, she discovered the enzyme 'Cytochrome C' which plays an essential role in the electron transport chain (the process by which energy is created for organisms), found in plants, human and animal cells.<ref name=":1" /> Her thesis on the subject was completed in 14 months and was 40 pages long, a departure from the usually much longer PhD submissions.

After receiving her PhD, Kamala returned to India in 1939. As a supporter of [[Mahatma Gandhi]], she wanted to come back to her country and contribute to the nationalist struggle.<ref name=":0" /> She was appointed Professor and Head of the Department of [[Biochemistry]] at [[Lady Hardinge Medical College]] in New Delhi. Later, she worked at the Nutrition Research Laboratory, Coonoor as Assistant Director, focusing on the effects of vitamins.<ref name=":1" />

She married M.V Sohonie, an [[actuary]], in 1947 and moved to [[Mumbai]]. She joined the [[Royal Institute of Science]] as a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry, and worked on the nutritional aspects of [[legume]]s. Her eventual appointment to the position of Director of the Institute is believed to have been delayed by 4 years due to existing gender bias in the scientific community.<ref name=":1" /> During this period, Kamala and her students conducted important research on three groups of food items that are majorly consumed by financially disadvantaged sections of people in India.

Kamala started work on 'Neera' (sap extracted from the inflorescence of various species of toddy palms) on the suggestion of then-President of India, Rajendra Prasad. She found significant quantities of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and iron in the drink, and that these elements can survive concentration of ''Neera'' into palm jaggery and molasses.<ref name=":1" />

Later studies indicated that the inclusion of ''Neera'' in the diets of malnourished adolescent children and pregnant women from tribal communities as an inexpensive dietary supplement led to significant improvement in health.<ref name="indianbotanists" /> She was awarded the [[Rashtrapati Award]] for her work in this subject.

== Death and legacy ==
Kamala was an active member of the [[Consumer Guidance Society of India]] (CGSI). She was elected President of the CGSI for the 1982–83 period and she also authored articles on consumer safety for the organisational magazine called 'Keemat'.

Kamala Sohonie died in 1998, shortly after collapsing during a felicitation ceremony organised by [[Indian Council of Medical Research]] (ICMR) in New Delhi.<ref name="indianbotanists" />

On 18 June 2023, search engine Google commemorated Sohonie with a [[Google Doodle|Doodle]] on her 112th birth anniversary.<ref name="Kamala Sohonie on Google Doodle">{{cite web |title=Kamala Sohonie's 112th Birthday |date=18 June 2023 |url=https://www.google.com/doodles/kamala-sohonies-112th-birthday |access-date=18 June 2023}}</ref>

==References==
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sohonie, Kamala}}
[[Category:1911 births]]
[[Category:1998 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian biochemists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian chemists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian biologists]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Cambridge]]
[[Category:University of Mumbai alumni]]
[[Category:Indian Institute of Science alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women scientists]]
[[Category:Scientists from Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Indian women biochemists]]
[[Category:Women scientists from Maharashtra]]

Kamala Sohonie - Revision history

WikiDwarfBOT at 21:11, 21 July 2023