"I come from a very much educated family. Yes! my grandmother was a teacher herself in a school. My mother, my aunties and elder women cousins were all teachers because my grandmother was of the opinion that every woman should stand on her own legs (but only upto teacher training), and then work as teachers... Continue Reading →
Manjulika Mukherjee, BA graduate, Calcutta University, 1969
"Manjulika Mukherjee was the first college graduate from my entire extended family combining my maternal and paternal side. She has been my inspiration since I was a child. "Mamoni" as I called her, was the first born child of my maternal grandfather, Late Sri Krishnadhan Mukherjee, who was an idealistic non-violent Gandhian freedom fighter and was... Continue Reading →
Leela Pingle, graduate, Karve Vidyapeeth, Pune, 1935
"The name of my mother before marriage when she passed her graduation in 1935, was Leela Pingle, Residence: Sangamner, Maharashtra. Her degree was called GA, i.e. Graduate in Arts, from Karve Vidyapeeth for Women in Pune. The photo was taken around the same time. After the degree she worked for two years as a teacher in a... Continue Reading →
Kishwar Sultana, B.A, Lahore College, 1994
"My name is Kishwar Sultana. I am 43 now and heading an NGO - Insan Foundation Trust. Among many boys and girls of my extended family I was the only one who went to college– even completed the 10th grade. I graduated from Lahore Collage for Women – Lahore in 1994. My three sisters were... Continue Reading →
Kanakammal Ramaiya, graduate, Madras University, early 20th century
"Mary Kanakammal Ramaiya was born in 1894 as the tenth child of Mr.Samuel Sargunar and Mrs.Gnanapoo Ammal in Conjeevaram. True to the genius of her father who was not only the first graduate from Tirunelveli district, also proficient in seven languages including Latin, Greek, French, Sanskrit and Hindusthani, Kanakammal completed her B.A., degree in Philosophy... Continue Reading →
K. Jayashree, PhD graduate, Madras University, 1995
"Dr.K.Jayashree, Former Professor of Geography, Queen Marys College, Chennai. She was the first graduate for the whole of our family." Contributor: daughter Chandra Gupta
Dipti Tripathi, PhD, Calcutta University, 1940s
"She graduated in 1944 and was the first graduate in our family. She did her Masters and earned the Doctorate degree from the Calcutta University. She was a professor and became the principal of Bethune College which produced India's and the whole British Empire's first women graduates in 1883. She was a renowned classical dancer too. She... Continue Reading →
Belli Lakshmi Ramakrishnan, M.A graduate, Stella Maris, Madras, 1965
"I am Belli Lakshmi Ramakrishnan. This is a photograph of me taken in 1980. I am the first women graduate, post-graduate and Tamil Nadu State level gazette officer from my family. I can also proudly claim to be the first woman Post Graduate and first woman Gazette officer from The Nilgiris District, and from the... Continue Reading →
Arati Banerjee, B.A graduate, Agra University, 1954
"Arati Banerjee ( 82 years;) Graduated in 1954. Agra University. BA in English/History/Sanskrit Sangeet Prabhakar from Prayag Sangeet Samiti, Allahabad. BT ( Allahabad University) Arati Banerjee nee Mukherjee completed her graduation in 1954 from Agra University in English, Sanskrit and History. One among 14 children in a middle-class family, Ms Banerjee’s thirst for knowledge was probably... Continue Reading →
Purnima Rao, PhD. TISS, Mumbai, 1991
"I am one of the First Graduates in the family. I completed my B.A in Psychology from the Presidency College Madras in 1971. I was a good student in school and my father was very keen that I complete my graduation. We were a lower middle class family and spending on education was not a... Continue Reading →