A role model is more like a guiding star or an embodiment of inspiration who continues to be the beacon of hope in a person’s life. They embody the parameters of perfection that help individuals seek the right direction in life confidently while following their passion at the same time. A role model could either be someone’s teacher, friend, or someone or anyone who is not directly connected to the individual but continues to be the catalyst that encourages the individual to dream and chase their aspirations to turn them into reality.
The women of the 21st century have multiple role models who either encourage them to never stop dreaming or following their passion, or kindle the zeal in them to surmount all the obstacles to fulfill their goals. One such role model who has been continuously inspiring women all across India is Anandibai Joshi.
Being the first woman from India to have secured a degree in Western medicine, she was a trailblazer who enthused thousands of women to follow their passion in the field of medicine. Back in the 19th century when societal expectations inhibited any kind of flourishment or progress of women, and every attempt at women’s emancipation and liberation was thwarted by the sentinels of the patriarchal society, Anandibai Joshi braved all the negative criticisms without succumbing to any of them.
Anandibai Joshi holds the position of a role model for Indian women not only because of her resolution and grit to see through all the adversities and reach her dreams, but the personal tragedies as well that she did not allow to break her strength and resilience. After being married to Gopal Rao Joshi at the age of 9, who was a great thinker ahead of his time and much more progressive than the other husbands during those days, Anandibai Joshi lost her infant son due to a lack of sufficient medical support.
This inestimable loss ignited the strong desire to become a doctor so that she could use all her knowledge and expertise to save countless lives from being ripped off untimely by death. At a time when the very prospect of women being educated was dismissed as ridiculous or intrepid, Anandibai Joshi, with immeasurable support from her husband decided to pursue her dreams and flew to Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania. This whole journey put her in the middle of a lot of societal opposition, but it was the inner revolutionary dormant in Anandibai Joshi that came to the forefront and decided to dismiss every opposition and focus only on her ambition.
In the initial days of her medical training, Anandibai Joshi realized that her days of adversities were not over as she had to exhibit immense resilience and endurance to digest the criticisms by the Western people towards the Indian society stemming out of misconceptions. She not only took up the baton to give her country a medical expert who would exclusively try to work for the improvement of women’s health but also the responsibility to prove that her culture, heritage, and country can also welcome any kind of progressive thoughts and new ideologies through women’s education. That is why, despite the numerous obstacles that she faced for being a woman, going for education abroad and that too for a profession that was solely male-dominated during her times, Anandibai Joshi never took a single step back nor bowed down to any of the societal norms crafted especially for the subjugation of women.
The first groundbreaking contribution that Anandibai Joshi made in the field of medicine was the thesis that she published in 1886 on the topic of Obstetrics among the Aryan Hindus which combined references from both American Western medicine-related texts and also Ayurvedic texts. That way Anandibai Joshi became the bridge between the prejudiced and ignorant Indian society and the highly sophisticated and cultured Western society while integrating the latest medical advances of both the cultures that can benefit the Indian women as well as the Western women at the same time.
In this way, Anandibai Joshi continues to prove the keepers of Indian society wrong and inculcate the idea of pursuing dreams among Indian women no matter what kind of obstacles challenge them. This makes her no less than a role model who can inspire individuals to such an extent that they are ready to fight any kind of adversity and make their way to reach whatever they have dreamt of for themselves.
It is not only her struggle to become a physician that makes her a name to be reckoned with, both in the fields of medicine and in the list of female achievers in India but also the legacy that she has left behind after her untimely death due to tuberculosis at the age of 21. In a society where women still fight for equality and respect, the legacy of Anandibai Joshi will continue to transcend time and encourage women to challenge any societal barrier or narrow-mindedness and pursue their careers passionately while always persevering through the adversities.
It is the fight initiated by Anandibai Joshi and a flicker of hope that will always live on in the hearts of the Indian women who wish to take the less travelled path that has more thorns than roses but promises of glory to whoever braves the thorns and chooses to walk the path. That is why Anandibai Joshi continues to be a role model for women of all age groups especially when it comes to fighting for what they want and fulfilling their dreams.
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