Google Doodle today: Dr Kamal Ranadive honoured on birth anniversary

Google Doodle today: It is the 104th birth anniversary of Indian cell biologist Dr Kamal Ranadive and Google has released a Google Doodle today to celebrate her many achievements. Dr Ranadive yeoman's service in cancer research is being spotlighted as is her dedicated work in science and education through which she wanted to create greater opportunities for the downtrodden. The Google Doodle dedicated to Dr Ranadive was illustrated by artist Ibrahim Rayintakath. The Doodle shows Dr Ranadive with her microscope.

Dr Kamal Ranadive, also know earlier as Kamal Samarath, was born in Pune in 1917 and despite women facing so many difficulties in that period for trying to enter fields dominated by men, she succeeded in pursuing a career in biology. The role of her father in encouraging her was immense in this respect even though he actually wanted her to pursue medical education.

Dr Ranadive, while at the Indian Cancer research Society, received her doctorate in cytology in 1949 for her study of cells. She then completed her fellowship at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, US.

Thereafter, she chose to return back to the ICRC in Mumbai. Due to her efforts, the first tissue culture laboratory was established at the ICRC.

She went on to hold the position of the director at ICRC. She did pioneering work on animal modeling of cancer development. Ranadive was among the first to say that there was a link between heredity and breast cancer. She also managed to establish a link between various viruses and cancer.

Apart from that, she also worked on Mycobacterium leprae, which causes leprosy, and helped develop a vaccine.

To encourage and support women who wanted to pursue science education, Ranadive and 11 colleagues set up the Indian Women Scientists’ Association (IWSA).

In its statement, Google wrote, “Ranadive also encouraged students and Indian scholars abroad to return to India and put their knowledge to work for their communities. After retiring in 1989, Dr. Ranadive worked in rural communities in Maharashtra, training women as healthcare workers and providing health and nutrition education.”