Kavitha Rao tells the stories of six women, who in the 19th and early 20th century challenged societal norms, fought gender and caste battles to tread an unconventional path and become doctors in her famous work "Lady Doctor: The Untold Stories of India's First Women in Medicine"

The book helps us to see what it was like for these six women who defied every obstacle, balanced work and family lives, and left a lasting impression and impact on their peers and especially on women who joined the field in the years after them. Memories of them, says the author, have been erased as history has been rewritten by men. And that is what prompted her to write about the motivating life stories of these women for all to know.

In this podcast, Ms. Rao tells us how she put together the stories of Anandibai Joshi, Kadambini Ganguly, Rukhmabai Raut, Muthulakshmi Reddy, Mary Poonen Lukose, and Haimabati Sen, each of whom was a pioneer in her own way between 1860 and 1930.

Host: Soma Basu, Deputy Editor, The Hindu

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