“I was extremely angry that this country had chosen to forget a pioneering woman like Dr Jamini Sen”

In a lively discussion marking Women’s History Month, eShe Book Club turned its attention to a remarkable yet largely forgotten figure: Dr Jamini Sen. The conversation revolved around Daktarin Jamini Sen, a new biography by author Deepta Roy Chakraverti that reconstructs the life of one of the earliest Indian women physicians to gain international recognition.

The discussion, hosted by eShe executive director Shailaja Rao, ranged widely – from historical erasure and professional jealousy to the enduring challenges women face in balancing career and family. But it began with a simple question: how could someone so accomplished disappear from public memory?

Chakraverti offered a candid answer about what drove her to write the book: “In one word, absolute and undiluted anger,” she said. “I was extremely angry that this country had chosen to forget a pioneering woman like Jamini Sen. She had achieved so much, brought tremendous honour to India, and was remembered and honoured in the West, but not in her own country.”

That anger ultimately became the motivation to reconstruct the life of a woman who, over a century ago, defied nearly every social expectation placed upon her.

A pioneer far ahead of her time

Dr Jamini Sen’s life reads like a catalogue of extraordinary firsts. She became the first woman to be elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. She served for 10 years as royal physician to the Nepalese royal family. And at a time when marriage was considered inevitable for women, she chose to remain unmarried while adopting a child.

Participants noted that these decisions – taken more than a hundred years ago – embodied feminist principles long before the language of modern feminism existed.

Chakraverti explained that Sen’s motivations were rooted not in rebellion for its own sake but in a powerful sense of purpose. “Her destiny and inclinations led her on a certain path,” she said. “Her main objectives were tremendous intellectual curiosity and a desire to work for her country, especially for women.”

Service to women patients, she added, remained central to Sen’s life even during periods of personal loss.

The book club members reflected on how rare such choices would have been in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Sen’s independence – professional, intellectual and personal – placed her far outside the norms of her time.

The cost of ambition

Yet the discussion also emphasised that Sen’s achievements came with profound personal sacrifices.

After returning from Nepal with an adopted child, Sen faced gossip and speculation about the child’s origins. When she later travelled to Europe to further her surgical training, she left the child with relatives in India – a decision driven by her determination to become the best physician she could be.

Tragically, while she was abroad, the child died. The loss haunted her for the rest of her life. Participants reflected on how this episode illustrates the impossible choices many working mothers still face today.

Why, several asked, are women expected to choose between family and professional ambition when men rarely confront the same dilemma? The conversation quickly turned personal as participants shared their own experiences navigating these pressures.

Jyotsna Nair from Mumbai recalled the pressure she faced: “I became a mother in my late 30s, and there was pressure to leave my job. I went to my boss, who counselled me to continue working. I’m happy I took that decision because my daughter is now 13 with her own life. Had I stopped working then, I probably wouldn’t have been able to get back into my career later.”

Others described how support from other women often made it possible to pursue both career and family. “I chose hybrid – I had both family and career,” said Fauzia Deeba from the US. “But only because I had women behind me… Without women supporting you, you cannot make these choices.”

The persistence of workplace bias

If Sen’s life seemed distant in time, many participants felt the challenges she faced remain strikingly familiar. Professional jealousy and gender bias continue to shape women’s experiences in workplaces across South Asia and beyond.

Chakraverti acknowledged that such reactions are almost inevitable when women succeed. “Jealousy is a universal trait from ancient times to present-day modern life,” she said. “You can’t have success without jealousy.”

What makes the situation more complex, several participants noted, is that discrimination can come from multiple directions – not only from men but sometimes from other women as well.

Priyanka Bisht from Delhi described how women in positions of authority often face harsher scrutiny than their male counterparts. “When women are in such positions, they are put under a microscope where even a tiny mistake is seen as proof that women can’t do the job,” she said. “You won’t hear this talk about men.”

The discussion also touched on the many layers of discrimination women encounter – based not just on gender but also class, caste, language and economic background. These overlapping pressures, participants suggested, help explain why stories like Sen’s are often lost or suppressed.

Why was she forgotten?

The question of historical erasure became a central theme of the evening. Despite her achievements, Sen’s name largely vanished from mainstream histories in India. Yet in Glasgow, the Royal College commemorated her contributions by hanging her portrait in its halls.

Chakraverti explained several reasons for this paradox. Sen’s close association with the Nepalese monarch Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah placed her in a politically sensitive position after the king was placed under surveillance and later died under suspicious circumstances. Her independence and professional success also made her a target of gossip and resentment.

“She had far outstripped her peers,” Chakraverti explained. “She was single with an adopted child, which sparked gossip. Her achievements in the West created tremendous jealousy. She wouldn’t toe anyone’s line.”

In such an environment, it became easier to erase her from the historical record than to celebrate her achievements.

For participants joining from Nepal, the revelation was particularly striking. “We from Nepal have not heard about her at all, which is really sad,” Sarita Bartaula noted during the discussion.

Science, spirituality and the “Wiccan woman”

Another fascinating strand of the conversation centred on Chakraverti’s discussion of Wiccan philosophy, which she practises, following in the footsteps of her mother Ipsita Roy Chakraverti who pioneered the Wiccan movement in India.

The author described it not as superstition but as a philosophy combining logic, spirituality and intellectual curiosity. The word “Wiccan”, Chakraverti explained, derives from ancient terms referring to wise women and early traditions of knowledge that predated modern religious hierarchies.

In this sense, she suggested, Sen too embodied many of those qualities. “She had great faith, deep abiding spirituality, was extremely strong, a complete feminist, and was not afraid of society,” Chakraverti said.

Above all, women must overcome the paralysing fear of social judgement. “The fear of ‘what will people say’ kills the spark in many women,” Chakraverti noted.

For the book club participants, this idea resonated strongly with Sen’s life story. Her refusal to bend to social pressure – whether in remaining single, pursuing advanced medical training abroad, or devoting herself to women’s healthcare – was precisely what made her exceptional.

Writing the biography

For Chakraverti, writing the biography was also a deeply personal project. Sen was her grand-aunt, and stories about her circulated within the family when she was growing up.

Those stories, she recalled, eventually led to a deeper research journey. One small object became a starting point: a golden watch given to Sen by the Nepalese king, inherited by Chakraverti. From that clue, she began reconstructing the historical and political context of Sen’s life.

This discussion is also available as a podcast on Spotify.

Although the connection was personal, she insisted she tried to maintain objectivity in telling the story. “An effective biography… requires allowing some consciousness space to that consciousness that lived 100 years ago,” she reflected. “For a while my consciousness and that of Jamini were able to blend.”

Lessons for today

As the discussion drew to a close, participants reflected on what modern readers – particularly working women – might learn from Sen’s life.

Chakraverti offered a simple formula: “You need merit, tremendous stubbornness of spirit, and God’s blessing. If these three things are there, no amount of corruption or office politics can stop you.”

At the same time, many participants acknowledged that structural inequalities remain deeply entrenched. Even in developed countries, women still earn less than men for similar work, and leadership roles often bring disproportionate scrutiny.

Yet Sen’s story offers a powerful reminder that courage and determination can leave a lasting mark – even if history temporarily forgets.

By rediscovering figures like Jamini Sen, the discussion concluded, we are not merely revisiting the past. We are reclaiming a lineage of women who refused to be constrained by the limits imposed upon them – and whose stories still have the power to inspire.

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