Anandi Gopal Joshi birth anniversary: 5 Facts about India's first female doctor

Anandibai Gopalrao Joshi was an Indian physician, social reformer, and the first Indian woman to earn a degree in medicine.

In the days when women had very few rights and privileges, she faced challenges and won over them with support from family and well wishers to ink her name in medicine.

She was born in 1865 in Maharashtra, India, and was married at the age of nine to Gopalrao Joshi, who encouraged her to pursue education. She became the first Indian woman to earn a medical degree from the Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1886.

She also started writing articles on women's health and hygiene, which were published in various newspapers and magazines, encouraging women to take care of their health and well-being.

Anandibai died of tuberculosis early the next year on 26 February 1887 before turning 22 in Pune.

Anandibai Gopalrao Joshi was a trailblazer in the field of medicine and women's healthcare. She also paved the way for women's healthcare to become a part of mainstream healthcare in India.

In the contemporary world, the cine industry brought back Anandi Gopal to live and introduced her and her life to the audience.

The Marathi film released in 2019 and now steaming on Zee5 casted actress Bhagyashree Milind to play the lead.