By Sunil Mani
Sunil Mani is a visiting professor, Centre for Development Studies, and Ahmedabad University, both in India. The views expressed are personal.
February 21, 2026
The achievements of Edavaleth Kakkat Janaki Ammal, Anna Modayil Mani, Thayyoor K. Radha, and Tessy Thomas are inspiring young women in Kerala, as well as India, to pursue careers in science and technology.
During World War II, Janaki Ammal lived in London when it was being bombed by German aircraft. In a 1940 letter to a friend at the University of Michigan, she writes, “Meanwhile we live in great danger - air raids day & night - There goes the siren- I must seek shelter. You cannot imagine the time London is having, but we are all cheerful and getting used to bombs of every description.” Ammal added, “Life isn’t worth it without a sense of danger.”
