Irawati Karve
Dr Irawati Karve, born on 15 December 1905 in Burma (now Myanmar), was named after the Irrawaddy River. She grew up in Pune and graduated with a BA in Philosophy from Fergusson College in 1926. That same year, she married Dr. Dinkar Dhondo Karve, son of social reformer Maharshi Karve. She pursued her PhD in Anthropology from Berlin University in 1928, becoming India’s first woman anthropologist.
Dr Karve started the Anthropology Department at Poona University, where she was a pioneer and long-time head. She broke barriers as a woman scientist, conducting fieldwork on topics like kinship, caste, folk songs, and oral traditions. Her book Yuganta, an interpretation of the Mahabharata, earned her the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1968. She authored over 100 articles and books, both in English and Marathi, leaving a lasting impact on Indian anthropology and Indology.
Trivia : Dr Irawati Karve was the first woman in Pune to ride a scooter, a bold act in her time.
References:
- Bright Sparks - Indian Scientists by Arvind Gupta
- Irawati Karve: India’s First Woman Anthropologist - The Better India
- Short Biography of Irawati Karve - Your Article Library
- Irawati Karve: The Pioneer of Indian Sociology - Feminism in India
