Read All About Dwarakanath Ganguly, The Social Reformer Whom Doctor Kadambini Married

The latest Zee Bangla TV serial Kadambini is all about Dr Kadambini Ganguly, the first woman ever to become a doctor in Bengal! She is brought to life in this new Bengali TV show by the vivacious Bokul Kotha actor Ushasi Ray. Dr Kadambini challenged several social norms to pursue her dream and accomplish her string of achievements. While society by and large was not very supportive of her goal to practise medicine, Kadambini held on to her support system who did indeed encourage her passion and vision. One of these people was her husband, Dwarkanath Ganguly. Actor Manoj Ojha plays his role in the Bangla serial.

Watch the first episode of Kadambini here:

Dwarkanath Ganguly was a Brahmo reformer during the 19th century in Bengal, when India was ruled by the British. He was a social activist who fought for the rights of women and the enlightenment of society. He felt extremely strongly for the plight of women at the time, given the harsh treatment they were likely to be subjected to. Dwarkanath was particularly moved by the tale of a girl from an orthodox Brahmin background who was poisoned by her own family for straying from the path they had set for her!

Dwarkanath was stirred by all these instances of grave injustice which were only too common in those days. He challenged the Brahmo Samaj on a tradition which dictated that women had to sit behind a screen during prayer meetings. He also vowed never to enter into a polygamous marriage, something that was the norm in upper-caste society, as it totally went against his sense of ethics. Instead, he married Kadambini Bose in 1833, after the death of his first wife.

It was Dwarkanath Ganguly who fought for Kadambini’s admission into Calcutta Medical College and secured it. This was the first academic step towards Kadambini’s goal of studying Western medicine, and as we know now, she managed to become the first female doctor in Bengal, and one of the first in the country! What’s more, Kadambini later went on to fight for the rights of all women to be admitted into Calcutta Medical College, and managed to make it happen, thus paving the way for all aspiring female doctors in the future.

What did you think of Dwarkanath Ganguly’s story? Let us know in the comments below!

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