A Woman to Know: Anna Mani

May 4, 2017

My being a woman has absolutely no bearing on what I want to do with my life. — Anna Mani

When Anna turned 8, her family gave her a very special present: an exquisite pair of diamond earrings. She begged her parents to return them — all she really wanted, she promised, was her own complete set of encyclopedias.

Growing up in India in the 1930s, Anna watched the legendary leader Gandhi with fascination. Inspired by his message, she decided as a child that she would rise to the highest levels in her chosen field, meteorology. She didn't want to do so for money or recognition — inspired by Gandhi's work, she wanted to do so to make her country a better, cleaner place.

Twenty years later, she graduated at the top of her class. Thirty years later, she started her job as India's first female chief of meteorology. Today, solar engineers study her books and use the tools she designed. Experts agree: her work forever changed the industry.

Add to your library list:

Solar Radiation Over India (Anna Mani)
Handbook of Solar Radiation Data for India (Anna Mani)

Read more:

Women in Science (India Academy of Science)
Anna Mani is one of India's greatest women scientists. Yet you probably haven't heard her story. (Yahoo India)
The life and times of a pioneer (The Hindu)
Anna Mani was one of India's greatest scientists, and her story deserves to be told (Vagabomb Magazine)
Indian Women Scientists Who Make Us All Proud (Better India)
Anna Mani — meteorologist extraordinaire (A Brave New Science)
Anna Mani: a pioneer researcher (India Study Channel)

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