Rukhmabai fellowship Stories of women in stem
The series features inspiring stories about accomplished Indian women in STEM, written by women journalists from India.
Receive a grant of
₹35000
The Rukhmabai Fellowship offers a grant of Rs.35,000 to Indian woman journalists for covering stories that chronicle the journey and accomplishments of Indian women who are working in fields of STEM.
We are currently accepting applications from women journalists/writers only. #womeninartsforwomeninscience.
Last year, in 2020, we had chosen two Rukhmabai Fellows.
This year, we are going to award the fellowship to the three most deserving applicants.
Who can participate
Indian Nationals
Over 21 years of age
Studying or pursuing journalism
Must Watch Stories of women in stem
About Rukhmabai Fellowship
The Rukhmabai Fellowship was first launched in 2020 in honour of one of India’s first practising female doctors. It seeks to recognise Indian women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics).
Rukhmabai was a feminist icon in the British era who went against the conventions when she refused to move into her marital home and contested a historic,, legal battle for her rights, which eventually led to the enactment of the Age of Consent Act, 1891. After the dissolution of her marriage, Rukhmabai continued her education and went on to pursue a career in medicine. She served as the chief medical officer of the Women’s Hospital in Surat.
Rukhmabai’s grit and determination to realise her potential is an inspiration for millions of girls and young women in India who face multiple hurdles when it comes to accessing education. Pursuing science and related fields is especially challenging, given the deeply embedded biases in society, gender stereotypes, financial constraints, lack of early childhood exposure, and opportunities and so on.
At 101Reporters, we believe that awareness about the struggles and achievements of women role models in the STEM fields will encourage girls and young women to dream big and steer them to take up the sciences. We hope to bring stories that will inspire, provoke and convince more women to take up STEM. And we want to tell these stories through the words of women journalists.
Meet our 2021 rukhmabai fellows
Aisiri Amin
Aisiri is a freelance journalist specialising in gender, culture and social justice. She is the co-founder of INKLINE, an international media website featuring solutions-focused stories.
Damayanti Datta
Damayanti specialises in storytelling that is rooted in research. She has travelled widely and reported from locations as diverse as hospitals, courts, science labs, police stations and tribal homes.
Stories From
2020-21 Fellows
Holding space as a lesbian trans woman in STEM
By Aisiri Amin
Dr Mani recalls how her early days in academia, where she faced exclusion and daily microaggressions on account of her trans identity, shaped her research style.
“If you are the only woman in the room, so what?”
By Damayanti Datta
Technologist, inventor, innovator, entrepreneur, Geetha Manjunath, harnesses the power of artificial intelligence to detect lurking disorders—from breast cancer to COVID-19.
Calling out gender bias in STEM
By Aisiri Amin
From very early on, Dr Vaishnavi Ananthanarayanan became aware of the passive yet glaring ways in which women in academia were being held back. So she co-founded BiasWatchIndia to bring in some accountability.
“For me, it’s all been about the love of science.”
By Damayanti Datta
Scientist and entrepreneur, Jugnu Jain, has set up one of the most ambitious projects of 21st century biomedical sciences in India – biobanking – that promises a new paradigm in our war on dreaded diseases
Addressing Gender Disparities in
STEM
By Aisiri Amin
A lowdown on the implicit and explicit biases that follow women from school to the lab, its impact on the individual and the community and some solutions that need to be actioned to make science a safe space.
Stories From
Other Contributors
She walks into the wild to tend to the beasts
By Varsha Singh
To get to the tigers, elephants and leopards, Dr Aditi Sharma, senior veterinarian and wildlife health specialist at the Rajaji Tiger Reserve, had to first traverse the unforgiving world of men.
Sticks and stones may break my bones but...
By Shuchita Jha
‘Lady geologist’ Debjani Raychaudhuri never allowed the harsh realities of field work to deter her from exploring and mapping the most remote corners of the country.
The good fight: Battling prejudices and parasites
By Rina Mukerji
Overcoming patriarchy and entrenched gender roles, Dr Dipika Sur has carved a niche for herself in medical research, heading several critical epidemiological studies on diseases afflicting countries like India.
Rural women create niche brand in LED lighting
By Varsha Singh
Kamalpreet Kaur’s entrepreneurial venture in rural Uttarakhand is training housewives to become electrical engineers.
Amidst the conflict, a conservationist bats for biodiversity
By Hirra Azmat
Mehreen Khaleel believes in the importance of educating children on nature conservation as she tackles hurdles posed by lack of funds and conceptualises women’s role in furthering the cause
The journey of ‘Stork Sister’: Pioneering a community-conservation movement
By Priyanka Shankar
Dr Purnima Devi Barman grew up around the dull grey-feathered Greater Adjutant Stork, a ‘bad omen’ bird with a rather ill-favoured look. But slowly she taught her community to accept and conserve the endangered species.
The scientist revolutionising paddy cultivation in Kashmir
By Safeena Wani
Combining her expertise in paddy varieties and her background in incorporating weather forecasts in cultivation, agricultural scientist Dr Raihana Kanth is bringing about real change in how agriculture is practised in the Valley.
Why
The Rukhmabai Fellowship for Women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) is named in honour of one of India’s first practising female doctors. Rukhmabai went against the conventions of her era when she refused to move to her marital home, contesting a historic, legal battle for her rights, which eventually led to the enactment of the Age of Consent Act, 1891. After the dissolution of her marriage, Rukhmabai continued her education and went on to pursue a career in medicine. She served as the chief medical officer of the Women’s Hospital in Surat.
Rukhmabai’s grit and determination to realise her potential is an inspiration for millions of girls and young women in India who face multiple hurdles when it comes to accessing education. Pursuing science and related fields is especially challenging given the deeply embedded biases in society, gender stereotypes, financial constraints, lack of early childhood exposure and opportunities and so on.
Only 3% of women in India enroll to get a PhD in science and 6% opt for a PhD in Engineering and Technology, according to a 2018-19 survey by the Ministry of Education. Women account for only 14% of the total scientists, engineers, technologists in research institutions.
At 101Reporters, we believe that awareness about the struggles and achievements of women role models in the STEM fields will encourage girls and young women to dream big and steer them to take up the sciences. We hope to bring stories that will inspire, provoke and convince more women to take up STEM. And we want to tell these stories through the words of women journalists.
If you have any questions regarding the application, please contact:
editor@101reporters.com