Janaki Ammal, India's first woman PhD, and the reason sugarcanes are sweet today
Published on: Dec. 27, 2025, 8 a.m. | Source: India Today
Janaki Ammal, a botanist and India’s first woman with a PhD, developed the sweet sugarcane we know in India today, challenged caste and gender bias, defended forests, never married, and lived a life of fierce independence, leaving a legacy that still shapes Indian science.
