As a high-schooler, we are introduced only to two worlds in the universe called science - engineering and medicine. However, if you are someone like Ilina Singh, you'd probe more and find that within these worlds exist several branches that are barely explored.
When this 17-year-old was to choose her stream for senior school, she had a predicament unlike many of us. Why are there very few female role models in Science, except Madam Curie? Why was no one an Indian?
Serendipitously, a tweet from Union Minister Smriti Irani about 11 women scientists from India ignited a spark in Ilina. She went on a deep dive that eventually culminated in The Gutsy Girls of Science that released on National Science Day (February 28) 2022.
The book introduces readers to the 11 trailblazing women who overcame odds to achieve success in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).
Names like Iravati Karve, Janaki Ammal, Kadambini Ganguly and Kamal Ranadive, who have made great contributions - from developing a weather model to finding a treatment for cancer, come to the fore and in this process, we also learn about 11 different fields of science.
"I realised Indian girls like me have very little representation in the field of science. So, I got an idea to write a book for girls who are younger than me - a kind of book that I wish I had had when I was younger," says Ilina.
Apart form the Indian government websites that had detailed account of these scientists' works, Ilina also got in touch with Eric Falt, director and UNESCO representative to Bhutan, India, Maldives and Sri Lanka, who has also written the foreword for the book. What started as a series of portraits of the women, slowly took shape as a book with biographies, poems describing them and an activity related to the field they belonged to.
"I mailed the portraits to Smriti Irani and to the Prime Minister of India. It garnered appreciation. I thought if just the portraits have got so much appreciation, then maybe I should compile them together. That sort of inspired the poems. Then came prose," she explains.
The quizzes and activities that she has designed give the book an interesting spin that even adults would like to try out. "I feel these concepts work well when you have activities and quizzes attached to them. I tried to imagine what a 12-year-old me would have loved to read; it would have been activities, quizzes and games. The idea was to keep it engaging for younger children," she shares.
The takeaway from this book, for Ilina and the readers, is simple. We need more girls in science and we have to acknowledge those who are already accomplished. "Right now only 14 per cent of researchers in India are women which, in my opinion, is too small and absolutely needs to change. Women must have a feet at the table where decisions are being made on science because they shape our future and future technology. I believe having the right role model and acknowledging the existing ones will make science less intimidating and more acceptable," she signs off.
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
Pages: 99
Price: Rs 499