Ranganayakamma with a micro pulse light detection and ranging sensor.
Exactly 65 years ago, in an era when a girl’s career options were limited, a brilliant young student from a financially constrained background sought admission to the National Institute of Engineering (NIE), Mysore. Little did she know she would become the first lady engineer of Mysore University, which at that time encompassed all the engineering colleges in the erstwhile Mysore State.
Sixteen years later, when I entered the same college, engineering was still considered a male domain. I did not know much about Belthur Ranganayakamma until decades later, when I eventually met her during one of her many visits from the USA to India. Each meeting left me dazzled by her achievements.
Her journey was far from easy. Born in 1942 as the fourth daughter of Sanskrit teacher Belthur Gopala Iyengar and his wife Vedamma, she lost her mother before she had even turned one. At that time, her eldest sister Sringaramma was barely 13. A few years later, her father took Sanyas Deeksha and passed away soon after, a bolt from the blue for the young family. Compassionate neighbours stepped in to support the four children who had lost both parents.
Ranganayakamma once recalled a question posed by her interviewers before she was admitted to NIE: Would she be able to complete the degree and make use of her education, or would she simply waste a seat? Little did they realise that she would go on to be a trailblazer in research and development (R&D).
She secured admission but had no money to pay the fee of Rs 250. Incredibly, it was the Nizam of Hyderabad who came to her aid, even granting her a monthly scholarship of Rs 50 for the next three years. Whatever doubts the college authorities may have had, she proved them unfounded. For the next five years, as the only girl in the college, she was even given access to the principal’s toilet.
Every day, she cycled more than six kilometres from VV Mohalla to Vidyaranyapuram. An elderly doctor and family well-wisher, Ashwathanarayana, had arranged for her to have a ladies’ cycle. Her classmates were equally supportive, often accompanying her home after evening classes that ran as late as 7 pm.
In 1965, she graduated from the Mechanical Engineering Department, securing the first rank in the university every year and topping the final-year examinations. A certificate presented to her on March 4, 1965, at the farewell function read: “During the course, she has asked for no quarter, has been shown no special concessions. We point with pride to the fact that she has consistently been topping the list in her academic achievements.”
She later pursued her MS at Stony Brook University, USA, where once again she was the only woman in engineering. Returning to India in 1970, she became the first woman engineer to join the Aeronautical Development Establishment, Bangalore, under the Ministry of Defence. There she worked on the design of unmanned aerial vehicles, which were later developed into pilotless target aircraft, Lakshya and the Nishant. Rising to the post of Principal Scientific Officer and Scientist E in the Structures Department, she established an experimental stress analysis facility and made significant contributions to R&D in the field.
In 1991, she returned to the USA and became the first employee of Science and Engineering Services (SES). As programme manager and key technical lead, she oversaw the NASA Wallops task contract awarded to SES on the Upper Air Atmospheric Research Program, as well as numerous task orders from NASA Goddard, including work on Micro Pulse Lidars.
Her husband and colleague, Dr C R Prasad, was an “incredible support,” collaborating with her on many research activities. Their daughter, Dr Brinda, is a research scientist specialising in infectious diseases. When I met her last October, I learned that she had continued working until nearly her 80th birthday. At 83 today, she celebrates life with her ever-loving family, which includes her two cherished grandchildren.