PRIDE OF WOMEN

3. Janaki Ammal Edavaleth Kakkat was an Indian botanist best
remembered for her work on sugarcane and eggplant. An expert in
cytogenetics (the genetic content and expression of genes in the cell),
she conducted research on chromosome numbers and ploidy in a variety
of garden plants while she was in England which led to new findings on
the evolution of species and varieties. Her research played a vital role in
understanding the nature of polyploidy in sugarcane and helped in
choosing plant varieties for cross-breeding in order to produce the
sweetest sugarcane. Born in late 19th century in Kerala, India, Ammal
was encouraged to pursue her intellectual interests from a young age.
Unlike in many other Indian families of those times where girls were not
provided any opportunity for self-development, her family supported
her from the very beginning. She developed an early interest in botany
and studied the subject at Queen Mary's College and Presidency College.
Eventually she realized her interest in cytogenetics and went to the
University of Michigan, U.S. for her higher studies. She returned to India
after completing her studies and after working as a professor for some
time, she joined the Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore, as a
geneticist. A very determined woman, she never married and dedicated
her entire life to scientific pursuits.
Childhood & Early Life
Janaki Ammal was born on 4 November 1897 into a large family in
Tellicherry, Kerala, India. Her father Dewan Bahadur Edavalath Kakkat
Krishnan was a sub-judge of the Madras Presidency. She had six brothers
and five sisters.
.  She grew up in an era when most Indian girls were not even sent to school
and women were discouraged from pursuing their professional interests.
However, her family was an open-minded one and Janaki was encouraged to
engage in intellectual pursuits.

4.  She developed an early interest in botany. After completing her schooling,
she moved to Madras where she obtained a Bachelor's degree from Queen
Mary's College. She proceeded to complete her B.Sc Honors from the
Presidency College in 1921. While at the Presidency she acquired an interest
in cytogenetics.
A brilliant student, she was granted a scholarship to attend the University of
Michigan, U.S. from where she earned her MS in 1925.
She returned to India and taught at the Women’s Christian College for a while
before going to Michigan again as the first Oriental Barbour Fellow. She
completed her D.Sc in 1931.
career

5. She returned to India and accepted the post of Professor of Botany at the Maharaja's College
of Science, Trivandrum, in 1932.
She joined the Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore, as a geneticist in 1934. The
institute was created with the aim of improving the Indian sugarcane plant. At the institute,
Ammal worked on sugarcane biology with T.S. Venkataraman who had successfully
increased the production of sugarcane in the country over the past few years.
Ammal’s research in polyploidy helped to understand the nature of polyploidy in sugarcane.
She was instrumental in creating a firm scientific basis for crossing and hybrids, and helped
in choosing plant varieties for cross-breeding. She worked at the institute till 1939.
She moved to England in 1940 to work as Assistant Cytologist at the John Innes Horticultural
Institution in London. There she performed chromosome studies on a wide range of garden
plants, and her studies on chromosome numbers and ploidy led to several new
developments in the study of the evolution of species and varieties.
She then worked as cytologist at the Royal Horticultural Society at Wisley from 1945 to
1951. In 1951, the Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, invited her to return to her
homeland and help in reorganizing the Botanical Survey of India (BSI).
In 1952, she was appointed as Officer on Special Duty to the BSI, and eventually became the
Director-General of the BSI. She went on to serve the Government of India in various other
capacities over the ensuing years, including heading the Central Botanical Laboratory at
Allahabad.
During the later part of her career, she worked for a while at the Bhabha Atomic Research
Centre at Trombay before moving to Madras in 1970 where she was named an Emeritus
Scientist at the Centre for Advanced Study in Botany, University of Madras.
Major Works
 Janaki Ammal was a pioneer in the field of cytogenetics in India and her
contribution to the development of sweeter hybrid varieties of
sugarcane has been immense. As a part of the Sugarcane Breeding
Institute, she was instrumental in not only analyzing the geographical
distribution of sugarcane across India, but also in selecting the best
varieties for cross-breeding.
AWARDS & Achievements

6. Professor C.V. Raman made Ammal a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences
in 1935 and she was elected a Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy
in 1957.
She received an honorary LL.D. from the University of Michigan in 1956.
In 1977, she was honored by the Government of India which conferred upon her the Padma
Shri.
Personal Life & Legacy
Janaki Ammal was a very simple person when it came to her lifestyle. She
always dressed in Indian attire and had just a few material possessions. She
led a Gandhian lifestyle and was much respected for her adherence to
principles and ethics. She never married or had children.
She lived a long life and was not known to suffer from any serious illnesses.
She died of natural causes in February 1984, aged 87.