Anna Mani was one of India’s most distinguished and pioneering women scientists. She was a physicist and meteorologist who made significant contributions to the field of meteorological instrumentation. She also conducted research and published numerous papers on solar radiation, ozone, and wind energy measurements. She was the Deputy Director General of the Indian Meteorological Department and a visiting professor at the Raman Research Institute. On August 16, 2001, she passed away at the age of 82. What was Anna Mani’s cause of death? How did a stroke end the life of India’s weather lady?
Early Life and Education
Anna Mani was born on August 23, 1918, in Peermade, then Travancore, now Kerala, India. She belonged to a Syrian Christian family and was the seventh of eight children. Her father was a civil engineer and an agnostic. She was a voracious reader and by the age of eight, she had read almost all the books in Malayalam at her public library. She was also influenced by Mahatma Gandhi’s nationalist movement and took to wearing only khadi garments.
She attended the Presidency College in Chennai (then Madras) where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree with honors in physics and chemistry. In 1940, she received a scholarship to continue her education and research in physics at the prestigious Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. However, she faced discrimination and sexism from her male colleagues and professors who did not take her seriously as a scientist. She also had to deal with the lack of facilities and equipment for her research.
Career and Achievements
Despite the challenges, Anna Mani persevered and pursued her passion for science. She joined the Indian Meteorological Department in 1948 as an assistant meteorologist. She was interested in studying atmospheric phenomena and developing instruments to measure them. She created an instrument for measuring atmospheric ozone and established a meteorological observatory in Pune. She also joined the International Ozone Commission and represented India at several international conferences.
She also conducted research on solar radiation and its effects on climate change. She developed instruments to measure solar radiation such as pyranometers, pyrheliometers, and actinometers. She also studied the variations of solar radiation over different regions of India and published several papers on this topic.
Another area of interest for Anna Mani was wind energy. She recognized the potential of harnessing wind power as a renewable source of energy for India. She designed and fabricated windmills and wind generators that could produce electricity from wind. She also collected data on wind speed, direction, and frequency over various locations in India and created wind energy maps that showed the feasibility of wind power generation.
Anna Mani retired as the Deputy Director General of the Indian Meteorological Department in 1976. She then served as a visiting professor at the Raman Research Institute in Bangalore until 1981. She continued to work on her research projects and published more than 50 papers in national and international journals. She also wrote two books: Solar Radiation over India (1980) and Wind Energy Resource Survey in India (1987).
Awards and Honors
Anna Mani received several awards and honors for her outstanding contributions to science. Some of them are:
- The K.R. Ramanathan Medal from the Indian National Science Academy in 1987.
- The Padma Shri from the Government of India in 1987.
- The Rani Lakshmibai Award from the National Council of Women in 1994.
- The Lifetime Achievement Award from the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources in 1999.
She was also a member of various scientific societies such as the American Meteorological Society, the International Solar Energy Society, the World Meteorological Organization, and the International Association for Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics.
Stroke and Death
In 1994, Anna Mani suffered a stroke that left her immobile for the rest of her life. She was confined to a wheelchair and had to depend on others for her daily needs. She also lost her ability to speak and write. However, she remained mentally alert and continued to read books and journals on science.
She passed away on August 16, 2001, at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. She was cremated with full state honors at Shantikavadam crematorium. Her ashes were scattered in the Arabian Sea.
Anna Mani’s cause of death was a stroke that ended her brilliant career as a scientist. However, her legacy lives on through her work and achievements that have inspired generations of women scientists in India and around the world.
