✦ Celebrity stories, facts and career updates. Explore F4U now →

Home › Biography › Kamala Sohonie

Kamala Sohonie biographyFeatured Biography

Image source: StarsUnfolded

Celebrities

Kamala Sohonie Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 6, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birthJune 18, 1911

Age87 Years (at time of death)

BirthplaceIndore, Indore State, British India (now Madhya Pradesh, India)

ProfessionBiochemist

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseM.V. Sohonie

FamilyFather - Narayanarao Bhagvat (Chemist); Uncle - Madhavrao Bhagvat (Chemist)

Kamala Sohonie Biography

Kamala Sohonie (1911–1998) was a pioneering Indian biochemist who became the first Indian woman to earn a Ph.D. in a scientific field. Her research focused

Early life and background

Kamala Sohonie was born Bhagvat on June 18, 1911, in Indore, then part of Indore State in British India (now in Madhya Pradesh). She came from a family with a strong scientific influence: her father, Narayanarao Bhagvat, and an uncle, Madhavrao Bhagvat, both worked as chemists at the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru. Growing up in this environment helped shape her interest in chemistry and the biological sciences.

Education

Sohonie completed a B.Sc. degree in chemistry and physics in 1933 from Bombay University. She then became the first Indian woman admitted to the Indian Institute of Science in 1933, where her acceptance followed a period of resistance and conditional terms placed on her enrolment. She later continued her studies abroad at Newnham College, University of Cambridge, where she pursued the Biological Natural Sciences Tripos in 1937 and worked with researchers including Derek Richter and Robin Hill. Her postgraduate training also included time at the Sir William Dunn Institute of Biochemistry at Cambridge and study under Frederick Hopkins. She received an American traveling fellowship as well, which allowed her to collaborate with European scientists.

Career

Sohonie trained and worked in biochemical research areas that included biological oxidation and reduction and the study of enzymes central to cellular energy production. During her time at Cambridge she identified cytochrome c, an enzyme critical to the electron transport chain involved in energy generation across plants and animals. After returning to India she held academic and research positions, including a professorship at Lady Hardinge Medical College in New Delhi.

She later took leadership roles at the Nutrition Research Laboratory in Coonoor and at the Royal Institute of Science, concentrating on the impacts of vitamins and on nutritional problems that affected disadvantaged groups in India. Her studies examined common Indian foods such as pulses and rice and sought affordable nutritional improvements for malnourished teenagers and pregnant women.

One of her notable projects, undertaken at the suggestion of then-President Rajendra Prasad, was the analysis of Neera, the sap tapped from various toddy palms. Sohonie’s work showed that Neera contained significant amounts of nutrients including vitamin A, vitamin C, and iron, and that these nutrients largely persisted when Neera was processed into palm jaggery and molasses. Her applied research also extended to practical problems such as advising the Aarey Milk Project Factory in Bombay on preventing milk curdling.

Beyond laboratory research, Sohonie was active in consumer advocacy. She helped establish the Consumer Guidance Society of India (CGSI) — the country’s first consumer rights organization formed in 1966 — serving as its president in 1982–83 and contributing articles to its magazine Keemat.

Public profile

Sohonie’s career broke gender barriers in Indian science. She became the first Indian woman to earn a Ph.D. in a science discipline and was the first female student at the Indian Institute of Science. Despite facing institutional resistance and limitations early in her career, she persisted and later guided and mentored researchers, several of whom became prominent scientists. She also identified with India’s national movement and admired Mahatma Gandhi.

Her scientific contributions were recognized with awards, including the Rashtrapati Award for her research on Neera. She was honored later in life for her achievements; a notable event celebrating her was organized in New Delhi when she was 84.

Sohonie also wrote for a broader audience. She authored several books and was a science communicator who sought to bring nutritional knowledge to the public; one of her books, Aahar Gatha, was written in Marathi.

Personal life

Kamala Sohonie married M.V. Sohonie, an actuary, in 1947. The couple had two sons. She lived and worked in several Indian cities over her career and remained engaged with scientific institutions and public causes.

Later years and death

Sohonie continued to be active in scientific and public spheres into old age. She passed away in 1998 in New Delhi at the age of 87 after collapsing at a recognition event hosted by the Indian Council of Medical Research.

Legacy and recognition

Her trailblazing role opened doors for other women in Indian science. In recognition of her contributions and influence, Google featured a Google Doodle marking her 112th birthday on June 18, 2023. Colleagues and later leaders in Indian medical and scientific institutions publicly acknowledged her pioneering place in the history of Indian biochemistry.
◈

Recent Work

Research on Neera and nutritional studies

Investigations showing Neera’s content of vitamin A, vitamin C, and iron and studies on preserving these nutrients in palm jaggery and molasses; work on improving nutrition for underprivileged groups.

1950s-1970s
✦

Career Highlights

  1. First Indian woman to earn a Ph.D. in a science field
  2. First female student admitted to the Indian Institute of Science (1933)
  3. Identification of cytochrome c while at Cambridge
  4. Professor at Lady Hardinge Medical College; leadership at Nutrition Research Laboratory and Royal Institute of Science
  5. Rashtrapati Award for research on Neera
  6. President of the Consumer Guidance Society of India (1982–83)
?

Frequently Asked Questions

When was Kamala Sohonie born?

June 18, 1911

What is Kamala Sohonie known for?

Biochemist

What is Kamala Sohonie’s marital status?

Married

Who is Kamala Sohonie married to?

M.V. Sohonie