Berlin: Irawati Karve became India’s first female anthropologist, studying tribes that had not been previously investigated and taking her children on expeditions deep into the rainforest.

According to BBC, in 1927, Irawati Karve challenged the racist theory of Eugen Fischer, a renowned German professor, during her PhD in Berlin. She scientifically rejected using human differences to justify discrimination and was the first to do so.

Her granddaughter, Urmilla Deshpande, shares insights into Irawati’s life and career during an interview with Reena Stanton-Sharma.