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Kosambi Family: Pioneering Indians at Harvard 100 Years Ago
4 Jan
Summary
- The Kosambis were among the earliest Indians at Harvard between 1910-1932.
- Manik Kosambi was the first Indian woman to graduate from Radcliffe College.
- Damodar Kosambi became a renowned intellectual applying scientific methods to history.
More than a century ago, the Kosambi family achieved significant milestones at Harvard University, becoming some of the earliest Indians to study and teach there. Dharmanand Kosambi, a respected scholar, worked as an Assistant in Indic Philology in the 1910s and produced a critical edition of a foundational Buddhist text for the Harvard Oriental Series. His academic work contributed to introducing rigorous Asian textual scholarship to Western academia.
In 1922, Dharmanand's daughter, Manik Kosambi, achieved a historic feat by becoming the first Indian woman to graduate from Radcliffe College with honors in philosophy. This accomplishment challenged stereotypes and opened doors for Indian women in higher education. Her brother, Damodar Dharmananda Kosambi, a prodigy in mathematics, graduated summa cum laude from Harvard College in 1929. His interdisciplinary education shaped his future revolutionary approach to Indian history.
Damodar later transformed Indian historiography by applying scientific methods and Marxist analysis to ancient texts and archaeological findings. The Kosambi family's journey, marked by intellectual courage despite facing racial prejudice, underscores the long roots of Indian academic presence globally, predating modern trends. Their legacy continues to influence education, history, and science.
