At a time when women were expected to settle down, Dr Janaki Ammal chose a laboratory instead. In 1932, she became the first Indian woman to earn a PhD in Botany from the University of Michigan.

When she returned to India, the country was struggling with poor-quality sugarcane and heavy imports from Southeast Asia. As a geneticist at the Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore, she worked tirelessly on hybrid cross-breeding. After years of research, she developed sweeter, high-yield sugarcane varieties suited to Indian soil.

The impact? India rose to become the world’s second-largest sugarcane producer.

Despite facing caste and gender discrimination, she continued her work, even developing a magnolia species named after her. Later honoured with the Padma Shri, her legacy lives quietly in every spoon of sugar we consume.

One woman’s determination didn’t just break barriers - it sweetened an entire nation.