Decades before satellites and supercomputers shaped India’s meteorological capabilities, one woman quietly laid the groundwork for a national weather system built on indigenous instruments, scientific rigor, and unrelenting resolve. That woman was Anna Mani, an unsung pioneer of Indian science who transformed the country’s meteorology infrastructure — at a time when both technology and women in science were in short supply.
Born in 1918 in Travancore (present-day Kerala), Anna Mani grew up in a Syrian Christian family where traditional gender roles were firmly in place. But from an early age, she defied expectations. By the age of eight, she had reportedly read nearly every book in her public library.
A Scientist Shaped by Curiosity and Conviction
Anna’s academic journey led her to Presidency College, Madras, where she studied physics and later worked under Nobel laureate C.V. Raman, contributing to five research papers in the field of spectroscopy. In 1945, she traveled to Imperial College, London, to further her studies in physics, but found her true calling in meteorological instrumentation — a niche field that would define her scientific legacy.
Returning to India in 1948, she joined the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Pune, where she took on the challenge of developing and standardizing weather instruments — a critical step in India’s goal to become self-reliant in climate forecasting.
Instrumental in Building Indian Meteorology
Working with limited resources and minimal infrastructure, Mani developed over 100 different weather instruments, including barometers, anemometers, and radiation measurement devices. Her work helped India shift from importing foreign instruments to designing and manufacturing them domestically, significantly reducing costs and boosting data accuracy.
Her efforts played a pivotal role in establishing solar radiation monitoring stations across the country, which continue to support weather forecasting and climate research to this day.
Legacy Beyond the Lab
Anna Mani retired as Deputy Director General of the India Meteorological Department and went on to serve as a consultant to the World Meteorological Organization. Throughout her career, she remained a fierce advocate for scientific temper, gender equality, and data-driven decision-making.
Though she never married, her life was one of deep dedication — not to convention, but to science and national development. She passed away in 2001, leaving behind a legacy that continues to power India’s weather systems today