Mangalambal Chakraborty

Indian mechanical engineer who broke gender barriers in early 20th century engineering

Mangalambal Chakraborty (1908–1976) shattered societal norms as India's first female mechanical engineer, pioneering innovations in irrigation technology during a time when women were largely excluded from engineering fields. Born in Calcutta (now Kolkata) to a family of educators, Chakraborty defied expectations by securing admission to the Bengal Engineering College in 1925, where she was the sole female student among 300 male peers. Her 1930 thesis on hydraulic turbine design won international acclaim and led to her appointment as a design engineer with the Indian Irrigation Commission.

Chakraborty's most impactful work came through her development of the Chakraborty Multi-Stage Pump, a low-cost irrigation system that revolutionized agriculture in drought-prone regions. This invention, patented in 1938, used locally sourced materials and required minimal maintenance. Her 1942 paper on rural water management systems became required reading in engineering curricula across South Asia. She also pioneered women's technical education through the establishment of the Chakraborty Technical Institute in 1953, which trained over 2,000 female engineers by 1970.

During India's independence movement, Chakraborty designed clandestine water supply systems for resistance networks, earning her the nickname 'The Engineer of Freedom.' Her later work on steam engine efficiency improvements contributed to India's post-independence industrialization. Chakraborty's legacy is celebrated annually at the National Institute of Technology in Durgapur, where her original pump designs are displayed in the Innovation Heritage Museum.

Modern engineers like Rohini Nath credit Chakraborty with paving the way for women in engineering, noting her mantra: 'A machine must serve the people, not the other way around.' Her story is preserved in the Women in Science Archive at the Jawaharlal Nehru University.