*PARDON MY HINDI X SAADA
About "Anandibai"
Inspired by the first South Asian woman to become a physician.
It’s our mission to make sure the world knows Anandibai’s story.
As the first South Asian woman to become a physician—in 1886, when it was rare for girls to learn to read and write, much less attend university—her extraordinary life and defiance of societal expectations deserve recognition.
Celebrating Anandibai Joshee Day
In recognition of Anandibai's incredible life, SAADA celebrates Anandibai Joshee Day on her birthday, March 31st, each year by wearing the "Anandibai" T-Shirt, designed by *Pardon My Hindi―and we want you to join us!
We think of the archive as an opportunity to give our community their flowers: when our stories are preserved, we are able to celebrate journeys of resilience, recognizing both joy and struggle.
Through this initiative, we hope to share Anandibai’s story more widely and raise awareness for trailblazing South Asian Americans whose stories are far too often overlooked.
Shop the "Anandibai" Collection
Explore More
*Pardon My Hindi
Chiraag Bhakta is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice is rooted in collecting objects, archival research, storytelling and collaboration in a variety of media including: printmaking, collage, photography and assemblage.
While working as a graphic designer, he has been exploring his own work, initially under the pseudonym *Pardon My Hindi. A lot of his work unveils the history, legacies, and ongoing impact of western imperialism in our everyday lives, as well as diving into the struggles of South Asians―both within their homelands and the diaspora.
Read an interview with the artist by Arun Venugopal in TIDES.
Anandibai Joshee Archival Collection
Discover more from our archival collection of materials that tell the story of Anandibai Joshee.
"Red" by Anju
Red is a song inspired by Anandibai’s story, composed by singer-songwriter Anju for SAADA's Revolution Remix tour of historic Philadelphia.
"'Whenever I write a song, I sit down and start with bare bones, piano and vocals or guitar and vocals. And then it’s a matter of drawing the [skeleton] with a pen and a paper and then adding like, papier-mache, or glitter, or whatever else,' Anju says. That dressing came in the form of layering their own harmonies, snippets of South Asian song, and the inclusion of a kanjira drum." (Sounding Out Sanctuary, a profile of Anju for TIDES by Stefanie Fernández)
"A Fragmented Feminism"
Read more in Meera Kosambi's biography of Anandibai Joshee's life.
"This book is a search for ‘the real Anandibai Joshee’―a search in which the readers are invited to participate."
Anandibai Joshee Day
Wear your Anandibai T-Shirt out and about on March 31st and help us give Dr. Anandibai Joshee her birthday flowers!
In the Classroom
Bring Anandibai’s story to your classroom with our lesson plan, created for high school teachers in alignment with common core standards.