Three Bengaluru Women Inspire on International Women's Day with Stories of Resilience
On the occasion of International Women's Day, three remarkable women from Bengaluru demonstrate that courage, determination, and hope can forge extraordinary life journeys. Their stories serve as powerful reminders that resilience can overcome even the most daunting challenges.
When Courage Outlives Cancer: An 84-Year-Old's Inspiring Battle
In 2011, Gudla Suryakantham received devastating news: she was diagnosed with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the lung, with doctors suggesting she might have only a year to live. Fifteen years later, at 84, she continues to live with the disease, defining her life not by illness but by remarkable resilience, calm courage, and a deeply positive outlook.
Her journey began with what seemed like a minor symptom. While climbing stairs in her apartment, she experienced unusual breathlessness, which she initially attributed to aging. However, when breathlessness was followed by fever, weakness, and loss of appetite, her family sought medical advice. Multiple tests confirmed the lung cancer diagnosis.
For most families, such news would be devastating. Yet Suryakantham's response stunned everyone. According to her son Ramesh, she accepted the diagnosis with remarkable composure. "She said she had already seen her grandchildren and felt she had lived a fulfilled life. She told us she was not afraid," he recalls.
From that moment, her quiet strength became a source of comfort for her entire family. Even during the most difficult phases of treatment, she rarely complained, instead spending her energy reassuring loved ones.
Over the years, her family explored multiple medical options, including a five-month clinical trial in Delhi. Treatments helped control the cancer, though they brought difficult side effects. Yet Suryakantham faced every challenge with determination and optimism.
For the past seven years, she has received regular care at Manipal Hospitals on Old Airport Road. Her journey has included additional battles: she fought and recovered from tuberculosis, dengue, and COVID-19, and in 2023 briefly lost consciousness due to low oxygen levels. Each time, she found strength to recover and move forward.
Today, Suryakantham lives with her son in Marathahalli. Among family and neighbors, she is known not just for her life story, but for the warmth, wisdom, and encouragement she offers others.
From Village Classroom to Space Research: A Scientist's Journey
Ramya Prabhu grew up in Mundkur, a small village in Udupi district's Karkala taluk, where she spent her childhood exploring fields, hills, and streams with other village children. The daughter of a grocery shop owner and a homemaker, she began her education at a Kannada-medium government school.
Her academic journey progressed through SDPT PU College in Kateel, where she studied before graduating with distinction in physics, chemistry, and mathematics from Alva's College in Moodbidri. She later completed her BEd in Manipal and secured first rank in MSc Applied Chemistry from Mangalore University.
After moving to Bengaluru in 2016, she pursued a PhD in Material Chemistry at the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences, completing it in 2023. Now a research scientist at Prayoga Institute of Education Research, she works on advanced materials, including an ISRO-funded project on antibacterial materials for space and Earth applications.
Reflecting on her journey, she says: "Your background does not define your destination. Circumstances may shape your journey, but they will not limit your potential."
Becoming Her Daughter's Collegemate: A Mother's Educational Pursuit
In her 40s, Tahera Tabassum picked up her college backpack again, determined to earn her undergraduate degree—something she couldn't accomplish two decades earlier when marriage interrupted her education. What makes her journey even more special is that she now attends college daily with her 20-year-old daughter, Fathima Haneen.
Tahera's father was a government employee and her mother a homemaker. She received early education in different parts of Karnataka, studying until II PU before getting married. She later pursued a librarian diploma and nursery teacher training course, which secured her a job at a Bengaluru school.
Over the years, school requirements changed, demanding degrees for all teachers. Simultaneously, Tahera noticed her daughter, due to begin undergraduate studies, was losing interest in education. "That is when I told my daughter that we would go to college together so that both of us could get our degrees," Tahera explained.
Now in their final semester, Tahera pursues a BA in History and Economics while her daughter studies for a BCom degree. "The education system has changed a lot from when I was studying decades ago, but this is our journey towards independence, and I worked hard to overcome the challenges," she said.
Tahera emphasizes that there is no age limit for education and no endpoint for learning. "Every woman should read and educate herself. Earning is secondary, but it is extremely important to be educated." After completing her BA, she hopes to pursue BEd and later a master's degree in arts.
These three Bengaluru women exemplify how resilience transforms challenges into opportunities, inspiring others on International Women's Day and beyond.
