Anna Mani was a famous Indian physicist and meteorologist who contributed to the meteorological instrumentation field, conducted research, and published several papers on ozone, solar radiation, and wind energy measurements. Anna retired from working as the Deputy Director General of the Indian Meteorological Department. Please keep reading to discover more about Anna, including her death, career, age, etc.
Early Life and Education
Anna Modayil Mani was born to her parents on August 23, 1918, in Peermade, India, to a Syrian Christian family. According to her date of birth, she was born under the Virgo zodiac sign. Anna holds Indian nationality and is of white ethnicity. She was the seventh of eight children born to her parents. Her father was a civil engineer and an agnostic. Anna Mani’s formative years were spent immersed in literature, and by the age of eight, she had read nearly all the Malayalam books in her local library.
The world of literature exposed her to new concepts and imbued her with a profound sense of social justice, which molded and informed her life. Gandhi’s influence during the Vaikom Satyagraha and his nationalist movement inspired Anna, who started only wearing khadi clothing. She received both primary and high school education from a local school in her hometown, even though, during the early 1900s, it was difficult for young girls in India to receive an education.
After graduating high school, Anna enrolled in Presidency College, Chennai (then Madras), and earned a Bachelor of Science in physics and chemistry with honors. Later, in 1940, she received a scholarship from the Indian Institute of Science to continue her education and research in physics.
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Quick Wiki/Bio
| Full Name | Anna Modayil Mani |
| Gender | Female |
| Profession | Physicist and Meteorologist |
| Age (death) | 82 years old |
| Date of Birth | August 23, 1918 |
| Place of Birth | Peermade, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Zodiac Sign | Virgo |
| Ethnicity | White |
| High School | Unknown |
| University | Presidency College Indian Institute of Science |
| Credentials | Bachelor of Science degree with honors in physics and chemistry |
Career
Following graduation, Mani made several groundbreaking contributions to scientific research. C.V. Raman, the Nobel Prize in Physics winner, supervised Mani at the Institute of Science for his work on the properties of rubies and diamonds. Mani worked tirelessly and frequently sacrificed up to 20 hours in the lab to capture and analyze the luminosity of diamonds. Anna Mani authored five solitary academic publications on the spectroscopy of rubies and diamonds between 1942 and 1945.
Mani also completed a doctoral dissertation at the University of Madras to earn a degree. She was rejected, however, due to her absence of a master’s degree. Despite this obstacle, Mani continued her research internship on a government scholarship in England. Mani was introduced to meteorology and numerous weather instruments at Imperial College London. This was her initial step toward becoming a meteorologist and transforming the scientific community in India.
Meteorology
Anna Mani entered the instruments division of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) upon her return to India in 1948. She collaborated with politician S. P. Venkiteshwaran, who envisioned scientific independence for India.
Mani assisted in the production and calibration of numerous weather instruments for India. She eventually assumed command of the division and led 121 soldiers. Together with her team of scientists, they “standardized the drawings for nearly a hundred distinct weather instruments and began production.”Moreover, Mani ventured into two unexplored sectors at the time in India: solar energy and wind power. Mani’s group designed and developed several radiation instruments to promote India’s independence.
In addition, Mani was one of the few individuals of her time who recognized the importance and potential of the ozone layer. As a result, she invented the ozonesonde, a reliable instrument for measuring the ozone layer. Due to her efforts, she was appointed to the International Ozone Commission. The apparatus and research developed by Mani and her team allowed India to predict the weather and advance the field of meteorology accurately.
Inventions
Anna Mani began her work measuring atmospheric ozone in 1960, well before the functions of the ozone layer were understood. She developed an instrument – ozonesonde – to measure atmospheric ozone.
Net Worth
How rich was Anna Mani? Anna Mani earned a great amount of money from her career as a Physicist and Meteorologist. Currently, there is no information about how much Anna was worth since she is no more. As a result her salary is unknown.
| Net Worth | Unknown |
| Salary | Unknown |
| Source of Income | Unknown |
Personal Life
Was Anna Mani married? Anna Mani never disclosed her marriage status before her passing, so whether she was married is still unknown. Some sources indicate that she did not have any offspring.
| Spouse | Unknown |
| Children | Unknown |
| Grandhildren | Unknown |
Death
What is the cause of Anna Mani’s death? On August 16, 2001, it was reported that India’s famous and renowned physicist and meteorologist, Anna Mani, died from a stroke in her home in Thiruvananthapuram, India. She died a week before her 83rd birthday.
| Cause of Death | Stroke |
| Date Died | August 16, 2001 |
| Place Died | Thiruvananthapuram, India |
| Age | 82 years old |
Conclusion
Anna Mani’s meteorological contributions continue to influence and benefit modern society. The vision and efforts of Mani have made India a global leader in exploiting wind power. Her meteorological innovations increased India’s scientific field and post-independence development.
Moreover, Anna Mani motivates many young women to pursue their ambitions despite societal limitations on their identities. Mani not only held a position in a profession where men predominated, but she also persuaded a group of men to join her team. This demonstrated to the world that girls can be more than just caregivers and paved the way for future female scientists.
As Anna Mani once said, “ being a women had absolutely no bearing on what I chose to do with my life.”
