A Tamil Brahmin Indian girl the world and the people of India forgot. Every English-speaking Jesuit-educated Indian knows Florence Nightingale's story, but history has no record of Padmavathi Iyer. When women were traditionally confined to the kitchen/illiterate: In 1917, a Tamil Indian girl was born into a middle-class family in Rangoon, Burma, where her father had gone for a living. He named her Sivaramakrishna Iyer Padmavathi. At a time when women were traditionally confined to the kitchen/illiterate, this middle-class girl did MBBS from Rangoon Medical College. Then unimaginable for a Female Indian doctor: When the Japanese invaded Burma, they briefly returned to their traditional home in Coimbatore. In 1949, she went to London to do an FRCP, then unimaginable for a Female Indian doctor. She was selected to study further at Johns Hopkins University, US, where she trained under the legendary cardiologist Helen Taussig. Firm in returning to India and serving Indians: Thereafte
Guidon (gahyd-n) Noun a small flag or streamer carried as a guide More about Guidon First recorded in 1540–50. Borrowed directly from French; equivalent to the Italian guid(are), “to guide" + -one, noun suffix. Examples of Guidon The soldiers rallied around their unit’s guidon during the parade. The guidon fluttered wildly in the wind as the captain carried it. Ethnocentric (eth-noh-sen-trik) Adjective demonstrating a belief in the inherent superiority of one’s own ethnic group or culture More about Ethnocentric First recorded in the 1860s; combines ethno + -centric Originated as a technical term in social sciences. Examples of Ethnocentric The student’s ethnocentric views limited his understanding of global issues. The curriculum was revised to address its ethnocentric bias, ensuring it represented a broader range of cultural viewpoints. Pemmican (pem-i-kuhn) Noun dried meat pounded into a powder and mixed with fat and dried fruits More about Pemmican First recorded in 1735–45.