Today IS!
I often click on google sign when using search engine and some times have cool stuff, I never heard of this women but she sounds pretty coll especially for her time when she grew up!.. below few paragraphs from article from independent /news, the link below takes you to full article.
Asima Chatterjee 100th birthday: Who was India's first female scientist to be awarded a PhD?
Asima Chatterjee was born on 23 September 1917 in Calcutta and she is highly regarded in India for her pioneering work in medicinal chemistry.
Despite resistance, Chatterjee completed her undergraduate degree in organic chemistry and went on to win many honours including India’s most prestigious science award in 1961, the annual Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for her achievements in phytomedicine. It would be another 14 years before another woman would be awarded it again.
According to the Indian Academy of Sciences, Chatterjee “successfully developed anti-epileptic drug, Ayush-56 from Marsilia minuta and the anti-malarial drug from Alstonia scholaris, Swrrtia chirata, Picrorphiza kurroa and Ceasalpinna crista.”
An outstanding contribution was her work on vinca alkaloids, which come from the Madagascar periwinkle plant. They are used in chemotherapy to assist in slowing down and halting cancer cells duplicating.