Mangaluru
Women scientists at ISRO perform on par with their male colleagues, emphasised Rupa Malali, Deputy General Manager and Space Scientist at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). She highlighted that teamwork remains a defining feature of ISRO’s operations.
Malali was speaking at an interactive session titled “Dialogue with Women Achievers,” organised jointly by the Coastal Women Writers’ and Readers’ Association and the Centre for Samata Studies, Mysuru, at Sahitya Sadan, Urvastore in Mangaluru on Sunday.
Addressing questions on limited media coverage of women scientists during ISRO’s Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan), Malali explained that women serve in leadership roles across divisions. “During Mangalyaan, for security reasons, scientists were not in the media spotlight. But Chandrayaan-2 and Chandrayaan-3 received wider publicity,” she said. She also noted that pregnant women scientists contributed tirelessly during Chandrayaan missions, reflecting their commitment and competence.
Recalling her personal journey, Malali said she grew up in a Kannada literary family and studied in Kannada-medium schools until Class 10. Though drawn to literature, her parents encouraged her to pursue science. After completing engineering and an MBA, she joined ISRO in Hassan as an apprentice trainee and became a scientist at Peenya, Bengaluru, in 1997. Over the years, she worked on satellite management, the Space Recovery Capsule project, and OceanSat satellite management, eventually rising to Deputy General Manager and contributing to major missions including Mangalyaan and Chandrayaan.
Malali also reflected on historical challenges faced by women scientists at NASA during the 1950s–60s, stressing that subtle biases persist globally. “We must continue creating smoother paths for women achievers,” she said.
The session was moderated by Prof. R. Sunandamma and Sukhalakshmi Suvarna, opened with a chennu kunita performance by Hema Pai’s troupe, and included addresses by senior writer A.P. Malati, association president Shakuntala Shetty, and Dr. Sabiha Bhoomigowda, president of the Centre for Samata Studies.
