First Indian Woman Mining Engineer Overview
Meet the woman who defied society and the law to become India's first female mining engineer. Dr. Chandrani Prasad Verma, India's first female mining engineer, has paved the way for other women in the country to pursue mining occupations, making significant strides for everybody. She knew from an early age that she wanted to follow in her father's footsteps, despite the fact that women were not permitted to pursue mining degrees until the 1990s and are still prohibited by law from going below. Chandrani has not let anything stand in the way of achieving her goals. Her mantra is "never question your caliber and press ahead with determination once you establish your objective."
Biography of First Female Mining Engineer of India: Dr. Chandrani Prasad Verma
Chandrani grew up in the Western Coalfields Limited colony in the Chandrapur district of Maharashtra State, India. She began her adventure after completing her high school education and earning a diploma in mining and mine surveying. She is presently employed as a Senior Scientist at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research - Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research [CSIR-CIMFR] in the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Government of India.
She has worked as a lecturer at Ramdeobaba Kamla Nehru Engineering College and the Government Polytechnic in Nagpur. She joined CIMFR as a Research Fellow after graduating with a First Merit in Mining Engineering. In 2003, she was awarded a CSIR Fellowship after getting a 91.5% and the 26th All India Rank in the GATE 2003 test. In addition, in 2006, she received her Master of Technology in "Investigation on Hard Roof Caving and its Impact on Depillaring" from VNIT, Nagpur.
In September 2016, she received her Ph.D. in "Web Pillar Design in Highwall Mining," the most recent method for recovering locked-up coal from a high wall. In addition, she passed the Gas Testing Examination administered by the Directorate General of Mines Safety in 1999. She has over ten years of expertise in the fields of rock physics and numerical modeling. She has had 30 technical papers published in national and international journals and conferences. In addition, she has attended several national and international seminars and conferences in India. Her father did not return from work one day due to a fire at the mines. He was a member of the team tasked with dealing with the problem. If there was any uncertainty about going into mining as a career, this incident put it to rest: Chandrani determined it would be mining and nothing else.
Some Interview Questions from the First Female Mining Engineer of India
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What influenced her to pursue a career in mining?
I was born and raised in a mining village. My father is a retired mining engineer. My interest in his work led me to pursue a career in mining. I always did what I wanted to do. To feel like my father, I used to put on his mining shoes, gumboots, and shirt. I used to fantasize about going to work. After graduating high school, my sister recommended that I enroll in engineering diploma programs, and I picked the mining branch of engineering as my professional path.
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Experience as a woman working in the mining industry
I'm working with research specialists, and there's a lot to learn. My job entails working on various industrial initiatives, and we constantly find some improvements or new ideas that either enhance technology or assist the mining sector in resolving challenges. We assist the mining sector as consultants in tackling design and stability challenges. I am an expert in high wall mining design. My work entails stope design and stability studies using numerical modeling, which includes barricade modeling. It's a fantastic experience, and I like delivering solutions.
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Work-Life Balance
When you have a nuclear family, it is quite tough to manage. It's a balancing act. My spouse, who is also a mining engineer, and my parents were quite supportive during my son's early years. It was challenging to handle throughout childbirth and for a few years later, but it has become easier since then.
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Interests
Yes, I enjoy singing and can sing at least 150 songs by heart, knowing every word. I enjoy reading short tales by O. Henry, minor detective novels, and a few works on spiritual progress and positive thinking, such as "Dare to Dream" by Shruti Panse and "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho. I'm also interested in preparing traditional foods.
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Faced a lot of Discrimination
Yes, on occasion. I felt it in a few places, but I am currently working as a Senior Scientist at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research - Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research (CSIR-CIMFR), and the system is completely devoid of gender discrimination. Mining is often seen as a dangerous and difficult occupation. Working in dusty and difficult settings is required. Being in a male-dominated job and interacting with employees at the ground level may be tough due to harsh language, and some believe that girls should not pursue this field.
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Hurdles faced and Recovery
One of the mining sites had instability, and I was the company's sole representative assigned to explore the root problem. I had to give an explanation to the higher-ups. I arrived at the location, evaluated every part of the problem, spoke with officials, and produced a clear and satisfactory report. During my Ph.D., I had to prepare 300 coal specimens, but the lab attendant was unsupportive and wanted to charge me extra money to perform the labor. I worked in the laboratory during the hot summer months when there was no air conditioning. But I liked my Ph.D. work and spent approximately a year working on coal and POP specimens to analyze the influence of length on web pillars before developing the best web pillar strength estimate approach with the help of my senior colleague Dr. John Loui P. We collaborated to create design criteria for future high wall mining operations in my nation.
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Professional Interests
I am excited about the new difficulties and problems we face, as well as the opportunity to tackle them as a geotechnical specialist. I enjoy what I do. I enjoy immersing myself in work that needs devotion and whose results constitute a turning point, making the work significant. It offers a sense of success when a certain design works in the field.
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Next Goals in Life
I'd want to create an approach or new technology for efficient and cost-effective mineral extraction from deeper deposits. Underground mines still require improvements in terms of output and productivity since we are lagging in coal production from underground mines, which must be increased but not at the expense of safety, which should go hand in hand.
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Things to Know First
As time passes, there will be more and more demands from every direction, and you will not be able to meet them all, even if you wanted to. Because you have obligations as a mother, wife, daughter, and mining engineer. To establish a balance between career and family, I sometimes have to move a little slower. But I've learned a lot on my path from aspiring engineer to where I am today, and I'm constantly learning. People will try to harm you, but God will always send his messengers to help you.
Also Read: Electrical Engineering Syllabus and Subjects.
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Thoughts on the Controversy about Women on Corporate Boards
I am opposed to quotas. A board needs multiple traits to work as a whole, and women should be chosen for their capacity to see an issue from a different angle. They should be chosen for their managerial abilities. The ladder is there at CSIR-CIMFR, and we receive opportunities, and we can certainly climb forward here if we work hard.
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Recommendations for young ladies in their careers
Once you've decided on a goal, never question your ability to achieve it. Do not give up, no matter what. When you question yourself, others do the same, and you end yourself in a mess.