Four young women from economically challenged families, all students of zoology, were felicitated by one of India’s leading zoologists on Wednesday.

The women came from different corners of Bengal, united by their academic excellence and the fortitude they have shown against the challenges that life hurled at them.

The four received the inaugural Women in Zoology award constituted by the Calcutta-headquartered Zoological Survey of India, the country’s oldest taxonomic research organisation, which turned 110 earlier this year.

The four awardees were selected from a list of 22, the organisers said. The recipients received a cash prize of ₹25,000 each, along with books and bags. They got the gifts from Dhriti Banerjee, the first woman director of ZSI.

Two of the recipients are students of Krishnagar Government College in Nadia. Priti Debnath and Sayani Roy are both in the fourth semester. Sayani lives in Dhubulia village in Nadia district, around 130km from Calcutta.

Her father is suffering from Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects the immune system. He has already undergone over a dozen chemotherapy sessions. His treatment has drained the family’s savings.

“Every day is a struggle for us. But my mother keeps encouraging me,” Sayani said on stage.

Priti lives in Nadia’s Tehatta, around 160km from the heart of Calcutta, with her parents. Her father owns a grocery store, and her mother gives private tuitions to children. It takes her more than two hours for a one-way trip to college.

“I am fascinated by the animal kingdom — from the elephant to a small insect,” she told Metro.

“Both of them have shown great resilience. Their results speak for themselves. Both of them want to go into research in conservation and sustainable development,” said Tanmay Sanyal, assistant professor of zoology in the college.

Sanyal accompanied his students to Calcutta for the awards.

Sonali Gazi, 25, completed her graduation from Bankim Sardar College near Canning, South 24-Parganas, the gateway to the Sundarbans. She is the first in her family to do that.

She lives in a village in Basanti block. Sonali was barely two when she lost her father. Her mother runs a tea stall and has almost single-handedly raised four children. Sonali has two elder brothers and one elder sister. Her brothers are migrant workers in Kashmir.

Sonali now teaches in a school in Basanti. “I have to work to support my family. I want a master’s degree, but have to save some money before that,” she said.

On Wednesday, Sonali said: “This award belongs to my mother. I have seen the difficulties she has had to endure to raise us.”

The fourth recipient was Loveli Mukherjee, who just completed her sixth semester at Achhruram Memorial College in Jhalda, Purulia. She lost her father when she was in Class VI. Her mother earned a living as a cook. Loveli, who is going to do her master’s, also dedicated the award to her mother.

“This is a one-time endowment to meritorious students of zoology. We want them to focus on important areas like conservation, taxonomy and evolution,” said the ZSI
director.