Purnima was born on 12 October 1927 as the youngest daughter of Doctor Nares Chandra Senator-Gupta who was a constitutional lawyer and a progressive writer who had written over sixty five books and several essays in Bengali as well as in English, some of them on women's education.
She attended Asutosh College, followed by the Scottish Church College, and finally the University of Calcutta.
Education & Her own artistic interests are varied, and include learning Hindustani classical music from Yamini Ganguly, and painting from the well-known painter Gopal Ghosh. She has also taken tabla lessons from Pandit Jnan Prakash Ghosh. Her other talents include sculpting and painting.
Purnima"s career in science spans many decades.
Fifty years ago, she earned her doctorate in x-ray crystallography of clay minerals. She received her doctorate from the University of Calcutta as a student of the Rajabazar Science College in 1956-1957, under the guidance of professor Satyendra Nath Bose.
She has the distinction of being the first Bengali woman to receive a doctorate in physics. She enjoys singing, painting, writing, and reading books
She has a large, rare collection of books and journals at home.
At the age of 80, she continues to enjoy meeting people, conversing and reminiscing.
