Kanaka was one of the world's first female neurosurgeons;[5] having qualified with a degree (MCh) in Neurosurgery in March 1968; after Diana Beck (1902-1956),[13] and Aysima Altinok who qualified in November 1959.[14] When stereotaxy started in Madras in 1960, Kanaka was a member of B.Ramamurthi's surgical team that performed the first stereotaxic procedures in India.[4][15][16]