Rupa, Head of the Homescience Department, Retires

“ Take up one idea; make that one idea your life,

Think of it, dream of it and live on it

Let the brain, muscles, nerves and every part of your body

Be full of it and just leave every other idea alone.

This is the way to SUCCESS!”

- Swami Vivekananda

Dr. Wuddi Rupa, silent, serene and successful is a living proof of the above message by Swami Vivekananda. Whatever enterprise she undertook, she always gave herself to it wholeheartedly with dedication and devotion, while at the same time inspiring others around her to cooperate and complete the task to her satisfaction and for the benefit of this Institution. From the Watchman at the gate to the Correspondent of the College all were her friends and well wishers snared by her sweet smile, elegant appearance and loving kindness.

Dr. Rupa, was born in Bangalore to Shri Thimmanna Chari and Smt Indira. She lost her father at the tender age of nine years but her elder siblings and mother nurtured and filled the gap superbly. She imbibed the values of perseverance and patience as also a pleasing personality from these caretakers. The affection and care that her family showered on her was doubled when she married Dr.C.Srihari, an ophthalmologist by profession, without whose cooperation she could not have achieved what she has in her professional and personal life. Their only son Mr Kaushik, an alumnus of BITS, Pilani, is an excellent testimony to the parenting skills of this conscientious couple.

Dr. Rupa’s educational career began at the Canadian Baptist Mission School, Bangalore. Post matriculation, St. Joseph’s College for Women, Visakhapatnam was her Alma Mater both for Pre-University as well as Degree in Homescience. Her Post graduation in Homescience with Textiles and Clothing as area of specialization was from the prestigious S.I.E.T Women’s College, Chennai in 1976. Her thirst for education was unquenchable and in 1990 she returned to SIET College to complete her M.Phil under the UGC Faculty Improvement Program. Her enthusiasm for education did not allow her to rest on her laurels but prodded her to explore avenues to complete her Ph.D. The paucity of institutions offering doctoral courses in Homescience that too in Textiles, did not deter her and in 2000 she registered for doctoral research in the interdisciplinary field of Anthropology and Textiles. Her educational career reflects Dr Abdul Kalam’s message “What you imagine is what will transpire, what you believe is what you will achieve”.

Dr Rupa began her teaching career as a lecturer in Homescience at St. Theresa’s College for Women, Eluru in 1976 and joined St. Joseph’s College for Women as lecturer in Homescience in 1978. She has steadily advanced through the various rungs of Career Advancement envisaged by UGC and is now Reader and Head of the Department of Homescience since 2006. Her 33 years in this College has seen her evolve as a multi-faceted professional who not only taught, counseled and mentored students, staff and faculty but also participated in extracurricular, co-curricular and administrative activities of the college with minimum fuss and no interest in name or fame. She has been paper setter and examiner for all the Universities and autonomous colleges offering Homescience in Andhra Pradesh as well as Orissa and some in Tamilnadu and Karnataka.

Dr Rupa has attended one International, 15 regional and 20 national academic forums averaging to about one academic per each year of her academic life. She has presented three research papers – all at National Level Workshops in Baroda, Coimbatore and Eluru. She was the constant resource person for all the training programs organized by the Andhra University Food & Extension Centre under the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India and delivered series of lectures every year to the officials involved with development of women and children. She has delivered five radio talks from 1999-2006 on a variety of subjects. Almost all the workshops organized by the college for the benefit of Inter, Undergraduate and postgraduate students, staff members and others as part of the College Community Outreach Program has featured her as a resource person. She co-guided a M.Phil research scholar registered with BITS, Pilani. and has authored a book on Fashion Technology for the Sikkim Manipal University in 2009 and its second edition was published in 2010.

Dr Rupa was NSS Program Officer from 1990-1994 during which time many socially relevant programs like Mass Literacy, AIDS awareness and others were organized. She has been member as well as Chairperson for the Board of Studies in Homescience of Andhra University during 1988-1991 and 2001-2004 respectively. She was also on the Board of Studies of Homescience in St. Theresa’s Autonomous College for Women, Eluru as well as the Postgraduate Course in Homescience at Andhra University. She represented the College at the Biennial Conferences of the Homescience Association of India in 1978 and 1980.

No duty has been too small or too difficult for Dr Rupa during the last five years after becoming the Head of the Homescience Department. She not only helped in the Examination Cell when needed but also effortlessly took over the charge of conducting the Public examinations in the college campus. From the EAMCET 2005 to the latest GATE 2010, the 30 examinations that were conducted has been due to the unstinting effort and tireless diligence of Dr Rupa who never grudged the holidays she lost or the toll these examinations took of her health.

It came as no surprise when she became the first recipient of the Sister St Andre Award for the Best Teacher 2010 since everyone was aware of her dynamic professionalism.