Announcing the bride’s educational qualifications

Left) My grandparents’ photograph taken shortly after their marriage. (Right) The Wedding invitation card. Poona, Maharashtra. 1941 Image and Text contributed by Aparna Pandey, Mumbai This is a photograph of my grandparents Champa Tai and Vasant Rao taken shortly after they got married. On the right is an invitation to my grandmother's wedding in 1941. It has been carefully preserved by the family and was handed over to me by my mother recently. I treasure it, not because of the sentimental reasons, but because it tells a story of far greater significance. This wedding invite is unique because it proudly announces the bride's educational qualifications, right next to her name. You have to keep in mind, that women's education at that time in ancient India was almost non-existent. My grandmother had decided quite early on that she will be educated first and then get married. As a child, she lost both her parents very early and was brought up by her two elder brothers who completely understood and encouraged her dream. However, there was a problem - There was no school for a young brahmin Maharashtrian girl to study in. The brothers got her to Poona (now Pune) where the well-known social reformer, Maharshi Karve had started a school for girls, as well as an ashram where young widows could live and learn. This concept was alien and completely norm shattering for the brahmins of Poona leading to the resistance to opening such a school to be set up in the main city. Maharshi Karve had no choice but to set up the school on the outskirts of Poona. He braved all odds and went ahead with his mission of…

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India’s expert on Coral & Coral reefs

India’s expert on Coral & Coral reefs
My Father Dr. Reddiah Kosaraju. Andamans & Nicobar Islands. 1977

My Father Dr. Reddiah Kosaraju. Andamans & Nicobar Islands. 1977 Image and Narrative contributed by Raju Kosraju, India My father Dr. Reddiah Kosaraju was a Scientist with a PhD degree in Marine Biology from University of Liverpool (1950s). He was a happy go lucky man, a wonderful person to know, and generous to the core. Over the years he helped quite a number of Indian students who had no monetary support, by sponsoring their education. He was a good swimmer as well as an outstanding chess player and won the Open All England Chess Championship in 1958. After a MSc degree from Agra University (standing second) in 1955 with 'Fish and Fisheries' as a special subject, he became a Research Assistant in SERI in Dehradun, and then worked as a lecturer teaching Zoology in Andhra Christian College, Guntur. Thereafter he went to study in Liverpool, England on his own, and completed a PhD degree in record time of only a year and half. He discovered new breeding grounds of edible bivalves (marine mollusks) in U.K and his works on ‘Parasitic cope pods of Bivalves’ were featured in several reputed foreign journals. He then returned to India and joined as a Pool Officer in Annamalai University. In 1960, after a posting as Zoologist in Shillong, he was transferred to Southern Regional Station, ZSI (Zoological Survery of India), Madras (now Chennai), as officer-in-charge. During this tenure, he added several specimens of birds and mammals, and laid the foundation for a scientific museum at the Station. In view of his expertise on corals and coral reefs of India, he also fulfilled a special task of locating corals of medicinal importance around the Andaman &…

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A batch of lost friends & acquaintances

A batch of lost friends & acquaintances
Class of B.Sc (Bachelor of Science), Poorna Prajna College (PPC), Udupi district. Karnataka. Circa 1968.

Class of B.Sc (Bachelor of Science), Poorna Prajna College (PPC), Udupi district. Karnataka. Circa 1968. Image & Narrative contributed by Nishant Rathnakar, Bengaluru In 2010, while cleaning my wardrobe I stumbled upon my mother Ranjini Rathnakar's old autograph book dating back to the year 1970. This 40 year old book was filled with autographs and inscriptions of her classmates from her College, Poornaprajna college (PPC), Udupi.  The ink and pencil writings in the book still dark and legible, as if it were written yesterday. It wasn't the first time I came across the autograph book. In the past 29 years, I had found it time and again; and each time I was fascinated reading it. Some amusing inscriptions like  "First comes knowledge, next comes college, third comes marriage and finally comes baby in a carriage” always made me laugh. I would asked my mother if she was in touch with any one of her classmates and her answer was always a ‘No’, leaving me a little disenchanted. However, she would say that her best friend in College was a girl named Rose Christabel, but she never saw Rose after college. She had last heard that Rose had moved to Vellore in Tamil Nadu. That was 40 years ago. I made several mental notes that someday I'll find mom's old friends, maybe even Rose and make them meet again. I think that inspiration stemmed from my own experience because I was blessed with such good and decades old friendships that I recognised the value of having them around albeit we had the help of the internet & social media. A technological perk that wasn't available to my mother's generation. For instance, one of my closest friends…

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