On 19 th July, 2014, I decided to celebrate the fact that three of my students submitted their Ph.D in Gender studies. These were the first three students who submitted their Ph. D in this new Department. I could not help but thinking back of the early history. We had applied in the 5th plan, 6th plan then 7, 8, 9, 10 and never got a center for the UGC kept arguing that Andhra already had 4 centers of women studies. Then under the 10th plan when our neighbouring University Maulana Azad National Urdu University( MANUU) got a Center for women's studies and I was invited to be its first Director I easily moved with out a second thought . Once our Vice Chancellor came there for a lecture and asked me what are you doing here and i told him I was trying to set up a Centre for Women's studies here. Prof. Sayeed Hassnain"s next question was, Why does a prestigious University like Hyderabad not have a center for Women's studies. I told him we never got a sanction from UGC, He told me I do not bother about UGC sanction but our University should have a Centre for Women's studies and I am going to start the process now. Soon University of Hyderabad established a Centre for Women's studies in 2007 and I came back from my deputation to MANUU and became its first Director. This Centre did not even have any room or staff to start this .Soon Prasad joined a temporary person to help the office work and in him I found such a sincere worker. Sita Vanka, Bindu Bambah, Tutun Mukerjee, Jyoti , Aneeta Jagota and Ajailiu became the first Joint faculty. We admitted 10 and 8 students into the M.Phil and Ph. D. programme in the first batch. This was the beginning days and establishing the programme, structuring the courses had its own joys and pains. Today the first three students have submitted their Ph. D Thank you Han (who came from China to join this Programme), Jeevanandam Sankar and Ashita M who were my history students. As I left this prograame as a Director after 6 years UGC has recognised it and placed it in the second phase and given a grant of 45 lakhs, Malladi subamma has given a grant of 38 lakhs to make a building, it has its own building and lots of students and some permanent faculty.Its is always a pleasure and one forgets the pain and the travails when we look back . Building new institutions has its own joys and occasions like these need a celebration. Student's play a major role in this and this definitely called for a cerebration with family and friends.
