Vanaja Iyengar
Born
Andhra Pradesh, India
Died2001
Occupation(s)Mathematician
Educationist
Known forEducation
SpouseMohit Sen
AwardsPadma Shri
Government of Andhra Pradesh Best Teacher Award
Rajiv Gandhi Foundation Fellowship

Vanaja Iyengar (died 2001) was an Indian mathematician, educationist[1] and the founder vice-chancellor of Sri Padmavati Mahila Visvavidyalayam, Tirupati, in the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.[2] She was one of the founders of the Andhra Mahila Sabha School of Informatics.[3] The Government of India awarded her the fourth highest civilian honour of Padma Shri in 1987.[4]

Biography

Born in the undivided Andhra Pradesh, she completed her early education at Hyderabad[5] and obtained higher education in Mathematics from Cambridge University in 1950, after which she visited Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia and Hungary as a part of student forums.[6] Her career started as a member of faculty at Osmania University and worked in two of the colleges affiliated to the university, University College for Women, Koti (Osmania Women's College) and Nizam College.[6]

During her tenure at Osmania, Iyengar secured a doctoral degree in mathematics from the University of Delhi in 1958. She served Osmania University as a reader, professor, head of the department of Mathematics department and the principal of the University College for Women, Koti[5] and held the post of the vice-chancellor for a while.[6] When Sri Padmavati Mahila Visvavidyalayam, an all women university, was established in 1983, she was appointed as its vice-chancellor and continued at the post till 1986.[7] She was also one of the founder members of the Osmania University Teachers Association.[6] She was a life trustee of Andhra Mahila Sabha and she served organisation as its vice-president and the president, a post she held since 1994 till her death.[6] She is also credited with articles on the topic of education.[2][8]

Awards and recognition

In 1987, the Government of India awarded Iyengar the civilian honour of Padma Shri.[4] She received the Best Teacher award from the Government of Andhra Pradesh and was a fellow of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.[6] She died in 2001, survived by her husband, Mohit Sen, a known communist intellectual, who also died two years later.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ "A man called Mohit Sen". The Hindu. 18 May 2003. Archived from the original on 17 November 2003. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Kameswaramma Kuppuswamy Memorial Lecture" (PDF). Indian Institute of World Culture. 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  3. ^ "AMS School of Informatics". AMS School of Informatics. 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Vanaja Iyengar" (PDF). INFLIBNET. 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "Prof (Smt) Vanaja Iyengar –Founder AMSSOI". Bispindia. 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  7. ^ "Mohit Sen (An Autobiography)". Exotic India. 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  8. ^ A. Ranganathan; Madhav Pundalik Pandit; Saligrama Krishna Ramachandra Rao; VANAJA IYENGAR (1986). "Sir William Jones: Savant Extraordinary and Cultural Envoy, Issues 64–71". Indian Institute of World Culture. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  9. ^ "Veteran communist leader Mohit Sen dead". Rediff.com. 4 May 2003. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
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