First Principal of TTD’s SPW College breathes her last

Dr. Kambhampati Rajeshwari Murthy turned 104 years on December 10

Kambhampati Rajeshwari Murthy (1921-2024), the first Principal of the TTD-run Sri Padmavati Women’s (SPW) College, Tirupati, passed away at the age of 103 years in New York City late on Friday. She turned 104 on Dec 10 (Tuesday) and, rather sadly, breathed her last on the third day after her 104th birthday.

It was her committed effort that led to the building of the mammoth college from scratch, which stands tall as an autonomous institution today.

Breaking the gender barriers of those days to pursue higher education, Ms. Rajeshwari Murthy excelled in the field of mathematics, physics and statistics. Taking over the reins of the college as its first Principal upon its establishment in 1956, she led it from the front for twenty long years.

Seen as a boon for the girls hailing from backward communities and impoverished families from the drought-prone Rayalaseema region, the student strength had grown from 50 to over 1,300 in just fifteen years, thanks to the innovative, socially-relevant and job-oriented programmes launched by her.

In fact, she was the first to launch Population Studies as an undergraduate program in the entire country, first to launch Home Science course in the state and the first to introduce ‘Earn while you learn’ concept.

Even when universities were struggling to find their feet, the standalone SPW College fostered cross-cultural exchange with prominent universities including Harvard, Yale and Princeton.

It was during this time that she pursued Master’s and Doctoral degrees from Columbia University as a Fulbright scholar and put Padmavati College on the world map. She did not stop with SPW, but after settling in the USA, she also served as the Registrar of Metropolitan College of New York for eighteen years.

Alumni’s call

The alumni of the college, including her former students who are in their eighties, cut a cake to celebrate their beloved former Principal’s birthday on Tuesday, but to their utter shock, had to congregate once again for her memorial meeting at their alma mater within three days.

The old students appeal to the State government as well as the TTD management to immortalise Ms. Murthy by installing her statue or naming a building after her.

Published - December 15, 2024 03:48 pm IST