Inspirational Women

Manju Kalidindi

Manju Kalidindi is an immigration attorney who is deeply involved in community charities, from religious institutions to underprivileged children. Miss Kalidindi’s law office is located in Plantation, FL.

Her drive to serve the public comes from her family. She learned quiet compassion, generosity and the value of service from her father and grandfather, both physicians, and her mother who was an active community volunteer. She lives by their principle of treating everyone with kindness and respect, regardless of their status in life.

She is the current President of Sahara of South Florida, a South Florida-based non-profit organization that assists victims of domestic violence, which helps many women from South Asia find hope for a better, safer future. Her pro bono legal work has also benefitted domestic violence victims under the Violence Against Women Act. She is a Board Member of the Hindu University of America, South Florida.

Miss Kalidindi is also a patron of “For the Children, Inc.”, a non-profit organization providing after-school care for underprivileged kids. In addition to helping women and children, she reaches out to help animals as a volunteer for “Shi-Tzu Rescue”, a non-profit that rescues abandoned and/or abused dogs.

She is also a member of the Florida Bar and the American Immigration Lawyers Association. The Supreme Court of Florida recognized her twice for exceptional pro bono service and she was named the Broward Lawyers Care Attorney of The Month in November 2012.

Success, as defined by her, is what can be done with one’s skills and gifts, rather than any material markers. Through all of her non-profit work, she strives to treat people and all living things with dignity and respect and making a difference in the lives is what motivated her decision to pursue a law career and give back to the community. She says “My sense of compassion and a strong desire to make a difference within our local communities are my driving forces.”

Ruhi Raju

Manthena Leelavathamma (1918 – 1994)

Manthena Leelavathamma Garu is the eldest daughter of Sardar Dandu Narayana Raju, a freedom fighter who died in prison during India’s struggle for independence. She was a very dynamic person and possessed the will power and grit of her dad. Leelavathamma Garu overcame many obstacles and prejudices that were prevalent in the Kshatriya community during her formative years. She followed her dad’s footsteps and dedicated her life to social service.

Leelavathamma Garu started several schools, orphanages and charitable foundations to help the poor. She started a primary school named after her husband, Manthena Narasimha Raju, a high school named after her dad, Sardar Dandu Narayana Raju, an orphanage and a boarding house for poor boys and girls in her native village called Korukollu in West Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh. Leelavathamma Garu also constructed a prayer hall in Bhimavaram. In 1969, she established the Sardar Dandu Narayana Raju foundation which provided free lunch and medical help for the physically handicapped. She also started a Sanskrit school for women in Bhimavaram and helped establishing several Mahila Sangams to help women in many of the villages around Bhimavaram.

Leelavathamma Garu served as a member of the Village Panchayat Board as well as on the West Godavari District Board. During the Indo-China war, Leelavathamma Garu donated her chain and bangles toward the national security fund. Leelavathamma Garu was also instrumental in obtaining the permit and funds for the construction of the road from Korukollu to Manchili, a feeder road from Korukollu to Aravalli and a Women’s rest area in the Aravalli railway station.

Leelavathamma Garu also worked with the late Durgabai Deshmukh’s Central Social Welfare Board to improve women’s education and rehabilitation of the handicapped.

Usha Bhupathiraju, MD

Dr. Usha Bhupathi is a Medical graduate from Kakatiya Medical College, Osmania University. Initially she had postgraduate training in general surgery at Osmania Medical College and Hospital. She came to USA in 1975 with her family. Following Residency and fellowship in Anatomic Pathology at Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan, she joined their senior staff (1980-2008, currently retired). Her specialty expertise is in diagnosis of breast cancer diagnosis and management as a part of the breast care team of Josephine Ford Cancer Center of Henry Ford Hospital. She actively pursued research in breast diseases authoring or coauthoring over 40 peer reviewed publications and over 60 scientific presentations. She has been interested in teaching and has participated in or conducted teaching workshops.

She has been a co-investigator for a large NIH grant for molecular study benign breast disease and also had several small grants funded and research projects. In relation to women’s health, she was actively involved in breast mammography-pathologic correlations, and had active responsibility for breast cancer diagnosis and management as a part of the breast care team of Josephine Ford Cancer Center of Henry Ford Hospital.
Personally, she has been active in Detroit Indian Community – in Deroit Telugu Association, Michigan Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (MAPI), TANA Patrika, Detroit Telugu Literary Club, Bharatiya Temple and SV Temple-Novi. She and her husband, Dr. BLN Raju are involved with Global Huger Project and had conducted several fundraising and awareness events including annual Ending Hunger Fund raising dinners and an annual Ending Hunger Walk-Run, for more than 5 years. The hunger project focuses on woman empowerment as key to ending poverty and hunger. Her hobbies include reading, gardening, painting, learning Sanscrit, and a little bit of Golf. Spending time with her grandchildren is her greatest pleasure.

Personal Message: I studied medicine at a time when very few Kshatriyas girls were going to college. I am the granddaughter of Sardar Dandu Narayana Raju, who was a forward thinking leader in India’s independence movement. He educated his daughters against the then convention. So, it is only natural that his grand daughters are educated also. My father, Alluri Krishna Raju, was a well known Engineer in his time. The strong women in my life who guided and influenced me greatly are my mother Alluri Saraswathi, my kannamma Gadiraju Bharathi, my kannamma Manthena Leelavathamma (a well known social worker and a leader) and my cousin (akka) Dr. Datla Renuka.

I am indebted to India for making education affordable for me and innumerable young people that are making a difference to India and world over. I would never have imagined the possibility of clinical research in India. My training and work environment at Henry Ford Hospital was conducive to my inquisitiveness. If I had any doubts (eg. If a dogmatic idea or statement in a book did not make clinical sense or if a methodology could be improved), I had a chance to question it and study it in a systematic way. My environment and teachers inspired me. In this great country, I also got introduced to philanthropy and volunteer work. I am forever grateful to this country for giving me an enriched professional and personal life. Anything is possible here…your passion and effort is all that is needed. So take it on…whatever it is !!

Vanitha Datla

Executive Director & CFO, ELICO Ltd; Managing Director, Elico Healthcare Services Ltd.
Vanitha Datla is the Executive Director & CFO at Elico Ltd, a 50-year-old company that is a pioneer in the Analytical Instruments Industry, ‘Innovating to connect Science with Lab’ and Managing Director Elico Healthcare Services Ltd, a service provider to the Health-Care Industry in countries like USA, UK, Middle East etc.

Her initial career days saw her working as a financial assistant to an Insurance Agent with Farmers Insurance, one of the top 5 Insurance companies in the US. She then joined Raasi Finance & Investment Ltd, as Executive Director & later became its Managing Director. During her tenure, the company achieved a commendable turnaround into a profitable & dividend paying company. In 1999, she joined her family & associates in taking over a non-operational cement company, Anjani Portland Cement Ltd, and was part of the driving team that helped convert the company into a profit making & dividend-paying venture. In her role as Director Finance, she was actively engaged in the cement, power & security printing verticals.

Education:
• Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), ICFAI, Hyderabad.
• Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration (PGDBA), ICFAI Business School, Hyderabad.
• Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), St. Francis College for Women, Hyderabad

A very bright student all through her academic years, Vanitha was a Silver medalist, graduating 2nd in her MBA class along with earning the CFA Charter (Chartered Financial Analyst) from the ICFAI Business School, India. She earned a place on the Dean’s Honor Roll for securing a perfect 4.0 GPA at Wichita State University in the USA, while pursuing her under graduation She graduated from St. Francis College for Women, Hyderabad with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Economics & Public Administration.

Associations:
• Chairperson, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Telangana. 2014-2015 & 2015-2016
• Vice Chairperson, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), AP. 2014
• Chairwoman, Indian Women Network (IWN), AP. 2013-2014
• Director on Board, School of Management Studies, University of Hyderabad
• Permanent Invitee to the Board, WWF State Chapter, AP

Apart from her professional career, Vanitha has keen networking skills, which has helped her to be elected four times to the AP State Council of Confederation of Indian Industry. Currently she has been elected as Chairperson of CII Telangana State & is the Immediate Past Chairperson Indian Women Network, AP State. She is a member of the CII National Committee on Backward District Development and CII National Committee on Women Empowerment. In the past, She has been member of the CII HR panel Southern Region, CII CSR panel, AP State, CII Finance & Taxation panel, AP State, Co-Convenor CII Exim panel, AP State, Chairperson CII Women Empowerment Taskforce, AP State.

She serves on the School Board of Management Studies, University of Hyderabad and is a Permanent Invitee to the Board of WWF State Chapter AP. Earlier, she was an active member of the Steering committee on ‘Green Homes’. She also served on the Board of the ICFAI Business School Alumni Federation and was member of the Governing Council, Vishnu Public School. She was instrumental in laying foundations & strengthening the Industry-Institute interface for the placement cell at the Engineering colleges of BVRIT & SVCEW under the Sri Vishnu Educational Society. She is the Treasurer of WIN (Women in Network), an NGO that works closely with children & women of urban slums, & was part of the founding team.

On the personal front, she has many interests and an adventurous streak, pushing her to follow many pursuits. An Avid Long- distance cyclist, with a few of 100kms & 150km rides undertaken and an intermittent long-distance runner, conquering the full marathon, many half-marathons and a 50km ultra walkathon distances. She has participated & completed many endurance & duathlon events and earned herself the tag of a ‘Duathlete’. Trekking is another passion that has led her to visit the Everest Base Camp in Nepal, Mt. Kailash near Manasarovar, Tibet & Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa.

She had learnt to play the Veena & Piano at an early age and then also dabbled in classical Carnatic vocals & Vedic chanting. Additionally she also enjoys reading, spending time with her family & writing articles about her travel exploits, but Traveling remains her true passion & she has traveled around the globe extensively to more than 50 countries.

Email: vanithad@elico.co Website: www.elico.co