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Birth and
early years (1947-1957) She was born on May 25, 1947 as the eldest daughter of Late Shri
Bhogaraju Radhakrishna and Late Smt. Bhogaraju Visalakshi. She was the first of 7 children that they had. She was also the
grand daughter of legendary Indian national leader Late Shri Bhogaraju Pattabhi Seetharamaiah, who was a doctor, peaceful
freedom fighter in India's stuggle for Independence from the British, who worked very closely with Gandhi and Nehru and ran
for Presidency of Indian National Congress in 1939 (but lost to Netaji SubhasChandra Bose), was also Founder of Andhra Bank,
and then later served as Governor of Madhya Pradesh (1952-1957). Move to Hyderabad Devi
as she was known in her side of the family (after her marriage, she was Sudha to Chitti Babu's side of the family) moved from
Bhopal to Hyderabad in 1957 and lived there until 1967. She went to St. Ann's School in Secunderabad. Marriage to Chitti Babu She married Chitti Babu
on Nov 8, 1967 in a traditional ceremony in Hyderabad and they had a wedding reception in Chennai on Nov 12, 1967. She could
play the Veena as well, and had learnt from the sister of Dr. Emani Shankara Sastry who was Chitti Babu's Guru. In a way,
they were instrumental in accelerating the alliance of Sudha and Chitti Babu. She then moved from Hyderabad and made Chennai
her home for 44 years. Quite simply put, from 1967-1996 she was the
backbone of the Chitti Babu household that kept everything going in order until Chitti Babu's sudden demise on Feb 9, 1996. Demise: Unfortunately,
she too passed away suddenly on April 5, 2011 at the age of 63 after a brief illness. Eulogy: When
she passed away, almost everybody who reached out to us over email, phone, and in-person recollected these traits of hers: - Her
ever-smiling face, her openness to meet, entertain and touch people in a special way,
- Her grit, determination, initiative,
and administrative abilities that ran this busy household so efficiently for the most part of 4+ decades,
- The ease
and aplomb with which she played her multiple roles as a devoted wife to my illustrious father, caring eldest sister to her
siblings, loving mother to the 3 of us, doting aunt to all my cousins, Guru-Pathni to
all the loving disciples of my father, and a mother-like figure to many more friends/relatives,
- Her zest for life,
her fondness to be with family/friends in all occasions, her down-to-earth demeanor that always put people at ease instantly,
- Her
stoic calm in facing adverse situations with a smile, her tender loving care for anyone who needed help,
- Her fast
and yummy culinary skills that fed and delighted scores of people,
- Her pragmatism that always ensured focus
on the tasks on hand, her child-like enthusiasm to enjoy an ice cream,...and...much much more!
I
could go on and on and on, but I know it will never be adequate. After all, she is my beloved mother and it is natural that
I feel what I do for her. But the beauty of all those points are that they were evident not just to us in the immediate/extended
family, but to anyone/everyone who came in touch with her. May God bless her soul.
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