FROM ARRAIGNS TO ACCOLADES – DR ARCHANA ACHARYA
Born into a traditional middle class brahmin family, she was very fortunate to have an opportunity to grow up in an unprejudiced and permissive environment. Education has been her passion from the beginning and thus arrived the letters DR before her name. The journey has not been easy, but she had encouraging parents, supportive husband and co-operative daughters to keep company.
Hailing from a family of academicians, she unswervingly believed that teachers are nation builders and that the strength of every profession grows out of the knowledge and skills that teachers instill in the future citizens . Ergo, in Spite of being a star pupil with crackerjack grades, she was constantly coaxed to take to teaching.
Her choice of profession was ridiculed many a number of times by her friends and kinsmen. Often, they even articulated that she was ruining her life all by herself. Despite these baleful circumstances, she drew inspiration from her childhood paragon, Dr. R. Venkata Ramanan, he was her principal in her school days. He always emphasised that the intelligentia has to get into teaching if student output has to reach its apex. These inspiring and ever motivating words drive her towards her life's goal day after day.
She have a set of teachers, whom she addresses - SAPTA RISHI - these inspired, influenced and made a mark in her life, they instigated a major shift in her outlook towards life which made her realise that student perspectives are like wet clay and only a committed and dutiful teacher can mould them in to a more meaningful and purposeful form. By virtue of these Sapta Rishi in her life, she believes and practices that a teacher should focus not only on the academic growth and well being of the students but also on their holistic development.
She believes that the quality of teaching and learning provision by far, are the most salient influences on the student’s cognitive, affective, social and behavioral outcomes. With transition to most rigorous achievement standards and better student assessments, a focus on data to drive instructions and the use of technology to personalize learning, she takes upon teaching as an incredible responsibility. She is perpetually disposed for persistent customization to take on hybrid roles to gear up to the new era of techno teaching.
In a roller coaster ride of 20 years, she has faced multifarious challenges in living her dream of shaping futures. At times, her morale nosedived so abysmally, that she had to put in an arduous effort to not CALL QUITS. But by divine favour, every single time she was despondent, barring none, she rebounded to be more zestful and more vivacious.
Dr Archana Acharya established Vaaradhi Seva Samstha with the prime focus of providing educational facilities to the needy and with a vision to help the deprived and the destitute in procuring the necessary education which otherwise is a mirage to them. She works towards imparting knowledge and awareness with regards to vital non-academic issues like ethical and value-based education, time management, stress management, exam preparation, fear of failure etc. to the student fraternity through her training programs. Dr Acharya believes in bringing about sustainable changes in students’ lives through educating them in non-conventional methods and in non-academic concepts. She aims at improving the quality of conception in students through unique intervention modules and joyful learning techniques and also emphasises on succouring the students in realizing their full potential and boosting their morale through ethical and moral education. She aims to reach the maximum number of students through seminars and workshops conducted at their respective educational institutions.
The awards and accolades received in the journey are the cherries on the cake, she relishes them fondly. But to be veracious, her true pride lies in her students, her eyes twinkle with tears when she hears them say " Ma'am .... you are our CHANAKYA".
