About Myself

 I, Rekha Pande,  am a Professor of South Asian History and Women’s Studies.  I  was also a Professor Emeritus at the Henry Martin Institute, an International Centre for Research, Interfaith Relations and Reconciliation, Hyderabad, India. I was earlier the Head of the Department of History and Head, Centre for Women’s Studies at the University of Hyderabad, India. I was also the Director of Women’s Studies at the Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU), India. I have been the founding member of two Centres for Women’s Studies, one at Maulana Azad National Urdu University and the other at the University of Hyderabad. I have to my credit 24 books and more than 200 articles in National and International Journals, book chapters and   proceedings.  I was also the Director of the Women’s World Congress, India, 2014,  for which we  won the bid  for the first time in India , and  which was held  from 17^th to 21^st August, 2014. To me studying women's problems is not merely a theoretical and academic exercise but one that must also be related to practice,  one that must comprehend various dimensions of the “women” question to resolve such problems from the grass-root/bottom-up level. Here, my approach is empowerment of women irrespective of class, religion, region, and race. Thus, a major part of my professional, service commitment, and activism lie in researching, guiding, and co-coordinating hands-on (i.e., practical) projects on gender and empowerment at the South Asian and the global levels. To sum up, my key intellectual effort in academia, professional service, and activism has been to transgress and bridge borders key among them being between disciplines, periods, theory- praxis, and between the Global South and North. Undoubtedly, these aspects have not only rendered (but will continue to render) me as a active member, contributor, and an activist in academia—with attention to issues of gender.