Transformative Connections: Ranu Boppana Reflects on Her Unique Journey as a Physician and Documenting South Asian History
“South Asia and the Institute: Transformative Connections was a labor of love, a testament to the power of storytelling and community collaboration.” Today’s woman dreamer, Dr. Ranu Boppana is an accomplished physician, advocating for humanistic medical education. She is also the Co-Director of South Asia and the Institute: Transformative Connections, which made history in its beautiful documentation of South Asian history at MIT. She shares, “The project isn't just about documenting the past; it is about showcasing the diverse experiences and forgotten histories of the South Asian diaspora.” We are excited to share her unique, multi-faceted journey on Women Who Win!
1. Tell us your story. You are a Physician and have studied at MIT and NYU School of Medicine. You also completed a residency in Psychiatry and a fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and have been a passionate advocate of humanistic medical education. What inspired you to pursue your medical career, and what is something you are most proud of?
My journey into medicine was inspired by a deep-seated desire to serve others and make a meaningful impact on people's lives. My time at MIT taught me critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which I carried forward into my medical studies at NYU School of Medicine. I completed a residency in Psychiatry and subsequent fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. During my years in practice and later teaching, I became increasingly aware of the importance of humanistic medicine – an approach that prioritizes empathy, compassion, and understanding in patient care as well as fostering an environment of holistic healing. I am proud to have treated and advocated for the underserved- immigrants, the developmentally disabled and foster children in my practice in New York City. And I am proud to have brought an innovative elective called the Healer's Art to the Caribbean medical school that I taught at for a few years before retiring.
2. You were also the Co-Director of South Asia and the Institute: Transformative Connections. This exhibit made history in its beautiful documentation of South Asian history at MIT. Tell us more about this initiative, and what inspired you to pursue this project?
South Asia and the Institute: Transformative Connections was a labor of love, a testament to the power of storytelling and community collaboration. This initiative aimed to shine a spotlight on the rich tapestry of South Asian culture, history, and innovation within the MIT ecosystem.
I attended MIT in the 1980’s and as my parents had emigrated to the US in 1970, I was in the early trickle of second generation students at the Institute at the time. While President of the MIT South Asian Alumni Association, I wondered when did the first desi come to MIT? I was STUNNED when I stumbled across the work of historian Ross Bassett, author of “The Technological Indian” and learned that the first student from South Asia came to MIT in 1880, soon after the Institute’s founding and more than a hundred years before I set foot on campus! Ross had been researching how people from a region left behind by the industrial revolution came to be among the world’s leaders in engineering and technology and that all roads led to MIT. As documented in his book, MIT in fact played an outsized role in South Asia’s economic development and even in its struggle for independence from colonial rule. MIT in fact was a beacon for freedom fighters in a colonized South Asia who thought it’s technical expertise represented a way forward for their country and were among it’s earliest South Asian students. Later the newly decolonized South Asian countries used MIT trained professionals to build their infrastructure and set up their institutions of higher learning.
I felt that this history should be more widely known and perhaps showcased in an exhibit. I was able to convince MIT History Professor Sana Aiyar and Managing Director of MIT-India at the time, Nureen Das, that this was a worthy project to take on. Professor Aiyar greatly expanded the research Ross Bassett had started beyond Engineering to all five schools at MIT and beyond India to all of South Asia. The pandemic further created an opportunity as students who were not able to travel for their internships at companies around the world could engage with our project. Gradually, we were able to raise some funds for this project and since January of 2020 over 40 student researchers have combed through MIT’s archives and have conducted more than 100 oral histories with alumni. Our exhibition, South Asia and the Institute: Transformative Connections, opened with great fanfare at MIT’s Maihaugen Gallery on 14th October, 2022 and was on display until December 2023. We have since then launched a digital exhibition which can be found here. MIT's History Professor and our project's Research Director, Sana Aiyar, and I were featured in The Indian Edit podcast recently where we shared their experiences creating the South Asia and the Institute project and exhibit. To learn more, tune in here!
3. The project won the MIT Great Dome award in 2023. What did you learn from your work on the South Asia and the Institute: Transformative Connections exhibition? Was there one piece of history/a story that strongly resonated with you?
Thank you, yes, MIT awarded me the Margaret MacVicar Award in 2022 for my innovative leadership and the MIT South Asian Alumni Association the Great Dome Award in 2023 for the project. Winning the MIT Great Dome award was a testament to the collective effort and dedication of our team in bringing South Asia's story to life within the walls of MIT. Through this project, I learned the power of collaboration and community engagement to make this project even more amazing. What particularly resonated with me was the courageous journey of pioneering South Asian scholars who defied barriers to pursue their academic passions at MIT, breaking new ground, building our modern world and paving the way for future generations. Our project, led by current MIT faculty, students and staff, tells the remarkable story of South Asia at MIT and MIT in South Asia to honor the determination and grit of multiple generations of South Asians at MIT. We celebrate their far-reaching accomplishments, technical expertise, and ingenuity that have made significant contributions to the advancement of knowledge at MIT and life beyond the institute, in South Asia, the United States and across the world. We also highlight the ways in which MIT’s past and present have been shaped by histories of immigration and race in America, decolonization and nation-building in South Asia, and globalization and technological revolutions across the world.
We have also produced three short films with filmmaker Avani Batra about this project and this history which you can check out here! South Asia and the Institute: Transformative Connections gives a historical overview of the long and entangled history of MIT and South Asia and Revolution on the Ganga explores the institutional connections between MIT and the IIT's. And finally, South Asians at MIT is about the making of the project.
The project isn't just about documenting the past; it is about showcasing the diverse experiences and forgotten histories of the South Asian diaspora. We hoped to foster a sense of belonging and pride among community members while also inviting others to learn and engage with our stories. We want visitors to walk away not only with a deeper understanding of MIT's South Asian history but also with a renewed appreciation of their own history as South Asian Americans. We also want to elucidate how MIT itself has been shaped by the many international students who were part of it's community from the beginning.
In essence, South Asia and the Institute: Transformative Connections is a celebration of resilience, creativity, and the human spirit. It is a testament to what can be achieved when people come together with a shared vision and a commitment to making a difference in the world.
4. What is your future vision for the project? Do you hope to expand this further?
Looking ahead, I envision South Asia and the Institute: Transformative Connections continuing to dig into MIT's rich South Asian history and also evolving into a dynamic platform for ongoing dialogue, exploration, and engagement. I hope we expand our reach with our digital platform and partner with our community across the world to amplify diverse voices and perspectives from the South Asian diaspora to deepen our understanding of South Asia's impact on MIT and vice versa, while also nurturing connections that transcend boundaries.
I also hope that people realize that this is not just the history of MIT. It is in fact the history of some of the earliest South Asian Americans who went on to shape and lay the foundation for the modern world in which we live. I also hope that some of the other universities in which these early South Asian Americans enrolled, will also dig into their archives to uncover some of their stories so that we can fully recognize the achievements of South Asian Americans and understand how we have shaped this country and this modern world.
5. As the platform for women dreamers, what is your next big dream?
I hope that women dreamers from all walks of life fearlessly pursue their passions and aspirations, transcending societal expectations and embracing their full potential. The world needs our voices. I would not have been able to make this project a reality, curate this exhibit or produce these films if I had stayed in my lane! We all have many talents within us waiting to be discovered. I am fortunate to have been able to uncover many of mine and look forward to learning what else I may develop or pursue in the future.