Educationist Rati Wadia was felicitated for her contribution to the field of education at the annual conference Juhi Mela 2024 organized by Wishwabharti Sansthan. The "Juhi Mela serves as a platform that integrates Indian writers and women artists,” stated a note from the Sansthan’s secretary Kaushal Upadhyay. This year the conference was organized by the Sansthan, Ahmedabad, in collaboration with Bombay University and Maniben Nanavati Women’s College, Bombay, on March 30, 2024. Previous annual conferences have been held in Ahmedabad, Delhi, Bhavnagar, Nepal, California and Indore. A total of seven women were honored at the current conference. In her acceptance speech, Wadia reminisced about her teaching career, her passion for molding the lives of children. She paid tribute to her father Dara Vania for his principles, and for instilling in her the values of contentment and happiness.
Rati Wadia (l) with Usha Upadhyay
Wadia has served Queen Mary School, her alma mater, as head of the English department and senior school supervisor. She retired from the School after 36 years of service, as the first non-Christian principal of the 125-year-old institution. For the last 12 years she has conducted poetry festivals under the flag of 100 thousand Poets for Change and is a managing committee member of the Parsi Girls School Association that runs the Bai B. S. Bengallee Girls’ High School and Bai M. N. Gamadia Girls’ High School.
The Sansthan is "dedicated to education, the arts, research, health awareness and environmental conservation and conducts programs for the preservation of mother tongue in schools and colleges, preservation of environment and nature, among other activities.”