Seshu was born in Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh, India. Her parents are father Annapurneswara Rao Vadlamani, a teacher and mother Padmavati, a homemaker and a part-time teacher. Seshu graduated from M.R.M.P. School in Vizainagaram, and went on to Andhra Medical College where she earned her M.B.B.S. Both at school and College, Seshu not only participated in music, and debate, but also won several awards and prizes. Her other passion was dancing. She also wrote poems, essays and short stories in Telugu.

In 1974, while she was still a medical student, she married Ravi Sarma, her senior from Andhra Medical College, who was already in the US for his medical training. Seshu came to Chicago to fulfill her house surgeon requirements and later on, she stayed there to do her internship and residency at Cook

	Seshu’s family with grandparents

County Hospital. In 1979, she joined Ravi in Atlanta, where he was employed at the V.A.Hospital as a faculty member. Seshu served as an assistant professor in the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Emory University School of Medicine from 1989 to 1994. In 1994, she moved to Morehouse School of Medicine and moved up to become an associate professor.
 

Seshu provides clinical care to women and teaches medical students and residents. As a Consultant, she provides reproductive health care to women who are infected with HIV at the Fulton County Health Department’s Ryan White Program. She is also a member of the speaker’s bureau for Cicatelli Associates Inc. based in New York. In that capacity, she gives lectures to medical groups in many of the Southeastern United States. She served as a consultant to Emory University’s Regional Training Center for 16 years. Twice she won “The Best Teacher Award” at Morehouse School of Medicine. She is regarded as an outstanding teacher.

Ravi and Seshu Sarma have played a significant role in Indian American Cultural Association. But it is the Hindu Temple of Atlanta in Riverdale which has been the beehive for Seshu. As Chairperson of Cultural Committee; Fundraising Committee and Publications and Public Relations Committee, she has rendered prodigious services. She organized two notable fundraisers in 2001 and 2004 respectively. She produced two captivating dance-dramas, ‘Saptapadi’ and’Sivoham-Sivoham’which generated substantial funds for the Temple. The noteworthy aspect of these two stellar productions was the bringing together of the community through wide participation from different groups in and outside of Atlanta. She is a member of the board of directors for Shankara Nethralaya OM Trust Inc. based in Chennai, the premium eye institute that provides state of the art eye care for the poor as well as those who can afford in many states in India. She and her team raised several thousands of dollars for SN OM Trust in the last 2 years.

Zesty as ever, Seshu started the Mana Bedi, the Telugu school in 1994, where she taught about 30 children how to write, read and speak Telugu Seshu is proficient in playing Veena. She teams up with other musicians at Kuchipudi programs staged in Atlanta and also voluntarily teaches Carnatic music to several children. She ran several successful blood drives for American Red Cross at IACA and at the Hindu Temple of Atlanta, Riverdale. A prolific and accomplished writer, she has written over 30 short stories, essays and many poems in Telugu. An anthology of her short stories, Pravaasandhrula Aashakirnam was published in 2006. Her stories have also appeared in several reputed Telugu magazines in India.
 

Seshu and Ravi have played an exemplary role in helping Bhutanese refugees to settle down in Atlanta. Seshu organized the Free Bazaar in December last year, when the Bhutanese families were gifted with toys, clothing, footwear, and domestic aplliances, etc. Currently she has started a Bhutanese tutorial project in Norcross, Decatur and Clarkston. She is also helping many families find jobs in Atlanta.

Seshu’s humanitarian services have not gone unnoticed. She has won many awards from Telugu Association of North America; Telugu Association of Metro Atlanta, Hindu Temple of Atlanta and IACA.

When asked, “Who has inspired her most?” Seshu unhesitatingly responded, “My father in law Dr. Jagannatha Rao’s sister Dr. Sakunthalamma has always been my role model. She passed away in 2008. She became a doctor when very few girls went to school, performed all kinds of complicated surgeries even though she had a basic M.B.B.S degree. She raised two abandoned children as her own. She provided care for many abandoned children and found adoptive parents for them. She was widely read, highly intellectual, yet very spiritual. She is second to none in my opinion.”

Following her foot steps, Ravi and Seshu adopted their youngest child, Sriram 10 years ago at the age of four. Seshu has always been inspired by her mother for her discipline and tenacity to get things done and by her father for his humanitarian outlook.

The drive, the fire to serve the community is burning bright in Seshu. She is a genuine role model for the young generation. .

Oct. 21, 2009