Family Trip to India Creates Cherished Memories, Earns Duke Time Off Photo Prize

Duke Facilities Management engineer relishes showing her children where she grew up

People in front of the Charminar
Mansa Chennuri's family got to experience the beauty of the Charminar, in Hyderabad, India, during a recent trip. Photo by Mansa Chennuri.

While jetlag can be an annoying feature of international travel, Duke Facilities Management Staff Engineer Mansa Chennuri used it to her advantage to provide her family an unforgettable moment during a trip to India in early June.

Not long after arriving in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad, where she was born and raised, Chennuri took her family to see the Charminar, a beloved monument and mosque in the center of the city. Built in 1591 and serving as the symbol of Hyderabad and a revered site for the region's Muslim community, the Charminar is often an incredibly busy and overwhelming space for visitors.

But with her family still adjusting to the nine-and-a-half hour time difference from home, they visited the monument at around 3 a.m. local time and missed the crowds.

“It was amazing,” Chennuri said. “It gave me tears to be able to show that to my kids who are born in the U.S.”

Mansa Chennuri's children, Ahvi and Kash, stand with their cousin Rudhr and aunt, Malika, in front of the Charminar, a beloved monument in the heart of Hyderabad, India. Photo by Mansa Chennuri.

Chennuri snapped a photo of her sister Malika, along with her children Ahvi and Kash, and their cousin Rudhr, in front of the Charminar, with the colorful night sky behind them. The image was selected as the third winner of the 2023 Duke Time off campaign, earning Chennuri a Duke-branded beach towel courtesy of Duke University Stores.

“I think it’s important for us to be able to bring our whole selves to our work,” said Chennuri, who has worked at Duke since 2020. “By giving us time off, Duke gives us the opportunity, not just for me, but also my family, to have these moments which fill up our cup. My sister and I grew up on those streets, so it means a lot to share that with our children. I’m so grateful.”

We welcome pictures of your special moments and off the beaten path adventures that capture your summer reprieve – everything from a backyard barbecue and beach getaway to a long-awaited international trip that highlight the ways you use your time off benefit.

How to share your 2023 summer pictures:

  • Post and tag a photo on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook with #DukeTimeOff and tag us. Tell us what you’re doing with your time away from work. Remember to include #DukeTimeOff in your post and tag us on social, so we can find your snapshots on social media.
  • If you’re not on social media or prefer to share your picture another way, go to hr.duke.edu/DukeTimeOff2023 to upload your picture.

We encourage frequent submissions (there’s a prize for a shutterbug), but only the first picture in a series will be entered whenever one submission contains multiple images. Collage photographs and videos are not eligible for prizes.

To be eligible for prizes, photographs must be taken between May 24, 2023 through Aug. 6, 2023, and shared by current University and Health System staff and faculty during the same time period. The deadline for submissions is 12 p.m. Aug. 7.

During the campaign, the Working@Duke editorial team will award Duke-themed merchandise from the Duke eStore, courtesy of Duke University Stores. All eligible pictures shared throughout the course of the campaign – May 24, 2023, through Aug. 6, 2023 – will be in the running for these grand prizes:

  • A “Classic Package for Two” at the Washington Duke Inn, which includes a king or double/double room for one night and full breakfast for two in the Vista Room or room service, courtesy of the Washington Duke Inn. Sunday brunch is not eligible.
  • A Walking with Lemurs tour for four with Lemur Center Executive Director Greg Dye, courtesy of the Duke Lemur Center.

Grand prize winners will be announced on Working@Duke in late August.

Send story ideas, shout-outs and photographs through our story idea form or write working@duke.edu.

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