He was born in a small village called Kondubhatlavaripalem near Bapatla town; father was an agriculturist, having 4 acres of land. He has 5 sisters; he was the only male child. This village didn’t have any educational facilities after 5 standard. He used to go to bapatla for his studies, by walk. The distance was 10kms to and fro.
Education and career and family
He joined in Guntur Hindu College, to study intermediate, in 1953. By the time he completed his first yr intermediate, his father died. He was left with 5 sisters at that time. Two of his sister already got married.
He was left with two options. 1: leaving education, and take agriculture, 2: to look after the family.
He continued studies by leaving family responsibilities on his mother. His mother encouraged him to go for higher studies, after completion intermediate, he got admitted in Agriculture BSC in Bapatla Agricultural College, bapatla. He completed B.sc in Agriculture by 1958 and joined Andhra Pradesh Agriculture Department posting at Kuppam, Chittoor district.
His initial salary was 100Rs per month and his monthly expenditure was 40Rs including room rent and mess tickets. In 1959 he was transferred to college Bapatla, as a lecturer. He has taught there till 1985 (26 years). In this period of teaching he did M.Sc in Agriculture from A.P. Agriculture University and PhD from Benaras Hindu University, BA public finance from AU.
While in teaching profession all other three sisters got married. In his 26 yrs of teaching career he never attended the class even a minute late, nor he left the class before time. “Wastage of time is a big crime doing towards the nation. I must discharge these duties with commitment, when I am taking 100Rs from the govt I must discharge duties with total commitment.”
When he was transferred from Kuppam to Srikalahasti as a farm manager there were long standing labourers working in the approximate 30 acres govt farm. When he asked them to plough 3 acres of land," they told me that it will take 5 days time. There were pairs of bullocks. And I took one of them and asked other workers to follow me. The work was completed within a day. It is immaterial that whether it is government’s work or your own work, as long as you can deliver it just do it. There are no shortcuts to come up in life. There is only one-way to come up in life, which is hard work, sincerity, time-management time-audit, and commitment."
He has three sons and one daughter. His First son passed M.Sc in Agriculture with Gold Medal, Second son M.Tech. Civil Engineering. His third son is Chartered Accountant. He started Delhi Public School in Hyderabad and Secunderabad.
Love for agriculture using educational experience to
convert wastelands into fertile lands
He has sold his two acres ancient property at the rate of 10000Rs per acre and purchased wasteland at the rate of 230Rs per acre in outskirts of Bapatla. He used his expertise to convert wasteland into a fertile land. He used to wake up at 4am and go to the fields by 4.30am and come back by 7am and then go to the college. Then he went to the fields after college time is over and came back by 8pm. He used to do all his agricultural works physically along with his labourers. He used to spend his salary for family’s day-to-day needs and reinvest all his agricultural income to buy agricultural lands only.
Inspiration
He was a strong follower of Acharya N.G. Ranga, who was an agricultural community leader. He was fighting for the benefit of the farming community. He used to go to his meetings without missing and attracted to his ideals. “He was always talking about selfless society. To set up an example of a selfless society, Acharya N.G. Ranga and his wife decided to go for family planning operation on the day they got married because they felt that if they give a birth to a child they may become selfish.”
Politics
N.T.Rama Rao motivated him. “When NTR started Telugu Desam Party, he was interested in bringing educated people into active politics. NTRs intention was to give chances to the educated persons to deliver quality service in politics. NTR offered me ticket from Bapatla Assembly Constituency. I contested from Bapatla in 1989; I also got elected to LokShabha from Tenali Parliamentary constituency. I worked as a union Urban Development Minister from 1996 to 1998. Also worked as Loksabha Estimates committee chairman from 1999 to 2004.”
Secret Behind Success
“Use your fairness, sincerity, and commitment. Embarrassing situations can be avoided with fairness, honesty and commitment. Clarity, Commitment and honesty make anyone upright in life.”
Service to his motherland
He has donated 7 acres land to build a school in his village Kondubhatlavaripalem. He also helped to build a good school with all amenities. “Today my village has a good a school and my villagers, particularly girls, need not walk 10kms daily for their studies.”