P. Gangadhar Rao

Article by Srija Sneharika Badireddi , Christ University, HOSD 2014

P. Gangadhar Rao is my grandfather on the maternal side and I did an essay on him as he is one person who inspires me the most due to what he has done in this society. He credits his study, occupation and personality to God and believes that it was God who pushed him towars his profession in motivation and spirit.

Childhood-

Pappala Gangadhar Rao born on 23^rd October 1943 but according to legal records July 1^st 1944, is a man who hails from a small town in Andhra Pradesh. Born to a large farmers family with 7 siblings out of which him being the eldest and having the responsibility of taking care of his big family. He had been struggling from a very young age, supporting his four sisters and two brothers.

 When he was 6 years old, his Aunt Ratnamma i.e. his mother’s elder sister, adopted him as she lost her only son to death and had gone into depression. From the care of his mother in the village, he moved to a town with his aunt where he got education which he otherwise wouldn’t have received while living in the village as his parents never provided any kind of support to him. He was the first to be educated in his family for generations as well as the first to have graduated in his entire village. Not only the thirst for education but he also showed a lot of enthusiasm for football in those days. He brought awareness of education in and around his village by inspiring and motivating them. He lived along with his aunt’s step children who treated him very harshly and rudely. They used to make him do all the household chores and therefore he never used to get time to study in the day. He used to wake up at midnight and study under the lamppost in the street. By this he did his Graduation and Post-Graduation in MA Sociology in Government Arts College, Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, India and became a Lecturer in the same college. Even though his aunt’s step children were rich, they became dependent on his salary later on in life. Struggling with hardships in life.

His work and achievements-

After his work as a Lecturer in GAC, he worked in VRO, Vocational Rehabilitation Centre for the Physically Handicapped under the International Labour Organization, America which was taken over by the government under the Ministry of Labour.  His role was mainly getting the physically handicapped people trained and providing them with placements with good organizations. He worked as a Central Government Officer and therefore used to transfer every 5 years to other states in India such as Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, as well as West Bengal. He also went abroad to Europe for studying various projects. One of them being Remploy in UK. Remploy is the UK's leading provider of employment services. Helping to support disabled jobseekers and working with employers and partners. Colombo plans for 6 months visit and study how ILO implementing in those countries and how they take care of the disabled people from the childhood, how they are educated and towards adulthood to help them in acquiring jobs. After this project the VRC was very happy with his work and he was made the Director/Senior Superintendent of VRC for physically handicapped. While he was in service, he was also recommended and received National Awards for Outstanding Social work in the Field of Disability in 1993 by the then president, Shankar Dayal Sharma.

He received an award for Best Placement Officer for the Disabled in 2006 by the then president, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. And many other awards such as the Helen Keller Award from the Governor of Andhra Pradesh. All for his outstanding services.

Later on, he retired as the Director of VRC and is working with various NGOs. Non-governmental organizations serving the physically handicapped people. He is running an NGO called Commitments, which is a self-help group of disabled in rural areas located in Mehboob Nagar of Andhra Pradesh district. Commitments acts as model for voluntary NGOs. It is a community based on rehabilitation for rural, poor, disabled people in a way of helping them to make a livelihood for themselves in their own vicinity.

As a person-

When my grandfather’s cousin, Kasi Visweshar Rao was infected with polio, he brought him from the village and took care of him. Kasi later on became a government employee because of my grandfather’s kind gesture. An acquaintance of my grandfather, Subhanna was disabled as well and my grandfather gave him an opportunity of training in his office and he received a job in Defence Research & Development Laboratory(DRDL) Hyderabad and now he is a business man in carpentry, interior designing.

My grandfather is a social worker and thinks about other people. He gives high regard for other people and does not expect anything in return. He is hardworking, with his life completely dedicated to the services of needy people. A very polite person for whom others come before himself and humble in his speech and action. Even though being from a poor family, educated and to have gone abroad on special assignments, he lived a very humble and simple life. Even if anyone harms him in any way he always treats them the same. He has no enemy. According to his son, he compares my grandfather to Gandhiji. A very cool and a calm person who is respected by all.

Being 71 currently, the way my grandfather is hale and healthy is the routine he has been following for several years now.

He sleeps at 10:00 pm every night. Wakes up at 5:00 am and goes for a hour of morning walk in dawn. Once back home, he showers and does puja. Cleansing his soul. Leaves to work at 9:00 approximately.

He is a person who cannot sit idle and needs some kind of activity to take him through the day. Me being 17 sit and laze around all day and my grandfather being 71 is more energetic I’ve known any person to be. He inspires me and I look upto him and wish to take social action just like my grandfather.

Award from the Governor of Andhra Pradesh.

He also has various newspaper articles in his name.