Education brightens life like no other thing. Nidumukkala Siva Sankar (NssRao) realized this very early in life. The realization made Mr. Rao travel endless miles at different stages in life. His story began when he moved from Ponnekallu (Guntur district) to Ibrahimpatnam (Krishna district) with his family as a child.

Back in the day, Ibrahimpatnam had limited educational resources. The school in which Mr. NssRao was enrolled taught only up to the seventh standard. To study further, students had to go out of town. His passion for education and unconditional family support took Mr. NssRao to Kondapalli.

Struggles For Education

As a kid, Mr. NssRao and his siblings saw a lot of financial hardships. A family of five members survived on a single man’s salary. They could eat after their father worked hard during the day and brought back some money. The situation was such that they could buy either rice or vegetables. Having both together was a luxury that Mr. Rao’s family could not afford. Their situation was very pitiful.

For a while, the entire family survived on cooked broken rice along with roasted chilies and salt. Five members of the family would share a single egg for a meal. They enjoyed this luxury without a frown. They were all happy with what life gave them.

Three children’s education was nothing less than a burden in a single man’s earnings. When things were going bad to worse, Crane Betel Nut Powder Works established a factory in his neighborhood. His mother took up some work there to add to the family income.

The work was to fill 1800 packets with the betel nut powder for 2.50 rupees. Similarly, they were to make bags out of paper and put a label on them. This activity too got them the same amount of money, i.e., 2.50 rupees. Mr. NssRao, who always showed maturity beyond his age, decided to help his mother after school.

As soon as he got back from school, he would get to work. He’d to start making and labeling the bags at 5 p.m. and finish only by 8 p.m.

Nidumukkala Siva Sankara Rao with his parents

Education was expensive when Mr. NssRao was a student. If he took a rickshaw to Kondapally, he would have to pay 50 paise for a two-way trip to school. Since it was a great deal for him and his family, he decided to cover the ten-kilometer distance by walking. The walking was more difficult than usual as he had to carry the books on his shoulders. It became his routine until he completed his 10th grade.  

10th grade is an essential year for everyone. For him, it was a difficult one too. A financial crisis came up when he had to pay an exam fee of 18 rupees, but his father couldn’t afford it. What a father did for his son’s education in this situation is heart-touching. After requesting his relatives for a loan, all he got was a disappointment. When he had no other option, Mr. NssRao’s father underwent the family planning operation for which the government paid Rs. 25 as an incentive.

It was a brave step by a man who feared even a tiny prick of a needle. He was touched by what his father went through for him. Such is the value his family gave to education. Luckily, Ibrahimpatnam started on the path of academic progress by the time Mr. NssRao came to intermediate. He completed this part of his education from Dr. Zakir Hussain Junior College, Ibrahimpatnam. He is proud to be in the first batch of students at that college.

Not An Easy Student Life

The desire for higher education took him to Vijayawada. Mr. NssRao pursued his bachelor’s degree from the SRR & CVR Government Degree College, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. It was not an easy journey either. It cost 65 paise to travel one way by city bus. A two-way trip would cost him Rs 1.30. He was in a dilemma and was almost about to drop the idea. However, his father didn’t let him take this drastic step. Giving importance to his son’s education, Mr. NssRao’s father decided to work harder to get the money. A supportive father gave Mr. NssRao Rs. 1.40. The extra money was for his little boy to buy a snack.

Mr. NssRao, however, was very mature for his age. Instead of buying a snack, he would save up the extra money in a piggy bank. In this way, Mr. NssRao saved Rs. 18 by the end of the year. Usually, kids his age would want to buy something for themselves with the money they saved.

Mr. NssRao was different. He bought clothes for his parents, and this gesture gave immense happiness to his parents. His ability to put others before himself made them very happy and proud. Education was making Mr. NssRao a nice person, along with making him an intelligent guy.

On one occasion, his father asked him to take leave from school because he could not pay for the commute. His love for learning didn’t permit him to bunk school. So, Mr. NssRao started walking towards his school on foot. He started his journey at 6 a.m. to cover a 30 Km distance by 9 a.m. He didn’t want his friends to pity him for his hard work. He would quickly pull out a neat shirt from his back and wear it before entering school. Even as a child, Mr. NssRao chose education over comfort.

Nidumukkala Siva Sankara Rao

Holidays Are For Hard Work

Children usually look forward to fun and enjoyment during holidays. Mr. NssRao looked for a part-time job instead. With the hope of earning some money, he went to the chili field with his uncle. However, Mr. NssRao could not tolerate the pungent smell of the chilies. He fainted. In the next holiday season, he took up a job at the petrol pump. It is an erratic job. During that job, he had to work during the day and night.

Recollecting the problematic days, he says he’d sometimes wake up with a startle because of the sound of heavy vehicles. This way, he spent many sleepless nights. These are some of the extreme adventures that Mr. NssRao took part in to support his family financially. He did all this while working hard to receive an education.

Turning Into An Educator

After completing all the hardships, he joined as a daily wage earner at the Vijayawada Thermal Power Plant (VTPS). He walked a kilometer to go to the office every day. Here he earned 140 rupees per month without a paid sick leave. Despite this, Mr. NssRao was happy that his education helped him support his family financially.

As a habit, he gave 130 rupees to his father and kept 10 rupees for his expenses on his father’s insistence. A year of hard work and saving in this manner rewarded him with 150 rupees. The good son that he is, Mr. NssRao took all his savings and handed them over to his father. His loving father added another 100 rupees to this amount and bought him a second-hand cycle for 250 rupees. Finally, he was saved from the trouble of walking long distances.

After working with VTPS for some time, Mr. NssRao and his friend wanted to start school. Starting a school at a time when convent education is not popular is like swimming against the current. Back then, the advertising methods were different. They had to go door-to-door to convince parents to send their kids to school. He and his friend had to fight two battles to bring convent education to their place.

One was to educate people about the convent, and the second was to assure them that they wouldn’t abandon the school for a better paying job. The second battle was more brutal to fight. He and his friend gave their certificates to the parents to guarantee their child’s education. This gesture pleased parents. In their first year itself, his school had 250 students and ten people as staff.

Nidumukkala Siva Sankara Rao at his School

The fear of parents seemed to come true when VTPS called its former employees for a permanent job. Mr. NssRao’s family tried to convince him to take it up, but he is a man of his word. He let go off of the security of a government job to keep his promise. Everything was going well. The school earned a good name in Ibrahimpatnam. It was when Mr. NssRao decided that he would spend 25% of his earnings for the benefit of poor students. He took this decision knowing the importance of education and the lack of equal access to it.

Education Sector And Its Challenges

Running a school can never be free of glitches. There is always going to be competition and obstacles of other forms. Mr. NssRao, too had to face his share of obstacles. When he decided to shift his school from a Telugu medium one to an English medium one, he faced obstruction. A man who had come from Vijayawada established a school in competition with his school. He was so competitive that he used all his influence to prevent Mr. NssRao from securing permission for an English-medium transition.

Establishing a school means matching the educational requirements of the constantly changing times. Mr. NssRao, too did the same. There is a story behind this too. Since childhood, he has been passionate about learning English. He was always part of Telugu medium institutions, so his curiosity and passion kept increasing. Education is never restricted to classrooms, isn’t it? Mr. NssRao started learning to read English from the old newspapers and those wrapped around food packages.

Mr. NssRao didn’t want anyone else to face the problems that he did. This idea compelled him to start spoken English classes for all the people passionate about the language like he was. There were eminent people among the ones who came to learn English from Mr. NssRao. A lecturer of Chaitanya College learned English from him, and in a month, he received satisfactory results. Gradually, he moved to online English teaching and reached people in different cities for this purpose.

Talking about the current education system, Mr. NssRao spoke of the flaws in it. He has written columns in various newspapers on this topic. Today’s schools, he says, are influenced by the corporate system. They don’t deliver what they promise. Mr. NssRao observes that education during the pandemic is facing more challenges than usual. The small and medium-sized schools are not well equipped regarding staff, technology, and funds for online education.

Nidumukkala Siva Sankara Rao with his students

Although the state government has declared that it is comparatively safer to reopen schools, parents still fear. Mr. NssRao says only 50% of high school students attend school regularly. He is hopeful that the next academic year will bring better results in terms of student attendance.

It was not the only obstacle they faced in running a successful school. Once one of his teachers hid the certificates that were to be given to seventh graders. He could do no further harm as Mr. NssRao, and his friend was always around. These experiences made Mr. NssRao conclude that there will always be some bad and good, even in a pious sector like education.

No Escaping Losses

Despite his good nature and righteousness, Mr. NssRao could not escape betrayal. The friend with whom he started the school could not stick to the school business. He expanded his business into other things as well. While he saved up money and constructed a suitable building for his students, his friend could not do the same. A complex may have developed in his friend because of which the two decided to part ways. This separation caused a loss of 30 lakhs to Mr. NssRao.

It didn’t hurt him much to lose the money because he didn’t have high financial ambition. What hurt him more was the bitterness between him and his friend.

Despite all the glitches, he declares that teaching and healing are the only professions that provide the highest satisfaction.

After being in the education system for so many years, Mr. NssRao made an exciting observation about changes in student behavior. He says the difference in the academic performance of students depends on the kids. It is all about their responsibilities. No amount of pressure from school or family can bring about a change unless it comes independently.

Education Is Not The Only Thing  

As he grew older and more capable of helping others, the philanthropist in Mr. NssRao grew stronger. He didn’t limit his services to education. Ferry, a village near Ibrahimpatnam, where Mr. NssRao was born, was a flood-prone area. It experienced a disaster every other year. He would declare a holiday for the school and use the space to shelter the victims irrespective of their caste or class. At one point, Mr. NssRao didn’t even hesitate to take a loan to support flood victims when he didn’t have enough himself.

Nidumukkala Siva Sankara Rao with family members

Mr. NssRao didn’t limit himself to educating little kids. He wanted even uneducated adults to learn basics like reading or to write their names. Mr. NssRao, along with other principals, went to remote places around Ferry and taught them these essentials.

After their informal attempts, the government launched a program with the same objective. Since the launching of this program, Mr. NssRao and his team have reduced their efforts in this aspect. Mr. NssRao diverted his energy into other things. Mr. NssRao associated himself with Jana Vigyana Vedika. He served as the president of a branch of this organization in Ibrahimpatnam.

This organization works towards creating awareness regarding the importance of science in daily life. He also successfully eliminated a lot of blind beliefs and superstitions among people through this organization.

Following this, Mr. NssRao established a publication called ‘Vidya Publication’ named after his son. This publication supplied question banks and English grammar books to various schools across Andhra Pradesh. Sometime later, Mr. NssRao handed over the responsibilities of Vidya Publication to his younger brother Mr. Anil Kumar who is a graduate. Mr. Anil Kumar’s continuous efforts took the publication to greater heights. Today, the publication is running well and benefitting many students.

Even during the pandemic, Mr. NssRao didn’t stop helping people. He established a community to help low-income groups find a job. The committee also took care of reconstructing roads in rural areas and food supplies. He did it tirelessly for a month until the area’s MLA advised him to stop service, considering his age.  

The Family of NSSRao

Mr. NssRao took up household responsibilities at a very early stage. Being the eldest of his siblings, he had to take care of a lot of things. He took the responsibility of educating his younger brother and sister. The importance the family gives to education is reflected in the way the children are nurtured.

Mr. NssRao didn’t discriminate in the quality of education for a boy and a girl. He wanted to give his sister a full-fledged education before getting married. Mr. NssRao wanted his sister to be a doctor. However, at that time, their financial situation was not strong enough to support that kind of education. So, she went to Eluru to undergo teacher training. Today, she is a happy woman living with her husband and children while working as a government school teacher.

Mr. NssRao gives the credit of the success of his school to the unconditional support from his wife. Having done her M.A B.Ed, She supports the school as a headmistress. It is proof that a good partnership is essential for a successful business. It is true even for businesses in the education sector. The couple has three children. They have a daughter who’s a doctor and two sons who are engineering and Ph.D. holders.

All three kids were part of their father’s school. It is interesting how Mr. and Mrs. NssRao played the roles of educators at school, and they were doting parents at home. They played both roles perfectly, ensuring that one role didn’t affect the other. Mr. NssRao is quick to point out that his kids were understanding and adaptable. They knew that their parents had to switch roles, and even they had to do the same.

Nidumukkala Siva Sankara Rao with family members

Speaking about his happiest days, he said there were only two occasions—one when his school performed well and two when his children came together to celebrate his 60th birthday.

Education plays a significant role in creating all these manners and discipline. Emphasizing the importance of education, Mr. NssRao has only one message for the new-age learners. He says, “Nothing can be achieved without hard work.”

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