“As a kid, I accompanied my parents to the temple, but I never really prayed. It is only after I read stories of Mother Teresa and Vinoba Bhave during my B.Tech that I felt inclined towards philanthropy.” This is what young Ravali Domakonda had to say, talking about her transformation in life.
She studied in Hyderabad until her 6th grade and moved to Karimnagar thereafter. She is a B.Tech (2017) and MBA (2019) holder. Apart from this, Ravali is also a trained classical dancer. She is highly influenced by her family, who took her to the temple regularly and instilled those beliefs in her. However, as a kid, she didn’t know or understand much, and would simply tag along with her parents. Things started changing as she grew older. Whenever she saw any fights at home or any unpleasantness, it raised a lot of questions in her.
The Rise of Philanthropy in Ravali Domakonda
From her 10 grade itself, she started enjoying satsang and other religious or philosophical gatherings. She always wondered why she was different from her peers. When she learned about Mother Teresa, Ravali wondered how a woman could overcome all her limitations and render selfless service. The story of how Acharya Vinoba Bhave convinced people to donate their land to farmers greatly impressed Ravali. Her passion to serve society is a representation of her passion to serve the nation.
So, if she could go back in time, Ravali says she would join the Indian Army. Books were her only solace. She would drown herself in books to escape from the brutal world. Books are what got her out of a depressed state of mind when they moved from a lavish lifestyle to a humble one. Ravali is grateful for the ups and downs in her life that made her realize that she’s unique. She found the purpose of her life along with happiness and believes that everything happens for a reason.
Her journey of philanthropy began with these simple thoughts that later manifested in impactful actions. Ravali found answers to a lot of her questions about service and self-service when she worked at the Antaryami Charitable Trust in 2014. This helped her overcome her own flaws such as anger and other negative emotions and pushed her further into social service in her journey of philanthropy.
She believes that doing one small act of kindness every day brings back the good in greater amounts. Her selfless service here earned her the Yuva Seva Award in 2019, which spiked up her confidence a lot. That was not it, Ravali was honored with the award for the second time for the year 2020-2021 on January 12, 2021.
Gradually, Ravali enrolled herself into Brahmakumaris and explored all about meditation. She discovered what meditation is and how it could make her life better and help others at the same time. Ravali’s different chain of thoughts always led her into arguments with others, be it her cousins or friends. Despite this, they would help her out when it comes to serving the community or society. This is when Ravali realized that service to mankind is bigger than egos, anger, or enmity people might have. This realization further fuelled her journey of philanthropy.
Ravali Dives Deep Into Social Service
As the desire to serve society increased in Ravali, she decided to be a mediator who connects the needy with the people/organizations that can help them. With this aim in mind, she established knrvolunteerism – a platform that connects people with the things they need. The unique name comes from a combination of the place where she lives (Karimnagar) and the mode of service she chose (volunteering). Ravali is a very independent girl. With her philanthropic ideas, she wanted to do something on her own, instead of working under someone.
She wanted to develop a startup for community service, but the lack of money and experience forced her to give up on the idea. Without getting discharged by these disappointments, she continued to work toward her goal. Recently, she distributed 150 books donated by an organization to the children who required them. Rich and poor alike. Similarly, be it scholarships or donations or anything else that the society might need to become better, knrvolunteerism promotes it and connects people. In her journey of philanthropy, people join her when she needs them and go back to their lives when the service is over. There’s always an inflow and outflow of people at knrvolunteerism, which Ravali manages single-handedly.
Initial Struggles
Her noble intentions faced some opposition too. Initially, her parents thought her service was a one-time thing. But when they realized Ravali’s real goal, they were not very happy. Like every parent in the world, they wanted Ravali to choose a financially stable profession and settle down in life. However, this was just an initial glitch. Today, her parents not only support her, but help her find leads for various services she does.
The Future of knrvolunteerism
Through her platform, she aims to promote selfless service where money is not involved. She wishes to remind people of the value of love, kindness, and humanity. In the next six years, she aims to connect with the IT sector and generate funds through their corporate social responsibility so that she could instantly fulfill the medical and educational requirements of the people in society. While doing her service to society in her own way, Ravali also works for an organization for LinkedIn lead generation.
To date, Ravali has provided a hundred services to society through her knrvolunteerism. She encourages volunteers for their services with a token of appreciation in the form of a gift – a book, for instance. Most of the requests for services come through her contacts on WhatsApp. Ravali has high regard for Shiva, who works for an organization called Manchi Samajam Kosam (MSK).
Whether it is for leads or service she is unable to do at the moment, Ravali reaches out to Shiva for help. Turns out, good work connects like-minded people. She hopes to be remembered as the go-to person for all kinds of services. She aims to take a platform to a global level by collaborating with service-oriented people like her.
Ravali’s service gave her the practical experience of the knowledge she has amassed reading books on religious philosophy and psychology.
Ravali’s message to society in her journey of philanthropy is loud and clear. She wants everyone to be deaf to all forms of negativity and focus only on their goal. She says “When you work hard for something, nature will create opportunities for you. Anyone can do anything” This is what she strongly believes in and insists that others should do the same.
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