Shri Karunakar’s story will give today’s smartphone generation a glimpse of how hard it was to survive in the 60s to 80s for families in India. He is currently serving as the School Assistant (SA) at Zilla Parishad High School in Mutyala, Andhra Pradesh.
Karunakar is the second of three sons of Shri Danayya and Smt. Rajyam. He was born in the Kasarabada village of Chandarlapadu Mandal in Andhra Pradesh. His life story is nothing short of inspiring! HatkeStory is humbly trying to translate his interview in Telugu to English to share this remarkable story with a broader audience.
My father used to work as a “Works Inspector” in Panchayati Raj Dept. at Nandigama. My eIder brother was bedridden until the age of 19 due to a medical condition related to weakness of nerves. Alas, we couldn’t save him. My younger brother and I studied at MGH School in Nandigama. Though it was a backward school, my parents understood the value of education and were determined to send us to school rather than asking us to work at a young age to help with the finances. My mother, who never went to school herself, made sure we got books and went to school every day.
Though my dad had a job, it was tough to maintain the family with meager salaries in those days. I still remember the poverty-stricken days of my family. I used to watch buffalos walking on the road, wait for them to lift their tail to shit, and then run behind them to collect the dung.
I belong to the Scheduled Caste, and there was a healthy competition in school to try and score as many marks as the upper caste students. The feeling of caste was only evident when I visited the homes of my upper-caste friends, but there was nothing in schools. Everyone used to like me. I can proudly say that I scored 428 marks in the 10th standard, depending on my hard work and determination. I scored 88/100 in mathematics, which made me think of a career as a mathematics teacher.
My father got transferred to Jaggayyapeta. I studied hard to get a seat in SGS College, where I finished intermediate. I then went on to finish my BA in Mathematics. I then got admission for B.Ed. in Govt. College, Machilipatnam. Our family still had financial problems, and I wanted to contribute somehow and go back home only after getting a job.
I started attending free coaching for the post of LIC assistants every day after college hours. I wrote the exam very well. I wanted to surprise my parents if I got the job, so I gave my current address in the application forms. I went home for the holidays, and the appointment order went to my current address. The landlord put it under his radio at home and forgot about it.
They discovered it while cleaning the house, and they posted it to my permanent address. The postman in my village gave it to his friend, a Pan-shop owner, thinking he will give it to my father. The Pan-shop owner put it under a cigarette pack bundle. He didn’t realize it was there until the cigarette bundle got exhausted. He then gave it to my father, and by then, it was two days past the scheduled date.
I was devastated when I found out! With tears of extreme grief in my eyes and very little hope, I approached the LIC head office. The Office told me that a candidate who had scored ten marks less than me was given the position. I couldn’t control my sorrow. I would have been in an excellent position had that appointment letter reached me on time. I think it was fate!
Shri Karunakar journey to a Compassionate Teacher
I didn’t lose hope. I went forward with steadfastness. I came back to my village and started working as a Mathematics teacher in a private school with 500 INR. I was waiting for a District Selection Committee Notification, but it didn’t come for years. With a group of friends, I studied day and night and was able to get the job on my first attempt. After I got the job, I didn’t want others to suffer like me. So I started the practice of helping others like me.
I have always wanted to be the head of a romantic family and wished for a respectable position in society. I did not allow any bad habits to find space in my life. My wife Dayamani has been my pillar of strength. I have two children. My son has completed his B.Tech and is taking coaching for UPSC. My daughter is also trying to go the same way.
Karunakar has a habit of doing everything in his capacity and more for people who seek his help and advice. He has trained multiple students in mathematics and takes pride in their achievements. In one of his many helpful deeds, he coached a young man who had failed his 10th standard to pass and then finished ITI to become a lineman in the electricity department.
“When his appointment order came, I ensured he got the letter on time and dropped him at the interview. When my students come back to tell me how my efforts and belief have given good results, I am filled with pride and joy! I hope my story inspires others to help more people,” says Karunakar.
Shri Karunakar has fought for the rights for STs in promotions, and his reasonable efforts were featured in Andhra Jyothi, a leading Telugu Newspaper. He has been teaching mathematics, served as headmaster for schools, and led multiple community-building efforts. Shri Karunakar has been appreciated for introducing study hours in his school, which made both the children and their parents very happy. He has been instrumental in gathering funds to help pay school fees for children from poverty-stricken families.
There was a student in my school who came every day in a wheelchair. The children used to help him in every possible way. I thought if students are helping this much, why can’t I help this child somehow? This boy used to walk on his knees, and the sight of his bruised knees on the cement floor deeply disturbed me.
When I called a local cobbler and got two pairs of special shoes made to fit his knees, the expression of exhilarating joy on the boy’s face when he walked with his new shoes made my day! I think I was seeing my elder brother in him who is no more.
Nowadays, friendships have become money-based, but childhood friendship is genuine and lasts forever. He painstakingly gathered details of all his classmates and organized a get-together event where 87 of his classmates turned up with their families. His friends’ testimonies on Shri Karunakar’s good deeds are countless! I try to create memories out of events, he says. His friends lovingly call it the Karunakar Impact!
He has personally chosen the path of selfless service. The word “Karuna” means compassion, and we at HatkeStory think Shri Karunakar has done justice to his name.
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