BJP got a new national working president, Nitin Nabin Sinha, 45. From Bihar. Youngest ever. Fifth time MLA and Minister. Friendly with Jeevika didis. Expected to take charge as President soon.
Congress is heading towards winning majority Gram Panchayat Sarpanches in Telangana.
14 December marks the foundation of IRMA, 46. SM Vijayanand delivers thirteenth Dr Kurien Memorial Lecture – SHG – Panchayat Partnership: Strengthening of Grassroots Social Democracy and Political Democracy for Economic Democracy in Rural India.
14 December 2025 also marks Golden Jubilee of Andhra Pradesh Residential Junior College, APRJC, Naivaasya Kalasaala, Nagarjunasagar, Vijayapuri South. On the southern bank of Krishna River. On Sriparvata. A new Nalanda, a new Acharya Nagarjuna inspired educational marvel for the students of Telugu states, with bare minimum infrastructure, extremely dedicated Gurus – teaching fraternity. One of its kind, taking away the state ranks; seats in prestigious institutes; taking away the positions of significance. 2000+ alumni gathered at Sagar to celebrate, and show gratitude. What a gathering! 20%+ alumni across the world in attendance! ~100 teachers joined in. Thanks to the year-long efforts of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations Organizing Committee. Saidareddy, Nagachary, Gopal Rao, et al and Alumni Association – Sagar Pariwar – Mallikarjun Rao et al. One of the Alumni, Ramakrishna Rao, Chief Secretary, Telangana, Mahender Reddy, ex-DGP, Telangana, et al are the guests of honour.
Gratitude to the visionary on whose instance Gurukulams started at Sarvail (1971), Tadikonda and Kodigenahalli (1972), followed by APRJC (1975) – PV Narasimha Rao. All these come under AP Residential Educational Institutions Society. We saw execution of this vision with finesse by T Venka Reddy as its Secretary, twice; as Director, Education; as President, AP Association of Mathematics Teachers which used to conduct Mathematical Olympiads; and as OSD to CM. And M Srinivasa Reddy, as the Principal, Sarvail Gurukulam; as Principal, APRJC Nagarjuna Sagar; as Chair, Sagurwa, a group of alumni and teachers of residential institutions; as parents of two alumni – Ramana, Sandhya. Being the alumnus of Sarvail and Sagar Gurukulams. Gratitude. For making all the difference to us directly, and lakhs of other alumni indirectly. With Sarvendriyas. Payback, maybe pay forward is a token of expressing this gratitude.
While these were ‘for boys’ institutions, subsequent institutions ‘for girls’ have come up. Some of them are co-education too. When the state was split, this APREIS was also split to have REIS in AP and REIS in Telangana. Then, we got Between them, we have more than 100 institutions now. Apart from REIS general, we have social welfare, tribal welfare, BC welfare and Minority REIS have also emerged, for boys and girls. Apart from schools, junior colleges, degree colleges have been included. Overall, 2000+ institutions are functioning in Gurukulam mode in Telugu States, with 200,000+ students intake every year.
Narasimha Rao was also responsible for starting co-ed Navodaya Vidyalayas, modeled after Gurukulams, in the country. Today, 661 Navodayas are functioning. We also have 5000+ Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas. We also have 500+ Ekalavya model residential schools in tribal areas, with ~1000 foundational primary ashram schools.
A short stint in APRJC, Nagarijunasagar, when I was 16, ensured the deepest and greatest impact of life on my life. Despite my student tenure being the shortest compared to that of other students. Sagar life is the most joyous. It gave me the people ‘who directed me to be useful and relevant’ and become a livelihoods lifeworker. Later, when I went to Sagar, with my family, I could show them my name on the roll of honour, still preserved.
I studied Classes 8-10 in Sarvail Gurukulam during 1976-79. Marri Srinivasa Reddy sir was the principal from 1977, after the departure of Damodar sir. Like any student of Sarvail, if one is not taking up a job or diploma in a polytechnic, I thought I would be studying at APRJC. Being not a bad student, no other option was considered. After SSC exams we left the school, to be back in the village, Gundrampally. Went to Nalgonda once to write the National Talent Search, NTS, Examination.
In some time, typhoid hit me in a bad way, and I did not see the advertisement for APRJC Entrance. On recovery, the last date for application was over. I went and met the Principal at Sarvail. With his recommendation, I went with my father to the APREIS Society in Srinagar Colony at Hyderabad. Finally met the Secretary of the Society – Srinivasa Sastry. After the interview he concluded – ‘if you are so much interested in going to School, apply next year’. I cried a lot. My father consoled – ‘it is their loss etc. etc.’.
I got admissions in Hyderabad colleges wherever I applied including Little Flower, Nrupatunga, Railway Junior College, etc. I opted to join a Government Junior College, Aliya. This was/is opposite Nizam College. In MPC, English Medium. Staying in a room where a father’s friend’s son offered to share. He was working as a marketing officer, in APCO Fabrics.
Meanwhile, I was awarded a National Talent Search Scholarship. Got a very good rank, National second. Probably a first for a Telugu Medium Student. I also received a Mathematical Olympiad. Sri Ramana Murthy sir took that information, went to my village, took my address in Hyderabad, searched for me. And finally, he took me to an award function, to receive the award from Hon’ble Governor. The guests of the function included: T Venka Reddy sir. He returned as Secretary of the APREI Society. Incidentally, he was also the Secretary during 1977-79. He knew me well in Sarvail and he could recognize me. He enquired why I was not in Sagar. And he insisted that I should be there. I was humbled and responded – if such an offer would come, I would not say no.
Then Venka Reddy sir, Srinivasa Reddy sir, and the Education Secretary at that time, Sri Gopalakrishna Murthy have moved the system, and finally the offer came, towards the fag end of first year. I was not OK to leave Aliya at that moment and waited to write the first year examinations, with the approval of Venka Reddy sir. Then, the Principal of Aliya College was not willing to relieve me. Again, Venka Reddy sir intervened, orders were issued to give the transfer certificate and relieve. I was taken in a vehicle to Sagar. Srinivasa Reddy sir wanted a promise that I would not belie their faith in me. Sagar, the teachers and students were prepared to have me there. They welcomed me whole heartedly. It gave me the most joyous year of my life, to-date. With thickest and lasting relationships/friendships, with a variety of nuances – each one with its own special equation(s) of its own – emerging from 1979-81 and 1980-82 batches while at Sagar. And across the batches after leaving Sagar. This is not a small number. The teachers included. Sagar itself, with all its play, became an entrenched part of life.
We could walk holding hands on the dam for several nights. Including when the dam was with water to the brim. We could have tea near the dam, on the right bank, and near Sagar Matha. We could get drenched in the water drops falling when gates were opened. We could feel ‘Nagarjuna’ teaching. We could swim in the reservoir. We could sit on its banks studying and catching-up. We could see the tiger valley. We could venture into the forest. We could visit the gudems. We could see movies in the three halls in Sagar. We could enact ‘mock parliament’. We could nurture ourselves towards moving in the direction of realizing our potential. We are living that now.
I joined Sagar in the year of Pushkar of Krishna River. I could take Pushkar bath several times. My parents could come and take Pushkar bath at Sagar.
Incidentally, Srinivasa Sastry sir’s son, C Ramachandra, was our neighbor in A4 while I was in A3 with Subramanyeswar Rao, Sadasiva reddy and Narasimha Rao as room mates. He was also in MPC. I miss him as he expired to a physical condition, some 20 years ago.
I miss Raghu, a friend of life, who succumbed in a train accident while he was doing medicine. I miss PV Ramesh, a junior and a chess player, who gave up life in Sagar in his second year at Sagar.
I remain connected to Sagar several ways – with the work on Chenchus of the area, as livelihoods lifeworker; Buddhavanam project as member of its monitoring committee; being available to be with APRJC alumni, and students on demand; as part of travel and stay.
We remain committed to be useful to this Gurukul tradition, in our own ways. We network with alumni and teachers of all Gurukulams/residential schools through Sagurwa with Srinivasa Reddy sir in chair earlier, now through a platform of Visionary Gurukulam Alumni Association to give back to the Gurukul community and Gurukulams, and of course through Sagar Pariwar. We tried to replicate ‘Gurukul’ in the schools we could start. SAGA’s Pragna Gurukulam is an example.
How could we pay back and pay forward? Maybe materially. May be in kind. All at Sagar. In Residential Educational Institutions in Telugu States, and In India. We can be volunteers to introduce extra-curricular, co-curricular and cultural ecosystems. We can volunteer as counsellors. We can be teachers too – online and offline. We can serve on their Academic Committees. We can take ‘Gurukul’ to higher level institutes, particularly in management; leadership; rural development, management and leadership institutes. We can develop a federal alumni association with associations of these various schools. This can be a network of million plus alumni in Telugu states. 1% population. It can be a force to reckon with. In the country, this could be 10-million plus.
We can be a formal forum/trust to support Gurukul education, in its entirety. We can create a new model, for example a la Nalanda. Beyond what Governments and schools can do. A Sagurwa, a VGA, a SAGA or a hybrid of these. Or one of them, may be VGA, takes the lead and becomes one. A corps can be created to evangelize the culture, philosophy, methods, practices, tools, skills of Gurukulam across these several residential institutes in Telugu States and beyond. I volunteer to be one of the first few members of this, if this is becoming a way forward.
Can we be grateful for what they made us? Can we be humble? Can we pay back, pay forward in our own ways? Our due to the world. Starting as soon as possible.
Yes, we can. If we coexist, flowing. Dozens of us together. In N? gurukulayoga for 7L.