Each minute of our life is a lesson but most of us fail to read it. I thought I would just add my daily lessons & the lessons that I learned by seeing the people around here. So it may be useful for you and as memories for me.
Dr RS Praveen Kumar is an IPS officer, who is very well known as a tough COP. More than that, he is a passionate leader who dedicated his life to bring change in millions of lives. In his new avatar, as a secretary of the Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TSWREIS), which runs residential schools for Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and underprivileged children. Dr Kumar wanted to do something for the underprivileged was quite clear even when he was in uniform.
Dr Kumar has bitter childhood. He came from a very poor family in a backward caste. His mother was a coolie who was rescued and given an education. She went on to become a teacher. His father too was a teacher. Education changed things for the family.learnt the value of education early in life from his parents. He studied veterinary science before being inspired to take the civil services examination and join the Indian Police Service (IPS) in 1995.
He was a decorated IPS officer and he had done a Masters in Public Administration under the Mason Programme at the Kennedy School in Harvard University when he opted to be Secretary of the schools.
The TSWREIS is an institution which runs residential schools for students from marginalised communities. Until a few years ago, the society was known to perform poorly, but Dr Kumar has been credited as the man who turned it all around. When he took over as secretary, the department was dreary and there seemed to be no life. Schools lacked facilities and teachers were not motivated enough. Dr Kumar changed all that within six months.
Dr Kumar started a movement SWAROES, based on the ideologies of Jyothi Rao Phule and Dr. B R Ambedkar. Where SWAEROES stands for Social Welfare Aeroes (Greek for sky) it means that sky is the limit and there is no reverse gear or no looking back or no slowing down. It consists of alumni of the Society, who seek to empower those who come from similar backgrounds, with the help of ten commandments unique to the movement.
The TSWREIS runs 268 residential educational institutions, which provide free food, education and residential facilities to thousands of underprivileged children every year. Funded and operated by the Telangana government, it caters to students from primary level to the undergraduate level. The society has many accomplishments to its name. Dr Kumar is much loved and admired. He is a source of positive energy. He cuts an inspirational figure for children at the schools.
A few students have really stood out like stars. Dr Kumar says he wants to give confidence to all students. Apart from the visible difficulties, like socio-economic issues, it is the lack of role models within the community which makes parents dither when sending their children, especially daughters, to schools. Parents are unaware that success can be achieved because those who are worthy of being emulated do not stay in the villages, Dr Kumar said.
Among his wards are Malavath Poorna, a 13-year-old who became the youngest girl to scale the Everest, Anand Kumar the first Dalit to scale the world’s tallest mountain. Under Dr Kumar’s leadership, sons and daughters of ordinary workers including daily wage earners and others got admission into premier institutions.
In the last five years, 48 students secured IIT seats, 133 joined NITs, 81 entered MBBS courses. Another 62 got entry into Azim Premji University, 12 in Delhi University, 31 in various Central universities, four in the Indian Navy School, and 11 in the Tata Institute of Social Sciences.
Dr Kumar proved that Service comes with sacrifice and one should be ready to take up challenges and this is definitely one of the best opportunities to make India as informed, inclusive, and invincible nation in the world.
Many say that Dr Kumar is the wind beneath the wings of students at Telangana’s social welfare hostels. He is the guiding force, opening endless doors for students from underprivileged sections and leading them to a limitless sense of being. They are given confidence to deal with life.
References: Wiki, Paper media & Social Magazines
Please feel free to share your story and any lessons you learned, you experienced, you came across in your life in the comments below. If you enjoyed this, or any other other posts, I’d be honoured if you’d share it with your family, friends and followers!
If you wish to follow my journey outside of my writing, you can find me on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MunnaPrawin) Instagram(MunnaPrawin) and Twitter(@munnaprawin1).
Thoughts To Inspire 