A poor boy who worked as scooter mechanic is now a senior official in Raj Bhavan – Times of India

Amaravati: A poor boy from a remote village in Kadapa district, who worked as a scooter mechanic in his childhood, has scripted his success story with sheer hard work and reached Raj Bhavan as a senior official. He braved all the odds during his youth and did not rest till he reached the pinnacle. Chenna Raghavendranath, who is serving as assistant controller in the Raj Bhavan, could not afford to go to school in childhood. Raghavendranath now holds three PGs, MPhil and two PG diploma certificates. This simply elaborates his toil and dedication to realise his goals.
Biswa Bhushan Harichandan, the immediate past governor of AP, invited Raghavendra’s family to Raj Bhavan while leaving to Chhattisgarh on transfer and specially felicitated him for his exemplary services rendered in Raj Bhavan. Raghava is the only official in Raj Bhavan to get an appreciation certificate from the governor. He is now being called the “darling of Governors” as Raghava is a must in the Governor’s entourage during his visits to the districts or New Delhi.
Hailing from a poor handloom weaver family Raghavendra struggled throughout childhood due to inability of his parents to fund his studies. He worked as a milk collection boy and also joined a scooter mechanic as an assistant. A local landlord Bachala Pullaiah who noticed the spark in Raghava when he went to get his bike repaired and offered to support his education. Thanks to Pullaiah’s generous support, Raghava completed his graduation and set his eyes on cracking the civil services. Before reaching New Delhi for coaching, he completed MA in History, MA in philosophy and MPhil in Journalism from SV University.
His qualifications earned him a part-time job with the coaching institute which helped him get the coaching free of cost. Although, he could not hit the civils goal, he realized the dream by clearing the group-II examination in 2007. “Raghava is the first person in our village to have joined the government service and that too as an officer,” a jubilant villager Venkatappa of Tondaladinne village of Rajupalem mandal told ‘TOI.’
He was appointed as Extension Officer of Panchayat Raj and Rural Development (EOPRD). He got close acquaintance with then chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy when he worked as in-charge MPDO of CM’s native mandal Simhadripuram. Local farmers fondly recall the services of Raghavendra who motivated them to move to solar pump sets to draw water from borewells when the state was facing acute power shortage. All the agriculture fields have now turned into rich horticulture nurseries thanks to Raghava’s efforts when worked as Assistant Project Director (APD) in DWDA in Kadapa district. “Seeing happiness on the faces of the farmers of drought-hit regions in my native district is the biggest achievement of my life. I virtually broke into tears when they paid their gratitude with folded hands,” said Raghavendra.