Today: April 12, 2023 11:10 am
Today: Apr. 12, 2023

Chaitanya Saradhi

Chaitanya Saradhi is committed to educate and empower students and youth in schools, and to help build a clean and healthy rural India.

Dear friends and supporters of Chaitanya Saradi/Awareness USA,

​First of all, I wish to share the good news that Chaitanya Saradhi has been approved for 80G, a tax-deductible status for the contributions made in Indian rupees. Now, we are ready to launch the fundraising to add more schools to the program during the next academic year.
 
             I am pleased to introduce Miss. Jyothi Parupalli, who is currently working in the United States with a background in Information Technology. Ms. Parupalli has been coaching the computer teachers on Skype and giving out the assignments to the students. We held an essay writing competition among all the students from the 20 schools and the winners have been chosen.  Certificates and cash prizes were awarded to the winners during my recent trip.  


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Detailing the school visits:
 
Poddutur, Ranga Reddy district(1)
We started our trip with Poddutur ZPHS, Ranga Reddy District. We coordinated this school visit with my classmate, Dr. Ravinder Reddy Surakanti, who was a former student of the school, and Mr. Nagarjuna Muppala who is sponsoring the computer literacy program in the school. The three of us addressed the teachers and students and tour the computer lab. I thank Mr. Nagarjuna Muppala, and his wife Dr. Rani Anumolu for their generous contribution to this program.
 
 Kundaram, Jangam district (2):
Kundaram, ZPHS program was started only recently, but the teacher and students are catching up very fast. We spoke with the headmaster, computer teacher and evaluated the student’s computer skills to our satisfaction. I thank Mr. & Mrs. Rajeshwer Reddy Gangasani Garlu, president of NATA for their generous support in sponsoring the program.
 
Thungathurthi, Surypapet (3):
This school was started over two years ago. The teacher and the students have become proficient. The students were very excited about the computer classes. They are proud to say they can compete with any private school because of the benefits of the computer lab in their school.
 
Next day, we visited three schools: Khammam Girls High school (4), ZPHS Rajendranager (5), and Mominon ZPHS (6) in Khammam town.  We are pleased with the progress in all of these schools.
 
The following day, we visited Kodak ZPHS (7), and Penchikaldinna GHSS school (8) in Surypet district. The computer skills of the students and the teachers are up to par.
 
Likewise, we visited G Kondur ZPHS (9) with Dr. Srinivas, who sponsors this school. We were very pleased with the teacher’s work, and the students’ progress there. Afterward, Dr. Srinivas and I gave motivational speeches to the students.
 
Next day, we visited Veeravalli ZHSS (10) in Krishna district. The computer teachers are highly motivated, and so are the students. I thank Dr. Naveena for funding this school computer literacy program.
 
I gave a full-fledged motivational speech to a large gathering of students and teachers. I told them that education is the mother of the social progress, the computer is the tool to excel and succeed in life, I asked the students to dream big, express themselves, break all the barriers, be great communicators and orators.
 
  The same afternoon we visited Satyvolu ZPHSS (11) in West Godavari. We interviewed the students and watched their computer skills. I thank late Mr. RSN Murphy garu and their daughters / son-in-law’s: Drs. Vijay and Janaki Koka, and Drs.   Jyothsna and Mohan Narla for sponsoring the school for the program. We attended all of the six schools in Guntur district: Nuthakki ZPHS (12), Revendrapad ZPHS (13), Duggirala ZPHS (14) {Girls}, Emani ZPHS (15), Angalakuduru ZPHS (16), Pedakonduru ZPHS (17). We made some specific recommendations to the school in Angalakuduru; every other school has been making good progress. We visited a new school in Guntur district (18) the next to start the computer literacy program. I am grateful to Mr. Challa Rajendraprasad, the chairman of CCL products Ltd. for sponsoring all the computer literacy programs in the Guntur district. I have enjoyed working with Mr. Vipin K. Single; director of CCL, Mr. Surya Chandra Babu, Miss Shilpa Amravadi, and Mr. Murali Mohan Bobba at CCL for their hard work and input in making this program a great success.
 
While travelling back we visited Nadigudem girls ZPHS (19). The teacher and students are very familiar with the program and are doing well.
Bandamedi Chendrupatla (20). They can do better, I advised the teachers to work harder and improve their level of activities.  I thank Dr. Aswani Potu for sponsoring this school in memory of his late father Dr. Potu Pullaiah Garu.
 
Kokkireni ZPHS(21) couldn’t be visited because of the elections in the village on that day. Overall, we were delighted and excited with the progress we have been making. I was accompanied by Mr. Venkatrao Garu, who shows abundant energy and vigor in his late 90’s all through the program.  
Now that we have been granted tax-free status for trust, we are ready to expand the program to more schools going forward. We have been working for over two years in developing this program and gained good experience in providing immense value to the underprivileged students in the government schools. Please offer your donations to expand this program to more schools. Hundreds more schools don’t have computer classrooms, so please help us to reach out to more schools.
 
Please make your checks payable in rupees to:
Chaitanya Saradi Trust
Mail to:
P R Bikkasani
16408 Avila Blvd
Tampa, Florida 33613
 
or
 
In India mail to:
Mr. Vasireddy Venkatrao
306 Durga Enclave
Rocktown Colony L B Nagar
Hyderabad, India, 500068
 
Thank you all so much for the encouragement and generous donations you have been making. Every penny you donate is going to help the under privileged students.
 
Please click on the links below to hear from the students and a motivational speech from Dr. Bikkasani. 
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During the recent visit to India in Aug 2018, we are published in Telangana news with our non profit work and accomplishment at Thungathurgy  school in Suryapet District. This is one of the best schools that has utilized the digital library program and has remarkable progress since 2016.

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TAX Exemption Status :
  1. To the member of Chaitanya Saradhi, we have applied for the TAX Exemption status for Chaitanya Saradhi (80 GO) in Hyderabad, India. We have submitted supporting evidence of our activities in the schools to the Income Tax Commissioner. He is reviewing our file to determine trust’s tax exemption eligibility. We will let you know as soon as we know!



India Trip Nov – Dec 2016

The Summary of the 2016 Anniversary Visit to India.
1. Girl’s high school, Khammam
     We hired Miss Anusya a year ago to teach computer classes at Girl’s high school, Khammam. She provides computer classes to all the students (350) studying in Telugu, English, and Urdu medium. We checked the facility, equipment, and technical support and found everything in good order. Miss. Anusya is a competent, hard worker. She prepared 100 students to take a nationally competitive test sponsored by Prime Minister Modi.      
      We interviewed a dozen students on camera about what they learned from her computer lessons. The students were excited to report that they are learning the basics in handling the computer, drawing, painting, windows, and Microsoft Word. They are getting to know how to use the Internet for study and research.

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2. Rajendra Nagar ZPHS high school, Khammam
     We hired Miss Padma a year ago to teach computers in this school. The students gave excellent feedback on the instructor.  We approved to pay for high-speed Internet for the school and to purchase some chairs for the digital classroom.

3. 
We stopped at Jallepalli high school and spoke with the teachers and the village elders about their specific issues. They needed a secure door to house the digital equipment. We approved and paid for an iron door and to repair latches and locks to other classrooms. We replaced the stolen pipes for the running water to the toilets. Mr. Kishan Rao Garu, on behalf of DNRI, Mr. Madhu Bellam, and Ravi Pendurthi have been addressing the other needs of the school. I am pleased to see them step in to fix the rest of the concerns.

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4. Duggirala, ZPHS Boys School
       The director of Continental Coffee products Ltd (CCL), Vipin K. Singal, and I toured Duggirala Boys and Girls High Schools, met with the Headmistresses, and teachers, and proposed to start computer instruction and digital libraries in their schools. We asked the teachers to cooperate with our efforts to make use of the facility. Mr. Vipin, on behalf of Continental Coffee products Ltd., has committed to fund and manage the computer labs and digital libraries. I am very excited about the long-term prospect of our partnership with CCL Products in taking the program to many schools in the Guntur district.  Mr. Vipin has interviewed and recruited two computer instructors already.
   

The second part of Chaitanya Saradhi program is to give mentoring talks and produce videos helping the students to understand the value of education, success principles, communication skills, personal presentation, career counseling, etc. We remind the students of their social responsibility in helping to build a wealthier, healthier, and fairer society in India. In that context, Mr. Vipin and I addressed a huge gathering of girls students at Khamma hostel in Guntur. The hour long interactive, inspiring talk on various aspects that pertain to students was a memorable event for both the students and the speakers.
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5. Nadigudem, Suryapet District
     The computer classes and the digital library have been in operation for several months at this location and is going very well. We played a video produced by me in Telugu in their digital classroom touting the benefits of the Internet for study and research. I quizzed them afterward. This Girls’ school is fortunate to have an outstanding headmistress and staff.
     I stopped at the 10th-grade classroom and offered to pay for any student who needs financial assistance to enable her to attend college the following year. The headmistress told me that everybody in the class is going to advance to college next year; she may have to convince a couple of parents to part with their daughters to go to a neighboring town. 
6. Kodad, Suryapet District girls’ high school
     We hired a computer instructor a couple of months ago to this school. We are lucky to find a very experienced teacher, Savithra, who is familiar with the state computer curriculum. She plunged right into teaching full-fledged classes. We have interviewed and received good responses from her students.

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7. Thungathurthi High school and primary school visit, Suryapet District
     The teachers and students received us with great pomp and fanfare because this was my initial visit. First, I addressed the students on our usual talking points. Then, we spoke with the headmaster and the staff about our mission in advancing computer literacy. We have hired an experienced instructor who worked in the school before. We also have agreed to assist the primary school in the same compound to kick start their digital library. 

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     Likewise, we visited three more ZPHS Government schools on the same day at Nagaram, Tallakhammampahad, and Bundameda Chandupatla in the Suryapet district. We addressed students, respective Headmasters, and their staff members, elaborating on the value of education and computer literacy. In all three schools, we already have hired instructors to begin the classes. Also, we have set up technical help. Our goal is to see the computer labs function well before we embark on digital libraries. 

     I wholeheartedly thank Gudipuri Venkateshwara Rao garu for planning and executing the expansion in the Suryapet district on this trip, my cousin Ashwani Kumar Potu for accompanying and advising me, Mr.Srinivas Neelisetty in at Kodad for supervising our program, Mr. Narendra Swaroop Vellampalli in Khammam for arranging the trips to koya belt in Bhadrachalam area, and Mr. Vipin K. Singal, Director of CCL Products, for partnering with us on this program. Finally, I wish to thank Mr. Vasireddy Venkatrao garu, my mentor, confidant, and the treasurer of the Chaitanya Saradhi trust for working youthfully in late age. I thank all the donors, volunteers, organizers, advisers, headmasters, headmistresses, teaching staff, and students who share our mission and vision.

A Brief Summary:
     The 2016 anniversary visit makes a landmark conclusion: that establishing the computer labs and digital libraries in schools is the best investment for the immediate return on the money and time. The introduction of computer literacy in the schools is a bare minimum in the modern age. Therefore, we embarked on this project. Also, we gave mentoring talks and produced videos to raise students’ awareness to build a more prosperous, healthier, and fairer Indian society. We intend to deepen this campaign going forward.
 
Please donate generously:
      As the end of the year is fast approaching, I thank you all so much for sharing the vision and generously giving to help underprivileged students to excel in their studies and succeed in life. This program has evolved through extreme due diligence in finding the best possible investment in education. We are making great strides in computer literacy in the rural Government schools; with your help, we are going to expand this program to dozens of schools in the coming months. Every penny you donate is spent directly to benefit the students. Please remember that your contributions to Awareness USA and Chaitanya Saradhi are tax-deductible.
You can donate on the website: www.Awarenessusa.org
                                       OR
In US dollars, make a check payable to: Awareness USA and
Mail to:  Purna Bikkasani, Founder
16408 Avila Blvd.
​Tampa, FL 33613
In Indian Rupees, make a check payable to Chaitanya Saradhi trust and
Mail it to: Vasireddy Venkatrao
306, Durga Enclave, Rocktown colony,
LB Nagar, HYDERABAD, Telangana, INDIA 500038
   
                                                                                                                                                                        Chaitanya Saradhi
                                                                                                                                                                            Purna Bikkasani

India Trip Nov 2016 – Related Press Coverage and Gallery

Dr. Purna Bikkasani has travelled in the govt schools with in Suryapet and Khammam Dist in the State of Telangana.
Here is the news covered from the Suryapet District Press.


 
 
 
 
India Trip July 2016

I took a 2-week trip to Nalgonda, and Khammam districts on behalf of Chaitanya Samadhi program in the month of July 2016.

The following schools were visited:

July 1st, 2016: We spent the whole day at Nadigudem Girls High School; this is one of the pilot project schools.
     We hired a full-time computer instructor last year. The students who took computer classes were pleased with the teacher. She is doing a good job.
     We have started an I&DL program (Internet & Digital library program) in this school already. We have shown a video I produced in Telugu to the students on the value of Internet education. I watched and discussed the meaning of the video with them. We visited most classrooms motivating students to excel in studies and complementing teacher’s dedication in their profession.
     I had a separate meeting with teachers. I introduced the purpose of the I&DL as a teaching aid and urged their active participation. We talked about their needs, promised to pay for educational materials, books, and tools they need. I asked the teachers to identify the students in need of financial assistance in order to enable them to attend a Jr college after the high school education.
     Headmistress, Miss Shiva Kumari is one of the most dedicated educators that I know. She asked me to fund a vocational training in tailoring to the senior girls. I have approved her request. The program had started right away.
 
July 2nd, 2016: We visited ZPHS Girls High school, Kodad.
      This was our first visit to this school. Over 550 girls students attend this school, nearly half of them live in the nearby Government funded hostel.
      The purpose of this visit was to launch an I&DL program.
      I addressed all the students at the start of the school. I was delighted to give a motivational speech to so many young girls at once. The headmistress, Miss Satyavati Devi also spoke very eloquently on the value of Internet education and she thanked Chaitanya Samadhi.
     Afterward, we met with Headmistress and her staff separately. I discussed the idea and the benefits of the digital library. They were excited to have one in their school. We have hired a computer instructor for the school at their urging. We have supplied all the equipment and supporting technical help to begin the library.
     Later that day, we visited a primary school at kokkireni, Nalgonda district. This school bears my parents name since my family donated the land and built the school.  We met the teachers separately and addressed the students.  The Headmaster told us they hired two more English teachers to introduce English instruction. Because of it student recruitment went up by 50%. They requested us to hire an “AAYA” who will clean up little children after bathroom visits and to keep the classrooms and the grounds clean. We have approved a salaried position going forward. At the conclusion, both my children distributed sweets to the students and teachers.
 
The following week I visited the schools in the Khammam District:
 
ZPSS, Jallepally, Khammam District.

     First of all, I gave a motivational speech to all the students sat on the open school grounds. I give interactive speeches to ignite their curiosity and interest in becoming self-learners. I stress on how high school education will decide their financial, and lifestyles trajectory for life.
      I met the headmaster, Mr. Satyanarayana, and all the teachers separately to discuss their progress and challenges. They were excited to have an I&DL program set for the school. They also requested for an Inverter to have sustained electric supply. We have already supplied all the equipment needed to start the digital library. The headmaster is a great charitable human. he received a cash gift from the state government for his good work at the school. He was generous enough to invest half of that cash in buying an Epson projector for the Digital Library.
     The teachers identified two students in the school, who needed financial assistance, one for healthcare (cancer treatment) and another girl for best academic achievement. I have agreed to assist both of them. I met their parents. I am gathering a bit more data on them.
     Afterward, we toured the school and visited the newly built toilets that Chaitanya Saradhi paid for.
 
ZPSS High School, Kokkireni, Khammam district

      This school is a grade A Government School. The credit goes to the headmaster, P. Venkateswarlu garu. He is dynamic, involves his staff and students in the upkeep of the school, grounds, toilets and the compound wall. He lets the student paint and draw beautiful paintings on the compound wall. Classrooms are flushed with students made educational diagrams, paintings, and tables drawn on the classroom walls and hung from the ceiling. They maintain an active student library too. He takes full advantage of the Government grants to the commuting students from the neighboring villages. On my recent visit, I met dozens of parents, mostly mothers of children who have received a stipend from the Government.
     We have embellished the school with the provision of a computer instructor. She is doing a great job.
Next day we visited two Government schools in Khammam city proper.
1. Khammam Government Girls school: as usual we met R. Sadyasree, the headmistress, and the teaching faculty to discussed their needs and the benefits of I&DL that we were soon to install in their school. They were very pleased with our decision and expressed full cooperation.
      We have already appointed a full-time computer instructor Miss Anusya to the school on my previous visit. She has been teaching computer lessons to the Schoolgirls. Since my recent visit, we have supplied the necessary equipment and made arrangements set up and run the program.
2. Our next stop was Government High school Rajendra Nagar, Khammam. We met K.Venkateswerlu garu, the headmaster and the other teachers in the school. We had an open discussion on the benefits of a digital library in their school.
      We had appointed Miss D. Padma Latha as a computer instructor on our previous visit. She was given the responsibility to set up and run the digital library in the school besides teaching computer classes to the students.

                                                                                                                             Thank you,                                                                                                                                                  
 Saradhi (Purna Bikkasani)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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HAPPY UGADI !!
Date: April, 03, 2016
Location: Tampa, FL









Dear founders and friends, I wrote this article for a souvenir celebrating Ugadi by Telugu association of Florida.
I wish to share with you all the same spirit and wishes for Telugu New year.

Let our Ugadi wish be sharing and caring!
Dear Telugu families and friends,
We wish you a happy Ugadi!

Dr. Neeraja Jasty has asked me to share my thoughts on Chaitanya Saradhi. It is a non-profit charitable trust committed to helping high school students in Telugu speaking states in India.

We inaugurated Chaitanya Saradhi in October 2015. So far, we have adopted one girls’ high school, a co-education high school for the pilot project, and reinstated computer instructors in four additional schools.  We chose to help government schools in the rural areas among the poorer communities. Students in these communities commute several miles on foot or bike to these schools. At the request of the teachers, we have built a compound wall for the girls’ high school, set up for running water, supplied benches, books, and sports goods, etc. Our thrust is improving education, not merely the facilities or supplies.

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We also provide instruction on various topics, including the importance of education. We conduct workshops to motivate teachers and students. I give motivational speeches to high school and college students in the government and private schools. I also give interactive talks on education, health, the environment, and social responsibilities. We are excited about the tremendous support given to us from teachers, students, and the communities. We also have formed a non-profit trust named Awareness USA that begun serving the Tampa Bay area this year.

The philosophy of the Chaitanya Saradhi program is scripted by the principles of social evolution. The central principle is sharing and caring for one another in a community. The human species, Homo Sapiens, shares the collective knowledge and know-how in gathering food, making tools, and adapting to environmental disruptions and instabilities. Due to these qualities, Homo Sapiens survived and thrived while the Neanderthals perished, lacking such attributes.

Since the beginning of Homo Sapiens on the planet earth, each generation has utilized all the available knowledge and wisdom to improve their lives and the lives of their posterity. Basic human instinct and wisdom have been to have a good life for self and one’s progeny.  For the last three thousand years or so, generation after generation has rolled out massive quantities of human knowledge and wisdom in science, technology, mathematics, engineering, economics, philosophy, psychology, geography, and virtually every domain of life and living.

I call this massive human knowledge and wisdom collective consciousness (C.C). This intellectual property belongs to everybody who has ever lived and will live on earth. People fulfill their dreams by utilizing all of the required intelligence and skill from C.C to become who they want to be, whether a skilled worker, a teacher, a manager, a businessman, a doctor, an engineer, or an IT consultant. The pool of collective consciousness is the lifeline for everybody’s education and training in a society. Your intelligence and hard work certainly deserve credit for your accomplishments, but never forget to pay your debt to C.C. So, my friends, consider sharing your success, money, and time with society in return for what you have received; it is a fair deal.

Sir Isaac Newton described his success by stating: “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” Through this quote, Sir Isaac Newton acknowledges and expresses his gratitude for all the help he received in formulating his discoveries in physics, math, and optics. Every person in society placed anywhere on the socioeconomic ladder is always standing on the shoulders of many others in society. People at the very top and the very rich depend on an even greater mass of people to maintain their status. None of us could have been who we are without a million other invisible hands working together. The truth is humanity thrives on sharing and helping each other. You can see this reality when you are ready, which is where the need for mutual support and the spirit of sharing springs from.

Sharing makes greater sense once we realize all the people on earth are cousins, emigrated out of Africa. The diversity in color, language, culture, customs, geography, and faith among people has evolved through natural selection. Therefore, diversity cannot be the basis for discrimination, bias, conflict, domination, or exploitation. Instead, the apparent diversity as a basis of beauty and feeling of cousinhood should be a source of love and care for the poor, weak, and disadvantaged among us.

Lately, we have seen a greater realization among the rich and super rich to give away large chunks of money to charities. Mr. Bill and Melinda Gates, Mr. Warren Buffett, Mr. Mark Zuckerberg and former President Bill Clinton’s foundations have been doing incredible service to the neediest people in developing countries. They want to witness and derive the pleasure of giving during their lifetime.

Alternatively, passing on a large estate to one’s posterity doesn’t seem to guarantee their long term health or happiness. Somehow, wealth not earned seems to vanish easily. The best we can give to our kids is the education that fulfils their dreams and earns enough to support their desired lifestyles, which is supporting organic growth. Better yet, the surest way to help our descendants in the long term is to help build a fairer, kinder, more peaceful, and more stable society.

In order to build that perfect society, we are working along the forces of social evolution. The most propelling forces for social reform are education, teachers, and students, or what I call the trinity of education. Education has planted the seeds of social reform at every stage of human progress, from gathering and hunting to agriculture to industrial to the information age. Teachers have been the transfer agents while students have been the messengers, which is WHY Chaitanya Saradhi focuses on the trinity of education to assist this reform movement. Awareness USA is more than a charitable trust; it works with a clear purpose and in the direction of assisting social evolution.

Awareness USA is looking for volunteers and members. If you are interested, please contact us at officialawrenessusa@gmail.com or call 8134442790.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Thank you,

                                                                                                                                      Saradhi (Purna Bikkasani)

 

 
 

 

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Volunteer Conference in Khammam, Telangana, India.

The teachers’ workshop
Meeting Date : January 24, 2016
Location: S-Park Hotel, Khammam, India
TIME: 11:30 A.M – 4:30 P.M.

The conferees: headmasters, headmistresses, teachers, educators, and Chaitanya Saradhi volunteers who are fully committed to the cause of education gathered for this occasion. Together, we had thousands of hours of teaching, research and charitable service experience in the room. The only thing on everyone’s mind was how to best reform high school education to help students to excel in learning and succeed in life. The meeting took place in a common creative spirit to garner the resources and the ways and means of helping the students.

Following the customary introductions by Mr. Swaroop Narendra, the program commenced. We introduced the program by playing two videos, “I Believe” and the “Chaitanya Saradhis”. I extolled further a bit about the program. The floor was then open for discussion and snacks and drinks were served.

Next, we played the video on the “Trinity of the Evolution” and then spoke on each of the three items: importance of education, role of the teachers, and the task of the students in orchestrating the social transformation in the history of human evolution. This was the most passionate segment of the workshop. This session spiritualized the teachers’ dedication, contribution and hard work in shaping the newer generations to build a prosperous and peaceful nation. The floor was then open for discussion. It was a very interactive session.
Some teachers commented on how other teachers send their children to private schools while they teach in government schools. This particular criticism embarrassed some teachers and I felt a bit uncomfortable to let them leave the conference with this bad taste in their mouths. In an attempt to soften the criticism, I argued that nourishing, educating and rearing a child in any country is a combined social responsibility of all of its citizens, given the fact that children are our future working force in building a wealthy and healthy nation. Therefore, children, regardless if their parents are teachers or not, deserve the best possible opportunity for education.

The discussion proceeded on India’s strengths on education. The conferees agreed that we have an abundant number of well-educated and trained teachers in India. The members acknowledged providing good facilities, classroom benches, compound walls, toilets, running water, libraries, playgrounds, etc. to the schools will help the teachers to do a better job. Our biggest challenge was finding ways to motivate the teachers to do their best under the circumstances. Without such commitment and dedication of the teachers as a group, every material resource and supply goes down the drain. Somehow, people seem to take comfort in not doing their job right because others do not. The video presentation on the trinity of evolution was meant to spiritualize teaching. I shared my perspective on life; if you enjoy what you do, you will live long and healthy. There is no better way to seek the purpose in life.

Following a lunch break, we began talking about ways and means of motivating students to become self-learners. I urged the audience to get rid of the old notion that students’ physical activities are a waste of time. We stressed the value of games and sports for students’ wholesome growth and development. Teachers are the greatest motivators, role models and mentors for the students. Their empathy, respect, personal relationship with the students and their families would do wonders in motivating the students. We talked about the types of incentives in motivating students. We distributed a printed article on motivating students. In order to get everyone’s input, we passed the microphone around the conference hall to each participant. Almost all of the teachers commented. The participants made many heartfelt creative comments about the ideals of Chaitanya Saradhi.

​Many others offered to volunteer to join the organization. The conference served its purpose to motivate the teachers and to recruit the volunteers. It exceeded our expectations.

The conference ended in a great uproar with feedbacks of Marvelous! and Keka! ( like Hurry!)

 Videos  of the Volunteer Conference and Inauguration

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Official Inauguration of Chaitanya Saradi:

Voice of Saradi –


Chaitanya Saradhi was inaugurated on 25th of October, 2015 at New Vision High School, Khammam, Telangana, India.

This inaugural session was attended by the teachers, lecturers, heads of  NGOs, and intellectuals. The local newspapers and tv station reported the event on the following day.      

Initially, I presented the vision and the goals of Chaitanya Saradhi to the audience and answered some questions from the press. Afterwards, we had a roundtable “town hall style” interactive session with all the educators. In this session, I listened intently and took notes from everybody’s comments and recommendations. Before the floor was opened for their comments, I requested the speakers to limit their comments to discuss the problem and the solution and to avoid negative talk or wild criticism altogether.

The following six common deficiencies had surfaced from their comments.
1.   Toilets or the running water to use them
2.   Drinking water facility
3.   Classroom benches.
4.   Computers and instructors  
5.   Compound walls for the schools.
6.   Science labs, libraries, playgrounds and equipment, etc.

The attendees were excited to have had the opportunity to air their comments and thanked Chaitanya Saradhi for extending a helping hand to the students.  Mr. Madhu Bellam, who had accompanied me on this mission from the USA, and I had held further discussions with individuals and in small groups seeking to motivate and enlist potential volunteers. That was the precise intent of this meeting.

The following three dimensions have evolved through this inaugural trip.

A. PILOT PROJECT:

We planned to adopt three high schools from Telugu speaking states. We wanted to gain the experience before we could launch the program in full scale. As part of that plan, we visited Jallepalli Village High School,  a rural Government high School located in Khammam district bordering with Warangal district. This coeducation school houses 550 students taught both in Telugu and English medium. The student’s walk or bike to the school for a few miles from a dozen or so Lambadi Thanda (small hamlets of one of Girigan tribe). The school is surrounded by lush green cotton and corn fields with a serene mountain range overhanging in the background.  
 
The teachers and students from that school received us with a fanfare. Both the girls and the boys lined up on either side of a dusty walkway to the school, showering us with flowers, shouting welcome, clapping and commotion. We went to the school with several other local volunteers and dignitaries to this grand reception.  
Once in the school, we held a roundtable meeting with the Headmaster and the staff. I opened the floor for their comments with a few observations: I asked them to enlist concrete problems and specific solutions.  We told them that Chaitanya Saradhi will adopt their school, provided the school teachers and the villagers are willing to partner with us.

Afterwards, the headmaster and all the teachers at the school spoke one by one. They expressed their concerns and made the following recommendations to improve the quality of education in the school. I was impressed with caliber  and the commitment of the principal and the staff.
   
The school teacher’s requests included:
1.   Toilets for boys and girls
2.   Classroom benches for boys and girls
3.   Computers
4.   Library books
5.   Projector for teaching
6.   Drinking water
7.   Nutritious supplements for the a few undernourished students
8.   Games materials

We noted down their requests. Then I pointed out that our primary focus is on the functionality of education, i.e., the value -based education, not the form (compound walls or the benches, etc.). Their request for benches and compound walls was fair, but I urged them to focus on imbuing sound fundamentals in science, technology, and humanities along with worldly knowledge and wisdom to the students. They should be role models to the students to learn, earn, and to be good citizens.  
Lastly, we addressed the teachers and pupils together stressing the value of education and their role in a progressive society.

Our next visit was to a township named Nadigudem, a Mandal Headquarters in Nalgonda District. We visited the town to a large gathering of the Headmasters, Educators, Mandal Development Officer (MDO), and the President of the Co-Operative Bank. The students from the town’s four high schools and a jr. college have already gathered on the college grounds, upon our arrival. I was excited to see a sea of girls and boys eagerly waiting for our arrival. They sat on the open grounds under the shade of trees  to a pleasant Autumn breeze. The MDO, who hails from my village, conducted the meeting in the most formal manner. He introduced guest speakers and the goals of Chaitanya Saradhi to the students.

I was impressed with the exact protocol they all follow at every school meeting I attended: formal introductions, and a fair chance for everybody on the dais to speak. This meeting was no exception. Mr.Madhu and I addressed the students afterwards. Our message was consistent and alike for both the students and the teachers. We narrated how systemic education in science, technology, and humanities over the centuries had punctuated the material and social progress culminating in the modern world. We inspired and motivated the students to pursue their dreams in education and in shaping a more perfect, safe, healthy, and civilized India.

Afterwards, we met with all the educators, local officials, intellectuals, and the local press in a closed-door meeting. Each of the headmasters spoke briefly in turn mentioning their problems and solutions. The have brought up mostly the same issues we had heard on our prior school visits.
Following the conclusion of this meeting, we proceeded to ZPHS Girls High School, which was the school recommended for adoption. The headmistress led us through classrooms and school grounds. We spoke with students in the classrooms and quizzed them with questions and gave brief talks of inspiration and encouragement. Afterwards, we met with all the teachers together and listened to each speak. The teachers commitment and enthusiasm was apparent. The English teacher in that school comes from my village. I was pleased to hear her talk with pride about our program.

The Teachers and the Headmistress requested the following:
1.   To build a compound wall
2.   To reinstate a computer teacher who was recently laid off
3.   To instal a drinking water facility
4.   To build new toilets
5.   To deliver Classroom benches

My next visit was to a town, Duggirala in Guntur District. I went there in search of adopting a school from Andhra Pradesh. I visited the Government high school with the local dignitaries and a volunteer organization, DOST. I spoke out loud for an hour to the students and teachers, which were gathered in a century old lecture hall as the electricity was out, and the microphone was defunct. I stressed to the students how a systemic education over the centuries had helped in shaping the present progressive and prosperous world. Soon after that lecture, we were led to the Government College to lecture the college students. They asked to speak on acquiring communication skills and success principles in life. The college was in good shape both physically and functionally. The Duggirala is a prosperous town with fertile lands, profuse irrigation facilities, nestled in the middle of extensive evergreen cotton and vegetable fields.

The purpose my visit to this newly formed Andhra Pradesh was to choose a school to include on our pilot project. I decided to revisit a less prosperous district in the state on my next visit to pick up a school for my project.

B. COMPUTER EDUCATION:

We didn’t plan for this program. I will present the circumstances that prompted us to embark on it. Driving back from the village Jallepalli to Khammam, we stopped at a high school in Kakkireni. This school is well equipped and well run except their computer teacher was laid off in recent months. Apparently, the Government terminated funding the computer instruction in the school. The school still has working computers, and the teacher who was laid off is a native of the village. There is a human side to the story. The teacher is a young lady disabled by childhood poliomyelitis. Her mobility is limited. Therefore, she lives with her parents and prefers to work in the village. The headmaster called Sivakumar to get over to the school and to meet me. I watched her drive in on a slow moving three wheeler, and the struggle she puts up with getting into a wheelchair to enter the classroom. She is beautiful and bright-eyed in a saffron dupatta. Sivakumar was fortunate to have had a Christian Missionary School put her through the education. I felt she deserved all the help we can, so, we reinstated her back on the job as a computer teacher. In this day and age, all high school and college students should be proficient in the use of computers and the internet. They should be able to use Google, Wikipedia, Youtube and other educational academies such as Khan Academy to widen up their knowledge and worldly wisdom.

After visiting a few other schools, we found out similar fate with computer teachers in those schools. So far Chaitanya Saradhi reinstated four computer instructors in the following schools:
  • ZPHS Rajendra Nagar Khammam Government High school  
  • ZPHS Girls school, Khammam
  • ZPHS Kakkireni
  • ZPHS Girls school, Nadigudem

All of the four computer teachers were put on the payroll with Chaitanya Saradhi.

C. MOTIVATIONAL SPEECHES.

Mr. Madhu and I gave motivational speeches to a dozen or so schools and colleges in Khammam, Nalgonda, and Guntur districts. We delivered an interactive, content-based, interesting talks to the primary schools, high schools, and jr. colleges in both Telugu and English.

Typically our talks covered the following important themes.
  • We speak about how science and technology spurred the economic development and social progress through stages: ancient civilization, agricultural revolution, an industrial revolution, scientific era, great awakening for freedom, liberty, equality, and fairness culminating in the modern world.
  • We talk about how the Homosexuals fanned out of Africa to the rest of the world. The human survival and progress required people to place the common community    interests over the self-interests. We stress the value of self-preservation, and individual success. We point out the fact all the people on earth are cousins of some sorts. Therefore, we should treat each other as such regardless of color, race, region, religion, and faith.
  • We present them exciting stories about role models, explorers, adventurers, and scientists to inspire them to set higher goals and for greater success.  
  • We stress on the dignity of labor. We stated that every job, big or small, are equivalent to their social contribution irrespective of their authority, popularity, wealth, fame, and glory. I tell them to be themselves and to choose and pursue what they love to do in life, resisting outside pressures.
  • We talk about the four principles of the Chaitanya Saradhi: health, nutrition, environment, and civil ethics in the proper context.
  • Somehow, most talks ended up discussing the value of physical education, exercise, playing games, and sports, etc. I give them the Mind-Body concept, where stimulating one will excite the other for a wholesome personality development and to excel in life. The style and the spirit of these talks never failed to excite the students wherever we spoke.  
        
We will post our discussions here on this website very soon. I believe these talks will help enliven the purpose of our work. We give these talks to the private schools. We have gotten several requests to speak again already. I am sensing a greater demand to carry on these talks in future.

Overall, we were pleased with our accomplishment in a short time. We have assigned work to our volunteers to carry on our commitments. But all our commitments will be pursued diligently. We will walk out talk.

The Chaitanya Saradhi trust is registered already, and the bank account is open. I have assigned Mr. Venkat Rao Vasireddy to carry on with the payrolls for the computer instructors. I trust him impeccably.

I thank each and everybody who have participated in fostering Chaitanya Saradhi to come to life. I refrain from mentioning the names because I wouldn’t be able to stop writing. 
I am seeking your feedback, both positive and negative.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Regards,
                                                                                                                                                       Purna Bikkasani (Saradhi)
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