Padala Surya Prasad is one of those few change makers who had given up the American dream to contribute to India positively. HatkeStory had the pleasure to connect with him and contribute to society through his NGO Padala Charitable Trust. Here’s his Hatke Story in his own words.
Padala Surya Prasad: Learning by experience how Poverty can halt education
I was a topper who got state ranks in X & XII standards. I, like many students out there, came from a lower-middle-class family in rural India. My father was a small-time tailor, and my mother ran a small grocery shop. Our family, like many others, couldn’t even afford to pay for my minimal basic expenses.
At that time, many elders from my village got together to get me to continue my education. They all ran a benefit movie show in our village’s theater, hoping to fund my college expenses through that money. Despite all their efforts, we couldn’t pile enough money.
“Don’t be disheartened, my son. I’ll make you one of the best tailors in our quiet town,” consoled my father. It is how the stories of many bright students who can’t afford education go.
That might have been my story too. Nevertheless, the idea of a state ranker prepping to be the village’s next top tailor didn’t sit well with some elders of my village.
Educational Scholarship received by Padala Surya Prasad- Light in a Dark Tunnel
They persisted in their search and away showed up. I received a scholarship from BREAD Society – North South Foundation, India, and completed my Engineering.
Padala Surya Prasad & his NRI Career:
Later on, I pursued my Master’s degree at IIT Kharagpur, worked at an MNC in India, and moved abroad- working for the corporate giants.
Amidst my busy life in Chicago, I often wondered where I would have been if no one came to my aide when my educational voyage seemed to have halted! Every time I thought of it, it deepened my concern for those impoverished students who long for someone to come to their aid- but don’t get any.
From these thoughts sprang the idea of ‘Paying it Forward. Every summer, I flew back to India, reached out to students in need, conducted scholarship interviews, and awarded it to those who deserved and needed it the most.
Padala Charitable Trust: The Beginnings of the NGO that would bring me back to India
PCT– Padala Charitable Trust continued in this way starting from 2002. But in 2012, after conducting the activities from abroad and during summer vacations for a decade, I arrived at the scariest, most defining decision of my professional life.
PCT – My Journey Back to Mother Land: Padala Surya Prasad
I kissed my 16-year career goodbye to return to India to focus on uplifting the needy, impoverished, and marginalized through PCT.
Read about our Semi- Orphan project here.
Though the organization began by handing out scholarships to those in dire need, it organically expanded its scope with time. As our team began to work observing the ground realities, it identified the issues in the society.
PCT’s projects emerged as solutions to these issues. I focus on the design and implementation of projects and development. I specifically enjoy working in career guidance, life skills, communication skills, social responsibility, and personal hygiene in young women.
Paying it Forward: A motto for life– Padala Surya Prasad
When our village people and NSF moved forward to help me, their spirit of helping someone not related in blood or kind impacted me to my core. Perhaps that is one of the significant influences that lead me to take bolder decisions to become the founder of Padala Charitable Trust.
Touching lives and connecting with people to bring about a positive shift in their life has given me a lot in my life. Now, when I see a few of our scholarship students grow up, contributing back to the organization, it feels fantastic!
It has been an incredible 18-year journey. And I’m planning on reaching farther and more comprehensive to wherever there is a real need.
More than the monetary support I received from NSF, it was the spirit of helping someone you never knew before that I would be forever grateful to. The very thought inspired me to pay forward, which I’ve been trying to do for the last 17 years in my district in India through PCT.
I feel amazed seeing most of our children becoming catalysts for change after they grow up. If you’d like to be a part of our efforts, you can visit our site or Donate here: http://pct-india.org/donate/.
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