Krishna Prasad Tenneti, Additional Director General of Police (Railways and Road Safety), always believed in giving back to society. And when the chance came, he grabbed it with both hands. He recently adopted Yerravalli village in Vikarabad district.
“I chose Yeravalli because my father worked there for a brief time during my childhood. I remember the drive to the village was scenic due to the Anathagiri Hills. So when I wanted to adopt a village, I thought of Yeravalli,” Krishna Prasad reveals.
He continues, “I conducted a baseline survey in the village and identified that the literacy level (52 per cent) and enrollment level (8 per cent) in schools were low, while the level of dropouts was high (95 per cent). And there was not even a single child who could read, write and speak in English in the entire village, which is just 66 km from Hitec City.”
He focused on three areas — primary health, primary education and skill development center (for employment). “I started with flooring and white washing the walls, gave uniforms, distributed notebooks, textbooks, shoes, benches and also appointed two English teachers. The children are now speaking in English. Now, it is the only school in the district where the enrollment level is 100% and the dropout level is 0%.”
All the kids who wanted to pursue higher education had to walk 6 km to the neighbouring village. “I gave 36 bicycles only to the girls to enable their travel, because they are subjected to gender bias in the village. My happiest moment came when I saw these 36 girls cycling to school together. They felt empowered,” explains the IIM Ahmedabad alumni. An RTC bus was also launched and flagged off in the village recently, providing connectivity to other areas.
Someone in the DGP rank too had to encounter local and community politics, gender bias, etc. “Several people advised me to not waste my time in development activities. But it’s all about accepting the challenge and negotiating it, and that kept me going.”
A music aficionado, nature-lover and bird watcher, he shares, “I went to the Himalayas and Nilgiris for trekking. I love travelling and every year I go on a holiday with my family to a tiger resort.” His stress-busters are, “Playing with pets, gardening and painting.” And he is quick to acknowledge that striking a work-life balance is always difficult for a cop.
“Kids expect you at home on festivals, but we are out on duty. We can’t attend their birthdays or click a picture when they receive prizes at their school functions. So, that’s the reason why I take them on a holiday every year and spend quality time.”
His wife is a lawyer who works on IP rights. While his elder daughter is married and settled in the US, the younger one is practicing law in Delhi. Krishna Prasad too completed Law from Osmania University. “Yeah, we are a family of lawyers,” he says with a laugh.
