Anantapur: It was a proud moment for the teacher-parents as their daughters achieved prestigious heights in the country’s uniform services. The couple was accompanied by their daughter Pratibha - who is working in the Indian Army as a Major in Kolkata – while attending their elder daughter Pradeepthi's passing out parade as Deputy Superintend of Police (DSP) at the AP Police Academy centre in Anantapur.
The parents Appa Rao and Sugunaveni have had joyful moments witnessing their younger daughter, an Army Major, congratulating her DSP sister. This middle-class family could achieve this goal after years of struggle and hard work.
Appa Rao and Sugunaveni are government teachers and natives of Amudalavalasa. While Appa Rao is retired, Sugunaveni is still in service. The couple has two daughters Pradeepthi and Pratibha and both are engineering graduates. Though initially, mother Sugunaveni wanted her two daughters to be settled as software engineers, she had to accept the goals of her daughters.
Pratibha, after completing her graduation in mechanical engineering in 2014, set a goal to join the Indian Army. She attempted SSC thrice and succeeded in her third attempt. She served two-and-a-half years in crucial sectors in Sikkim and Jammu and Kashmir and one-and-a-half years in South Sudan on a United Nations mission. Presently, she is working as a Major in Kolkata.
"I am proud of my sister Pradeepthi. She has achieved the goal after a series of struggles," Pratibha appreciated and recalled the routine discouragement from relatives and friends for middle-class young girls while choosing their careers, especially in security services. Appa Rao and Sugunaveni were happy as their daughters achieved a rare feat by joining the leadership positions in the nation’s uniform services.
