Sri P.V.R.K. Prasad I.A.S narrated his services as E.O. (Executive Officer) in Tirumala during the period 1978-82. He is behind some of the facilities we see today in Tirumala - the Vaikhuntam queue complex, the slanting wooden plank in the temple, Large sized Lord Hanuman to protect the pilgrims who climb up the mountains on foot, the new ‘Dwaja Stambam’ etc. How these things materialized and what problems he faced in the course of action and how he felt God’s grace behind these efforts were beautifully penned down in Telugu.

A simple man who believes in ‘karma’ or action is an interviewer’s delight, with potpourri of rich experiences and a ‘direct’ interaction with the Lord Himself on a day to day basis!! Excerpts from interview with Sri PVRK Prasad.

TCG: How are devotion and education related? We see many students and adults visiting temples before they give an exam or even after that. Is this faith or fear?
PVRK: Devotion is the breath of every action/ field life offers. Tell me one area that doesn’t require devotion or love Could you perform that particular action without any love for it? I call devotion as faith or the universal principle that sustains and runs us, most of the times without our knowledge. A student may be exceptionally brilliant, hardworking and focused but without the divine grace things wouldn’t work for him or for any body. Today what others call as good luck or bad luck is what I call as Grace! In fact this is the simplest yet profound fact I realized during my tenure at Tirumala. It was amazing to see things move with pre planned precision which I thought was all designed by me, but soon I realized that there is a supreme hand that intervenes and does things you cannot accomplish. It is a futile exercise to try to decipher this, instead just have the faith that you are taken care.

Today I see many students offering whatever they can to God either before they go for an exam or after finishing it. I do not see any thing wrong in this because you are acknowledging a force superior to you. That itself humbles you and makes you a little less than what you think you are. In fact our culture always encouraged this.

TCG: How would one explain ‘God’ to the present generation?
PVRK: According to me there are three credentials for a person to succeed in life. They are faith, eligibility and effort; even if any one of these is missing success will be a distant dream. Like I already told you there are a few things that are beyond ‘our’ logic, there is an interesting observation here. I am saying logic per se works, it may be ‘your’ logic that doesn’t work and we make stranger deductions about God. My simple suggestion is attribute whatever you don’t understand to God and relax! When there is a caretaker life is always easy!

TCG: Can you elaborate upon the milestones in your journey to this position?
PVRK: Every day was a memorable experience for me during my work at Tirumala. I mentioned all about that in the Telugu version of my book, ‘When I met Tirupathi Balaji’.

TCG: What is the inspiration/intention for anybody to enter into Civil Services? Are they duly recognized in India today?
PVRK: Of course, Civil Services have their own aura, prestige and significance. Many factors drive one to enter this career. It may sound clichéd if I say that people like me always have the zeal to do something for their fellow countrymen. Civil Services enable you to achieve this in a smoother way, since you have the power and the access.

TCG: As an IAS officer what were the hassles you faced? What were the privileges (with people) you enjoyed?
PVRK: Hassles? Not at all. On the other hand it gave me an instant recognition and access to the Prime Minister, Mr.P.V.Narasimha Rao himself. Those days we did a special project for the farmers in Nalgonda called ‘Million Wells Scheme’ which violated the norms but won accolades for the benefits it rendered. All this was possible only because of me being an IAS officer. Having worked with a dynamic Chief Minister like Sri.Vengal Rao brought forth the best in me. He was totally into the development/betterment of the state of affairs. Being in the pivotal role ensured no obstacles of any kind. Self-confidence, dynamism and always being on the ‘move’ were the way of life!

TCG: There is a sense of excessive burden and stress in today’s education system. Especially the trend in Andhra Pradesh seems to be aggressive and alarming. This is passing off as competition in our society. Is this healthy?
PVRK: One thing is definite, today a student of plus two is not enjoying his life as we used to. We never viewed studies as burden because we were our own competitors and were hardly compared to others. Today is different. I would suggest the teachers to give the right guidance to the students and be their mentors rather than mere preachers. It is the responsibility of the teachers to share a bond with the students because every where on the earth a good teacher is always valued. Even the most notorious student values and loves the teacher who knows his subject well and can hold the attention of the students.

TCG: How do you foresee the emotional health of such students? Do you think this trend will stay for years to come?
PVRK: As I told you teachers should devote at least some time to develop a personal rapport with the students. Thanks to the vast syllabus teachers have to cover, they do not have time to complete the portions, leave alone having empathy. I cannot predict the future but I am certain that children are losing the connection with parents and siblings. They are yearning for emotional comfort that comes from a good relationship, the lack of which is leading to several problems and crimes amongst the youth.
I wish good luck to all those hard working youth who have the potential to mould their life the way they want, at the same time having the zeal to do something worthwhile.

Muslim boy tops exam in Hindu scriptures

It says a lot about Kebob Basha’s effort. Son of an auto driver-daily wage earning couple, Dastagiri and Noorjahan, Basha emerged the topper in an exam aimed at propagating Vedic knowledge among students. An elated Basha, who received a gold dollar of Lord Venkateswara along with a cash prize of Rs.4, 000, attributes it to his understanding of the Hindu Dharma. Among 70,000 who appeared for the TTD organized ‘Purana prabodha’exam, Basha, hailing from Tadipatri in Anantapur district, stood first in the State, results of which were declared recently. Basha said he had prepared for the exam by imbibing the knowledge of ‘Neeti Chandrika’ and ‘Basics of Hindu Dharma’ books. Every year, 10-12 percent of Muslims, 15 per cent of Christians and 20 per cent of SC and ST students have been taking the exam and coming out first. Before Bhasha, students like Sharfuddin, Mohd Ahmed Khan, Haseena, Sara Hitavachani and Paul Aditya stood in the top proving that religion was no barrier. Dharma Prachara Parishat in-charge and special officer of Purana Itihasa project Samudrala Lakshmanaiah said: “Our aim is to propagate the Hindu Sanatana Dharma and enhance the zeal of national integrity and ethical values among the younger generation.

The TTD had introduced the exam in 1980 and it was the brainchild of the then executive officer PVRK Prasad. About 5,000 students from all over the state have taken the exam so far. In 2004-05 19,127 students from 548 schools took the exam. Of them, Ahmed Khan of Medak, Haseena of Kadapa, and Hitavachani from Ongole stood first in their districts. With an overwhelming response for the exam, the TTD board has increased the budget to Rs. 1 crore from Rs.10 lakh. It has introduced awarding shields to schools that take the exam. The second and third toppers get a silver medal with Rs. 3, 000 and Rs. 2, 000 cash award respectively.