Dr. Chukka Ramaiah born on November 20, 1928 is popularly called IIT Ramaiah. He is an Indian Educationalist and an MLC of Andhra Pradesh State.He is an acclaimed expert in Mathematics and his IIT JEE coaching centre at Nallakunta,Hyderabad is very famous.
Dr. Chukka Ramaiah was born into a Brahmin family in Gudur village in Warangal district in Andhra Pradesh. Narasamma is his blessed mother and Anantharamaiah, his father. His father died when he was only 14. He studied at his village school till third standard. His mother insisted that Chukka Ramaiah should pursue his education and to fulfill his mother’s wish, he did a bachelor’s degree in a Dalit related course from Osmania University and later earned an M.Sc degree.
Chukka Ramaiah fought the feudal system that was rampant in his village by Reddy landlords. He actively participated in helping the poor, and was banished by his Brahmin community for helping the Dalits and the downtrodden. He joined Mahatma Gandhi’s untouchability movement and tried to reform backward sections in his village. He actively participated in the rebellion against the Nizam, Razakar Movement and was jailed for several years.After his release from the jail, he joined as a teacher in a school at Janagaon. He taught Mathematics at various schools across the Telangana region before retiring as the principalof the AP Residential School, Nagarjuna Sagarin 1983.
Chukka Ramaiah married Lakshmi and is blessed with two sons, Srinivas and Achuyth Kumar and two daughters, Rajeshwari and Uma. His wife passed away recently.Some students who were appearing for the IIT JEE entrance exam asked his help in Mathematics. That batch was very successful in clearing the test. He became very popular and now an entrance exam is conducted for admission into the Ramaiah Institute. More than 12,000 students take the exam for a quota of 125 seats. Since the launch of the institute in 1985, over 1,000 students have made it to the IITs.
In 2007, Chukka Ramaiah won as an MLC and pleaded for establishing an IIT at Basar. However,the Centre gave its nod for setting it up nearHyderabad. He is a strong votary for the statehood of Telangana and often speaks of poverty and backwardness of the region.Chukka Ramaiah, after retiring in 1983, could not get his pension and other benefits approved by the government. This forced him to look for other means of livelihood. He went to Basar’sSaraswati temple and stayed there for a week to contemplate his future. There he decided to start teaching again privately. He owes much of his success in his post-retirement life to Basar Saraswati temple. He moved to Hyderabad and settled in Nallakunta.Chukka Ramaiah authored over 16 books in Telugu mainly focusing on education.