NELLORE: Love for their homeland and inspiration from Deputy Chief Minister and JSP Chief Pawan Kalyan brought back NRI couple Harish Kumar Chadalawada and Mridula Chadalawada from the UK to dedicate themselves to serving the needy in their native Nellore district.
Hailing from Duvvuru village in Sangam mandal, Harish and Mridula had settled in the UK, where Harish worked as an Electrical Design Engineer and Mridula as a Project Manager in an IT company.
For the past five years, they had been supporting service initiatives from abroad, inspired by Pawan Kalyan’s principles and vision. However, last year, the couple made a life-changing decision to return home and personally work at the grassroots level, identifying and assisting vulnerable tribal communities in Atmakur constituency.
One of their first missions led them to Padamati Kambampadu, a small tribal hamlet where 20 families still live in huts deep inside the forest without electricity or basic facilities.
During the monsoons, the families struggle in fragile shelters and often seek refuge in the local government school. Disturbed by these conditions, the couple approached the Endowments Minister and Atmakur MLA Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, who immediately sanctioned electricity for the village. On September 2, marking Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan’s birthday, the couple launched ‘Jana Sena Girijana Seva Hastham’.
They distributed plastic tarpaulins to protect huts from rain, provided iron beds, pillows, blankets, torchlights, and five months’ ration to families, and gifted Kondapalli toys, books, and stationery to children. They also celebrated with the children by organising a cake-cutting event.
A deeply moving moment came when the children, asked about their wishes, simply requested slippers - something they had never owned before. “It was a humbling reminder that dignity begins with the most basic needs,” Mridula reflected.
During the same visit, Mridula came across a two-month-old baby boy who had lost his mother. Deeply moved, she arranged financial support to cover the baby’s feeding needs for the next two years.
The couple also extended financial assistance to nearly 15 tribal families in Rapur mandal of Venkatagiri constituency, further widening their outreach. Recognising the struggles of school-going children in Kolagatla village, who walk long distances daily to reach government schools, Harish and Mridula launched another initiative titled “Jana Sena Seva Chakram.” As part of the program, they distributed 18 bicycles, easing the burden of travel and encouraging children to continue their education.
Beyond these initiatives, Harish and Mridula regularly organise food distribution drives.
For the past four years, they have also been supplying groceries to about six families in each mandal of Atmakur constituency.
“We decided to involve ourselves directly in service and returned from the UK last year. Since then, we have been identifying tribal families deprived of basic amenities and working to meet their needs. We do not depend on others; we use our own financial resources. We are also planning to extend our services to other parts of the state. We hope this message will inspire youth and volunteers across the country to engage in service where it is most needed,” said Mridula.
Through their selfless work, Harish and Mridula Chadalawada stand as an inspiring example of how love for one’s homeland and admiration for a leader’s ideals can transform into grassroots action, bringing dignity and hope to the villages of Andhra Pradesh.