HYDERABAD: At an age when many professionals focus on advancing their careers, 34-year-old Vinil Reddy Adudodla chose a different path. In 2023, he stepped away from his job in avionics engineering to devote himself full-time to social service and built a volunteer network that works in education, healthcare, agriculture and environmental conservation.
Through Youth Force and in his role as general secretary of the Telangana Development Forum, Vinil has mobilised thousands of young volunteers for community initiatives. He also contributes around 90% of his income towards social causes.
One of his key initiatives is ‘Mana Panta Mana Vanta’, under which 86 villages have been adopted to help preserve indigenous paddy varieties. Working with farmers, the programme collects traditional seeds from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, multiplies them and preserves them in community seed banks.
The idea that shaped Vinil’s life emerged during his Intermediate studies. Moved by a television programme on children battling cancer, he began discussing ways to help with friends and family. The first initiative started modestly in a college canteen, where he and his classmates encouraged students to donate the loose change left after buying snacks.
The small contributions added up quickly, with nearly Rs 2 lakh collected in the first month. The funds were donated to Basavatarakam Hospital to support children undergoing cancer treatment.
Recalling an incident that left a lasting impression, Vinil said a four-year-old girl who had completed cancer treatment could not be discharged because her family could not pay the final hospital bill. “We quietly cleared the amount and left. Her parents searched for us for two days just to say thank you. That experience convinced us that our contributions should remain anonymous,” he tells the TNIE.
Today, the organisation works with students across colleges and encourages them to contribute not just money, but also their time. “If every young person gives even one or two hours a week to society, the collective impact can be enormous. We don’t expect everyone to become social workers. We only ask them to become responsible citizens,” he adds.
Agriculture has become another major focus area. Since launching the seed conservation initiative in 2023, the organisation has worked with farmers to preserve indigenous paddy varieties and promote natural farming practices. Farmers are paid for multiplying seeds, which are later distributed free of cost to others interested in cultivating traditional varieties.
Education remains a core area of engagement. The organisation supports students from economically weaker backgrounds through scholarships, science and astronomy laboratories in government schools, digital libraries, mobile science labs and academic mentoring programmes.
According to Vinil, more than 1,600 NGOs and 40,000 students are currently associated with the movement, helping expand its reach across Telangana.