NELLORE: At the age of 74, Konda Venkataswamy Reddy is relentlessly trying to improve the green cover of his city. He has planted over 2,500 Neem saplings in Nellore city limits. After retiring as a professor of Telugu language from Venkatagiri Raja College in 2003, he devoted his entire time to his plantation drive. At first, he chose one stretch where he planted saplings and nurtured and protected them.
Venkataswamy, who believes that every person must aim for a greener world, now distributes saplings to Golgamudi Venkaiah Swamy temple, Vikrama Simhapuri University, Kendriya Vidyalaya and other institutions in Nellore district.
It is not just his love for greenery, but he is equally passionate about Telugu literature and promotion of Telugu language. The same is evident from his efforts to promote Telugu poetry in schools. With the support of his friends, Venkataswamy has distributed copies of Telugu Padya Ratna in 300 government schools in the district, and 500 others in Prakasam, Chittoor and Kadapa districts.
“Every student must learn at least 90 poems in their school days to develop interest in the language and understand the tradition. As such, we have been conducting competitions for students of government schools to promote Telugu language,” Venkataswamy said.
The retired professor is instrumental in the development of greenery in many schools, starting from ESRM High School in Moolapeta to ZP High School in Nellore city. The septuagenarian’s care for mother nature is also evident from his efforts to help animals quench their thirst.
Observing the plight of the strays in Hanumanthunipadu mandal of Prakasam district, Venkataswamy constructed a pond with Rs 4-5 lakh out of his own pocket, and even drilled a borewell to ensure that the water body remains filled throughout the year. The retired professor has been spending half of his pension every month towards hisphilanthropic activities.
“Venkataswamy gifted me three saplings for my housewarming ceremony. He planted them with his own hands and asked my family to take care of them daily. He starts early in the morning to promote greenery in the city. We had not known anyone with such dedication towards the society even at the age of 74,” said I Sunil Sarma, a contract lecturer. Venkataswamy’s family stands by him through thick and thin, and supports him in his green movement.
“My father-in-law wants to serve society and live a simple life. He not only plants saplings but cares and nurtures them so that the future generations can benefit from them. His love for Telugu language is unending and the same can be seen from his untiring efforts to promote the same among school students by organising competitions in nine districts,” Bharathi noted.
Love for Telugu language, literature
It is not just his love for greenery, but he is also equally passionate about Telugu literature and promotion of Telugu language. Venkataswamy has distributed copies of Telugu Padya Ratna in 300 government schools in the district, and 500 others in Prakasam, Chittoor and Kadapa districts
Family supports Venkataswamy
Venkataswamy’s family stands by him through thick and thin. “My father-in-law wants to serve the society and live a simple life. He not only plants saplings but nurtures them so that the future generations can benefit from them. His love for Telugu is unending and the same can be seen from his untiring efforts to promote the same,” Bharathi noted.