KURNOOL: Only months ago Dasari Lakshmi Parvati, a contestant of a TV reality show, became the talk of the town for bringing two APSRTC bus services to her remote village Lakkasagaram in Krishnagiri mandal. She won the hearts of thousands with her melodious voice and sincerity to solve the problems of her faction-ridden village. Now a student of SV Musical and Dance College in Tirupati, she, however, will be forever grateful to Chandrakanti Maddaiah, then a teacher at her school, for not only spotting her talent, but also encouraging and training her to pursue it.
Maddaiah, a government school teacher for 24 years and now posted at Parumanchala ZP High School in Jupadubangla, claims to have given vocal training to over 1,000 students. Many of them, such as Parvati, have even went on to perform at the state level.
When not in school, the English teacher conducts ‘concerts’ at school and village-level to spot children with a talent in singing. Besides being a singer, Maddaiah is also a theatre actor and writer. The lyrics of a song he wrote about Rayalaseema factionalism, called ‘Puridippinna Meesalaku Puttinillura Padagethina Pourusala Maru Palnadura’, won him many laurels.
He has been honoured at least 600 times by various organisations. Maddaiah told TNIE: “My goal is to set up an academy where children from rural pockets will be encouraged to pursue careers as singers and writers. I am overwhelmed as my passion has turned many into lovers of classical music.” Maddaiah joined the teaching profession as a second-grade teacher in 1998 after completing B.Ed and double post-graduation.