SRIKAKULAM: This septuagenarian has been spending his wife’s entire pension amount to help the poor students and others for the last two decades. Gedela Indira Prasad, who retired as a physical director in 2006, continues the social service activities after retirement in the memory of his wife. Prasad’s wife Lalitha Devi, who worked as a lecturer, passed away in 2000.
As she actively participated in the social service activities as the inner wheel club president of the Srikakulam Rotary Club, Indira Prasad continues the charity work in her memory. The retired physical director spends the entire pension amount of his wife for the social service activities and uses his own pension for his survival. He has been getting Rs 30,000 in the form of pension after the death of his wife in 2000.
He pays school fees of the poor students and also bears the travelling cost of the sportspersons to attend various interstate and national level competitions. He also distributes warm blankets to the tribals in the winter every year and sets up drinking water supply kiosks in summer at the college grounds in Srikakulam. Prasad also sponsors shoes and sports material to the talented sportspersons and had constructed Vivekananda’s statue in the memory of his wife at both the government degree colleges in Srikakulam.
“My wife Lalita Devi worked as a lecturer in Oriya language and she passed away in 2000 due to ill-health. Ours was a love marriage and we belonged to different castes,’’ said Gedela Indira Prasad, a retired physical director at the Government Degree College. She was actively involved in the social service, though she was busy with her profession and today in her memory, I continue her good work, he explained.
“There is no specific plan to spend the amount for the charity every month. My friends and acquaintances bring issues to my notice with a view to help the poor. After ascertaining the genuineness of the request, I spend the money,” he said and added that some times, he also spends some amount from his own pension to help the poor.
“Our students attend various State level and national level competitions with the support of Indira Prasad,’’ said Uma Maheswara Rao, a boxing coach in Srikakulam and added that not just equipment, Prasad also sponsors required nutritional supplements like eggs, badam and banana to the sportspersons once a week.
“We distribute warm blankets to the tribals every year with the financial support from Indira Prasad,” said Sasapu Jogi Naidu, Star Walkers’ Club convener, Srikakulam. “We have been continuing the charity for the past six years,” he added.