ANANTAPUR: G Prameelamma is a familiar name in any orphanage or old age home in and around Anantapur. Even in her late 70s, Prameelamma makes it a point to visit an orphanage or old age home once a month and spend a day with the inmates. Not just visiting an old age home or an orphanage, she makes it a point to provide all the necessities at these homes with her own expenses. For Prameelamma, doing service to the poor and needy came for her childhood itself. Hailing from Nellore, Prameelamma is the only daughter of N Lakshmikanthamma and Subbarami Reddy.
During her childhood days, while studying in Kasthuri Devi School, Prameelamma was moved by the plight of poor students of the nearby welfare school and used to distribute pens, books and other articles to them. She used to take a handful of rice grains daily from whatever her mother used to cook and give them to a poor family.
Later, Prameelamma was married to AG Srinivas Reddy of Anantapur. Srinivas Reddy himself was a philanthropist and used to serve the poor in many ways right from constructing houses to the homeless, digging of borewells free of cost and providing financial assistance to the poor students. After the death of her husband in 2013, Prameelamma started the AG Srinivas Reddy Foundation in his name.
“Once a month, I visit an old age home or an orphanage and spend my day with them. While going, I prepare the food required for the inmates and serve it to the poor,’’ Prameelamma said. While returning, she makes a list of the articles that the home needs, buys them and sends them to the home the next day.
Asked as to why she was serving the orphans and elderly, Prameelamma says, “These two sections are the most ignored in the society. In my childhood, I personally saw how poor children faced problems. Children are the future of the nation and their future should be protected. Similarly, old age people are the most ignored.’’
Prameelamma has adopted five children of Jeevani NGO in Bukkarayasamudram and has been providing financial assistance to them.Her two children support Prameelamma in all her endeavours. Her daughter Anitha Reddy settled as a doctor in California and son Anil Kumar Reddy works in a mobile phone company. The duo support their mother’s service activities and Prameelamma spends anywhere near `50,000 per month for her service activities.
In the recently held para sports national level selections in Anantapur, Prameelamma provided financial assistance of `10,000 each to two sportspersons who got selected in the national level competitions.
Pramelamma was honoured with Uttama Seva medal by the State government in 2018 and her services to the poor also won her several awards.