I As Librarian BHEL Higher Secondary School (My Second Job… Shifting to Hyderabad) >>>>> From Khangi School to Center for Excellence-4 : Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao

 I As Librarian BHEL Higher Secondary School

(My Second Job… Shifting to Hyderabad)

From Khangi School to Center for Excellence-4

Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao

My second major professional engagement was as a Librarian at the BHEL (Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited) Higher Secondary School (BHEL HSS), an institution affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education and run on the pattern of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan schools. I served there for nearly twelve years, and those years turned out to be among the most formative and enriching phases of my professional and personal life. After completing my Bachelor of Library Science (B Lib Sc) studies, though even before appearing for the final examinations, I came across an advertisement for the post of Librarian at BHEL HSS and applied for it.

Technically, I did not yet possess the required qualification. However, my earlier experience, coupled with a valuable reference from a young IAS officer, J Harinarayan, then Sub-Collector of Bhadrachalam (who later retired as Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh and also served as Chairman of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority), worked in my favor. The process was further facilitated by my brother-in-law, Late Dr AP Ranga Rao (who conceptualized the 108 and 104 Ambulance Services funded by Founder of Satyam Computers B Ramalinga Raju), who was then serving as a Medical Officer at Bhadrachalam.

The interview was conducted by a distinguished panel that included Akella Achyuta Ramam (popularly known as AA Ramam), the then Financial Advisor and Chief Accounts Officer of BHEL and Chairman of the BHEL HSS Committee, along with Mrs Y Padmavathy, the Principal of the school, and a subject expert. From among twelve fully qualified candidates and one unqualified candidate, that was myself, I was selected. The selection came with a condition that I would initially be placed on a lower level and salary until I obtained the formal qualification.

I joined BHEL Higher Secondary School on First July 1974, as the first Librarian of the school, and perhaps also the last. Within days of joining, I appeared for the Library Science examinations in the second week of July. The results were declared the following month, in which I secured the second rank in the university. True to their word, the school administration granted me the Librarian’s full pay scale with effect from the date of my first examination. My salary then stood at ₹330 per month, which was only about ₹70–80 more than what I was earning in Khammam, but sufficient to make our transition to Hyderabad certain.

I had a personal friendship and was in constant touch with AA Ramam, who was a multifaceted personality, whose life was deeply intertwined with music, literature, and spirituality. As the Indian Railway Accounts Service Officer of 1948-batch, he served there for over three decades in the Finance and Accounts Department. Earlier, after completing his MSc in Physics from Andhra University, he had worked as a Lecturer at Hindu College, Masulipatnam, and as a Technical Assistant at All India Radio.

Deputed to BHEL and later absorbed there, he went on to become the founder Director of BHEL’s Management Development Institute. After his passing away, a special commemorative postal cover was released in his honor, perhaps a unique recognition among Railway Officers. I vividly remember his sharing with me his attempts to write works such as Soundarya Lahari, Sivananda Lahari, Bhaja Govindam, and Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Karavalamba Stotram, and I am certain that he accomplished much more in that spiritual and literary pursuit.

The driving force behind the remarkable success of BHEL Higher Secondary School, however, was Madam Y Padmavathy, the second Principal of the institution, but all practical purposes the first one. She possessed an outstanding academic record, with postgraduate degrees in English Literature and Economics from Madras University, along with a diploma in Educational Administration. A lifelong learner, she played a pivotal role in shaping the school during its formative years and in laying down a strong academic and administrative foundation.

I served as Librarian for twelve years, more than ten of them under Madam Padmavathy’s leadership and the remaining period under her successor, Mrs Malathi Gopalakrishnan. Under Madam Padmavathy, the school reached great heights. What I learnt there was mainly, her administrative skills, authoritative presence, and firm control over school affairs which were simply exemplary. She maintained a healthy distance between day-to-day school functioning and top management interference. Even the BHEL HSS Chairman would think twice before entering her room, though she was always courteous and dignified. The BHEL top management held her in great reverence.

She instilled a culture of discipline, academic consistency, and holistic development among students and staff alike. Alongside strong academics, the school encouraged sports, arts, cultural activities, and value-based education, which were all cherished learning experiences for me. To students and staff, she was truly a friend, philosopher, and guide, extending affection and concern with equal measure.

I fondly remember her habit of asking for the latest issue of a magazine from the library every day during her lunchtime. The BHEL HSS library subscribed to a wide range of magazines and journals of school and slightly advanced standards, in addition to regularly adding new books. The freedom she gave me in selecting books allowed me to read extensively. Those reading opportunities gradually led me to attempt writing, initially letters to editors and later full-length articles, which eventually helped shape my later career as a freelance independent journalist and (Chief) Public Relations Officer to two formidable Chief Ministers.

With her background in English literature, Madam Padmavathy subtly corrected the language of many of us. One small incident remains etched in my memory. When I once asked her, ‘Madam, can I come?’ to her Office room, she replied, ‘Yes, you can, but you may not.’ That single sentence taught me a lifelong lesson in the proper use of language (May and Can). Had such moments been compiled, they would have formed a wonderful vocabulary-building book in themselves.

Though we differed on several occasions, and sometimes quite seriously, Madam Padmavathy had a large and forgiving heart. She treated me like one of her sons and readily overlooked my mistakes. When we formed, for the first time in BHEL HSS, a staff association to fight for employee rights and terminal benefits, it caused her considerable discomfort. I played a key role in that effort along with colleagues such as David, Jaganmohan Rao, Innaiah, Nageswar Rao, Jaya, Parvati, Akka Laxmi, Usha, and other colleagues. I managed to keep the entire process concealed from her until the association was formally constituted.

Even on the evening of that day, I accompanied her home in her car without revealing a word. When she learnt of it later, she was initially furious but pardoned me almost immediately. She even wrote a long letter to my wife, humorously describing my actions as childish. In later years, her husband, AS Prakasham, an advocate by profession and a jovial person, supported the cause, which ultimately led to a High Court case that we partially won.

I had the privilege of attending Madam Padmavathy’s 86^th birthday celebrations, the Sahasra Chandra Darshanam, held at the IAS Officers’ Club, organized by her son, V Bhaskar, an IAS officer. The last time I met her was in the third week of December 2015, when I invited her to attend the Ayuta Chandi Yagam performed by KCR the Chief Minister of Telangana. She passed away on First August 2016. With tears in my eyes, I wrote an article titled ‘Friend, Philosopher and Guide: Madam Principal Y Padmavathy Is No More, which was published

During my twelve-year tenure, I witnessed the school at a crucial stage of its evolution. The library, which I managed throughout this period, became a central pillar of the school’s academic environment. To the best of my ability, I contributed to enhancing the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of students by making available a rich collection of books, magazines, journals, and reference materials, and by encouraging a strong reading culture. Even decades after I left the school, quite a good number of former students, now occupying key positions, continue to remember me and acknowledge the role the library played in their lives. 

BHEL Higher Secondary School, which made a modest beginning on First July 1964, was eventually closed, marking the end of an era. It consistently achieved cent percent results, often with distinctions and first divisions. Its alumni excelled in diverse fields such as defense services, civil services, politics, government service, medicine, engineering, law, business, information technology, and more.

Selection into the National Defense Academy (NDA) was almost an annual feature, a rare achievement for a school run by a civilian organization. Distinguished alumni include Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, former Chief of the Indian Air Force, Air Marshal B Chandra Sekhar, Group Captain Ravi Bhate, Commodore A Srinivas, Air Vice Marshal A Suresh etc. including Squadron Leader N Uttam Kumar Reddy, who later became a Minister in the erstwhile AP and Telangana Cabinet.

The magical success of BHEL HSS was the result of the academic competence, commitment, and role-model qualities of its teachers and administrators. With nearly 150 highly qualified staff members, a library of around 7000 volumes, and a vibrant tradition of morning prayer meetings featuring thought-provoking ‘Thoughts for the Day,’ the school created an atmosphere of intellectual and moral enrichment. The closure of the school marked a significant loss to the educational and cultural landscape, but its transformative legacy continues to live on through its alumni.

BHEL employees, irrespective of their position in the organizational hierarchy, treated the school as a temple of learning and never allowed personal inhibitions to interfere with disciplinary measures taken for their children’s better future. The school functioned as a true community hub, strengthening social bonds within the township. Though its doors were closed, its values and spirit endure through its alumni. For me, working at BHEL Higher Secondary School was an unforgettable experience.

It remains my ALMA MATER as well, one where I always felt like a student, continually learning, especially the English language and vocabulary from Madam Padmavathy. The daily routine during those years was physically demanding. I would wake up at 4:30 in the morning, go for a walk, complete my morning chores, and then walk for about twenty minutes to reach the bus stand to catch the 6:50 a.m. bus to BHEL. After reaching, I would wait for nearly an hour and a half for the school to open and, at the end of the day, return home around 7:00 PM.

This routine grew increasingly tedious with time. Yet, with perseverance and a sense of duty, I continued in this role for almost twelve years, gaining far more than I ever felt I was giving. Then all through it was my wife Vijayalakshmi who managed the family. This phase of my life laid a strong foundation for everything that followed, professionally, intellectually, and emotionally, and remains a source of quiet strength and gratitude. After completing a significant phase of my professional life at BHEL Higher Secondary School, destiny led me into an entirely different and intensely challenging arena, public life at the highest level of governance

Starting with assignment in Raj Bhavan, I moved from there to Chief Minister’s (PRO to CM Dr M Channareddy) Office to Handicrafts Corporation to State Government Apex Training Dr MCR HRD Institute to Center for Media Studies to Emergency Management and Training Institute, the 108 Ambulance Services to Health Management and Training Institute, the 104 Health Information Help Line to first Telangana Chief Minister’s Office as CPRO to CM KCR. 

{{From my Forthcoming Book

PROFESSIONS, CHECKERED CAREER, AND LESSONS

(From Librarian to CPRO to CM KCR)

A Journey from Khangi School to Center for Excellence}}