PROFESSIONS, CHECKERED CAREER, AND LESSONS-PART TWO (From Librarian to CPRO to CM KCR) ....... A Journey from Khangi School to Center for Excellence : Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao

 PROFESSIONS, CHECKERED CAREER, 

AND LESSONS-PART TWO

(From Librarian to CPRO to CM KCR)

A Journey from Khangi School to

Center for Excellence

Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao

Prefatory Note

{These reflections arise from close observation and lived experience during a defining phase in the history of Telangana. They are offered with deep respect for Kalvakuntla Chandrashekhar Rao—a leader of rare intellectual depth, political courage, and unwavering commitment to the idea of Telangana. What follows is not merely recollection, but an attempt to record how vision, resolve, and governance converged to shape a people’s destiny.

While this narrative draws upon a professional journey that spans eleven organizations and multiple institutional settings, it consciously begins with the final and most consequential phase of that journey. A brief reference to my academic formation is included at the outset only to provide essential context, before the account moves directly into the concluding chapter of my professional life.}

Before assuming charge as Chief Public Relations Officer to the first Chief Minister of the newly formed State of Telangana, K Chandrashekhar Rao, my professional life had already entered a phase that ran parallel to, and often intersected with, history in the making. This phase was neither sudden nor accidental. It evolved organically over decades, rooted in reading, writing, public communication, and sustained engagement with political and social currents.

My parallel career as an independent journalist began modestly in the second half of the 1970s while I was working as Librarian at BHEL Higher Secondary School. My deep reading habits, professional discipline as a librarian, and voluntary assumption of Public Relations responsibilities wherever I worked gradually exposed me to diverse, interconnected domains of public life. Writing followed reading quite naturally. I began by sending letters to editors, experiencing the quiet thrill of seeing my name in print. Encouraged by this response, I moved on to writing articles in both English and Telugu.

A decisive turn came through the support of my cousin and schoolmate, Bhandaru Srinivasa Rao, then Correspondent at the All-India Radio (AIR) News Unit, and his senior colleague Akiri Ramakrishna Rao. With their guidance, I began associating with AIR, initially with the News Unit and later with other programs. I was further encouraged by VV Sastry, who rose from Assistant Director to Station Director, and by Dr P Madhusudan Rao, who later retired as Director of Doordarsan Kendra, Hyderabad. Over time, there was scarcely a program format at AIR in which I did not participate. Apart from the professional satisfaction, this association also provided a modest additional income.

While still serving at BHEL Higher Secondary School, and guided by Dr AP. Ranga Rao who was none other than my wife’s own brother or my brother-in-law, I took a more institutional step in journalism by founding a bilingual news feature service, National Information Services (NIS), in 1983. Registered as a Society, NIS had senior IAS officer Jandhyala Harinarayan as its President and Dr AP Ranga Rao as its Secretary, with a small executive committee.

Veteran journalist G Krishna agreed to serve as Editor, while journalism student P Ramesh and I worked as correspondents. Our articles were widely published and well received. In due course, the Government of Andhra Pradesh granted accreditation to all three of us, a facility I continue to enjoy even today. I also became a member of the Hyderabad Press Club during this period. Later, after I joined Raj Bhavan, Governor Kumud Ben Joshi graciously consented to become the Honorary Advisor of NIS.

This background, combined with my experience as PRO to Chief Minister Dr Marri Channa Reddy in 1989-90 and my subsequent role at the Dr MCR HRD Institute, widened my engagement beyond print journalism into broader public communication. I started getting more and more exposures as an independent and freelance journalist. A significant milestone in this journey was the emergence of TV9 Telugu, one of the earliest 24-hour Telugu news channels, which formally went on air in February 2004.

At a time when continuous regional-language television news was still evolving, TV9 played a pioneering role in reshaping Telugu news consumption. Its founding CEO, Ravi Prakash, articulated a vision of fast-paced, socially relevant journalism, with particular emphasis on youth and women audiences. TV9’s early growth was aided by major political events, which provided the channel an opportunity to demonstrate its dexterity and on-ground reporting strength. TV9 began steadily to build credibility and visibility across the state. My daughter, Prema Malini Vanam, joined the channel even before it went on air, beginning her career in Delhi before moving to Hyderabad.

Among TV9’s early innovations was the live morning program News Watch, the first of its kind in Telugu television. Instead of merely reading headlines, the program critically examined how newspapers reported events, offering interpretation, comparison, and analysis. Through in-depth discussion of print media narratives, TV9 set a new benchmark for analytical journalism in Telugu television and significantly influenced morning news consumption habits.

I was among the earliest guests invited to participate in News Watch, and my maiden appearance marked the first time I was addressed on television as a ‘Senior Journalist,’ a description that stayed with me thereafter. Having associated with this formative phase of TV9, it remained a meaningful professional experience. For nearly a decade until June 2014, when I joined CMO as CPRO to CM KCR, for 10 years, I appeared regularly as a political analyst across almost all Telugu news channels that emerged during that period.

Meanwhile, history itself took a dramatic turn. During my stay in San Francisco from late September 2009 to late March 2010, following termination of my EMRI assignment, Andhra Pradesh witnessed unprecedented political developments triggered by the sudden demise of Chief Minister Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy in a helicopter crash on September 2, 2009. Ironically, I had met him just the previous afternoon at the MCR HRD Institute, where I was conducting a training program as guest faculty.

In the run-up to the 2004 Assembly and Parliamentary elections, the Congress Party, led in the state by Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy (YSR), and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), led by K Chandrashekhar Rao, entered into an electoral alliance with an understanding to consider the long-pending demand for a separate Telangana State. However, after assuming office, YSR categorically stated in April 2006 that Andhra Pradesh would remain a united state. This position marked the first major rupture in expectations.

Three years later, in February 2009, the State Government declared that it had no objection in principle to the formation of Telangana and that the time had come to move forward decisively, though without clarity on the path ahead. As the 2009 General Elections approached, Telangana emerged as a central political issue. Almost all major parties publicly supported the formation of the new state. The BJP announced that it would create Telangana if voted to power.

The Congress reiterated its commitment, though with qualifications. The Telugu Desam Party promised to work towards statehood. TRS, TDP, and other parties formed alliances to defeat the Congress. Despite this, the Congress returned to power both at the Centre and in the State. In Telangana region, it won 50 of the 119 Assembly seats and 12 of the 17 Lok Sabha seats, while TRS secured only 10 Assembly seats out of the 45 it contested and two parliamentary seats.

The sudden demise of YSR in a helicopter crash on September 2, 2009 created a leadership vacuum within the Congress and a wider political uncertainty in the state. KCR seized this moment to re-energize the Telangana movement. On November 29, 2009, he launched a fast-unto-death demanding the formation of a separate Telangana State. His arrest intensified public reaction. Student organizations, employee unions, and a wide spectrum of social groups joined the agitation, and almost all major opposition parties extended their support to the cause.

On December 9, 2009, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram announced that the Government of India would initiate the process of forming a separate Telangana State, subject to a resolution being passed by the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly. KCR ended his eleven-day fast following this announcement. However, within weeks, the political climate shifted once again. On December 23, 2009, the Union Government stated that no further action on Telangana would be taken until a consensus was reached among all political parties, triggering renewed protests and deepening public distrust.

What followed was an unprecedented and prolonged phase of mass mobilization. From December 2009 until the passage of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Bill in February 2014, the state witnessed general strikes, large-scale resignations by legislators, the formation of the Joint Action Committee (JAC), rallies, hunger strikes, relay fasts, peaceful agitations, tragic suicides, a 500-kilometre human chain, million march, non-cooperation movements, Sakala Janula Samme involving all sections of society, road and rail blockades, the Telangana March in Hyderabad, the Chalo Assembly program, and countless other forms of protest.

The Srikrishna Committee was constituted during this period, but its ambiguous report only intensified the agitation rather than resolving it. These sustained movements culminated in a decisive political shift. On July 30, 2013, the Congress Working Committee unanimously resolved to create Telangana. This was followed by fresh agitations in the Seemandhra region, popularly known as the Samaikya Andhra movement.

On October 3, 2013, the Union Cabinet approved the creation of Telangana and constituted a Group of Ministers, headed by Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, to address issues relating to Telangana and the residual Andhra Pradesh. After a series of deliberations, the draft Telangana Formation Bill was sent to the President of India on December 6, 2013, who in turn referred it to the Andhra Pradesh Assembly for eliciting its views. The Bill was introduced in the State Assembly on December 16, 2013, amidst unprecedented disruptions.

After extending the deadline for the Assembly’s views, the Speaker announced on January 30, 2014 that the debate had concluded and that the Assembly had rejected the Bill. Thereafter, the Group of Ministers cleared the Bill on February 4, the Union Cabinet approved it on February 7, and it was introduced in the Lok Sabha on February 13. Parliament passed the Bill in the Lok Sabha on February 18 and in the Rajya Sabha on February 20, 2014. The President gave his assent on March 1, and on March 4, 2014, the Government of India formally declared June 2, 2014 as the Telangana Formation Day.

Throughout this entire phase, even while serving as Consultant with HMRI after my return from the USA, I remained an active and vocal supporter of Telangana statehood. I participated in television debates, wrote articles and blog posts, and publicly articulated my views, often facing criticism but also receiving appreciation. In the process, though not through frequent personal interaction, I came to the attention of K Chandrashekhar Rao. On several occasions, while watching panel discussions in which I participated, he intervened live to support and elaborate upon my analysis.

Once, after I wrote an article in Andhra Jyothi questioning the relevance of repeated all-party meetings, he personally called to congratulate me. My first substantive personal interaction with KCR occurred in early August 2013, when he addressed a marathon press conference at Hotel Taj Krishna. Invited at his instance, I posed a question after the briefing. Before answering, he publicly acknowledged my consistent support for the Telangana cause, a moment that left me deeply moved. After the press meet, he held my hand and took me to a small lunch table with only a handful of journalists.

Subsequently, after the Telangana Bill was passed and during his stay in Delhi, I spoke to him over the phone to convey my congratulations. When debates arose over whether TRS should contest the 2014 elections alone or in alliance with the Congress, I met him for the first time at his Nandinagar residence and expressed my views, fully agreeing with his decision to go it alone.

After the TRS secured a decisive mandate in both the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, and before his swearing-in on June 2, 2014, I met KCR again at Nandinagar, facilitated by J Santosh Kumar. I made no request of any kind. Before I left, he enquired about my journalistic background. I clarified that though often described as a senior journalist, I had never worked formally for any media organization, but had served as PRO to Dr Marri Channa Reddy during his second term as Chief Minister, and worked closely with Governor Kumud Ben Joshi. I also briefly mentioned my wider political contacts.

I attended his swearing-in ceremony at Raj Bhavan on June 2, 2014, upon a special invitation, though I did not meet him there. The invitation was sent to me through his close confidante, and a contemporary historian especially on Telangana including phases of moments.  For the next two weeks, there was no communication. Meanwhile, I continued to work for HMRI and had been on trips to Tirumala once.

On June 16, 2014, while returning from my native village after temple visits, I received a call from Santosh Kumar, who connected me to KCR. He informed me that I would be his Chief Public Relations Officer and asked me to come for lunch. That afternoon, he took me in his car to the Secretariat, introduced me to his office and security, and instructed his Principal Secretary, S Narsing Rao, whom I personally knew, to issue appointment orders.

Formal orders came into effect on June 19, 2014. Thus began my tenure as the first Chief Public Relations Officer to the first Chief Minister of Telangana, a role I continued uninterrupted for 114 months until December 3, 2023, marking a record in that position. Including my earlier tenure as PRO to Dr Marri Channa Reddy, my total service as PRO/CPRO to Chief Ministers amounted to 126 months. Initially I was paid a monthly remuneration of Rs 80,000, few months after increased to Rs 1,00,000, and four years later without even a request from me, KCR enhanced by Rs 1,50,000.

This twelfth phase did not represent a rupture from my earlier journey, but its culmination, a convergence of public communication, journalism, institutional experience, and lived history. The experiential dimensions of this phase, still unfolding at the time of writing, form the substance of the chapters that follow.