Inspiration
From Paperboy To English Teacher: Story of Ravi Kumar, An Exceptional Educator From Warangal
Regardless of the difficulties in his way, Ravi Kumar was determined to become a teacher and help not just his students but anybody who came up to him
This is the story of Kasula Ravi Kumar, a resident of Narsampet town in Warangal Rural district, who overcame many hurdles like poverty to become one of the best teachers his town had seen in a long time. He received a gold medal in MA English, the second rank in EdCET and then the ‘Post Graduate Teacher (PGT)’ post at a government model school.
Ravi Kumar comes from a low-income family and his parents did not have enough to support his education. “I did several menial jobs to contribute to the little income of earned by my father, Narendra Chary, who was an autorickshaw driver, and mother Sarala Devi, a beedi roller. I worked as a paperboy and also at a telephone booth before entering the teaching profession,” Ravi Kumar told Telangana Today.
This teacher believes in a key mantra that ‘Education is the only weapon to defeat all the problems in life’ and he lives by it every day. His dedication to education for himself and others was the reason he could, regardless of the financial issues, complete his education. He joined BA in English from Dr BR Ambedkar Open University, Hyderabad, and then MA English at Nizam College of Osmania University (OU). But even after ranking second in EdCET and receiving a seat in the OU campus, Hyderabad, he preferred joining a private college in his native place since he wanted to continue with his service to students there.
So far, he has taught spoken English to nearly 2,500 students from schools and colleges. “I have distributed 2,500 copies of ‘Global English Grammar’ by publishing the book on my own. I have started LEAD (Leadership qualities, education to the poor, aim in life and development of rural youth) in 2007 and set up the LEAD Children’s Library in November this year (2020) by allocating a portion of my house. I made 6,000 books available at the library and spent almost Rs 10 lakh on books and furniture,” said Ravi Kumar.
Other than teaching Spoken English to his students, he also empowers them with the knowledge of the environment and the harm humans are inflicting on it. He also made sure of distributing supplies during the COVID lockdown to those who needed. Ravi Kumar helped over 200 families, he is not just a teacher to his students at school but a well-wisher of any and everyone he comes across.