HYDERABAD: Even at 76, Dr Subbrao Polineni works late nights on most days. But it isn’t because of his job as a doctor; it’s to stay updated on what’s happening at the Sri Sarada Niketan Public School — a K-12 institute he built exclusively for orphaned children about 12 years ago.
Located thousands of kilometres away from the hand surgeon’s home in Missouri, USA, this residential school in Andhra Pradesh’s Matur area now accepts HIV positive kids too, along with those from troubled homes.
Sirisha Nagipogu is one among them. Brought to the school by sisters from a nearby church, after both her parents died, the 14-year-old says the school has given her two things — new friends and an ambition. “I want to become a dancer when I grow up,” said the class 9 student, as her classmate cheered her on.
The idea of the school, Dr Polineni says, took roots following a successful surgery.“When people praised me, it took me back to my childhood (he was born in Matur) when I was taken in by my aunt’s family after my mother passed away and my father went missing — he wasn’t very present even before that. I was eight years old and became their fifth child. But I would have ended up working in the fields had it not been for my cousin who put his foot down and insisted that I be allowed to study,” said Dr Polineni, recounting his journey from a private medical college in Karnataka to Maryland — when he cleared the Educational Council for Foreign Medical Graduates test and a hospital in Baltimore handed him a loan to travel to the US to take up the job.
“I started with no money and I understand how crippling it can be for someone who wants to get ahead in life. Through this school, I not only want to give students, who have the potential but lack the means, a chance at quality education but also help them build a corpus so that they are not dependant on anybody to get a higher education,” he added. Over the years he has invested close to $ 4 million on the institute
So, those like Akhila Potla — a class 12 student — are given a small amount every month for doing small jobs on campus. This starts from class 9. “Whatever I have earned so far has been saved by the school. Once I finish class 12 and am ready for higher studies, the trust will match my savings and add to my corpus. I can use that for my education,” said the girl who wants to be a doctor.
The school has about 200 students. Many have gone on to pursue engineering, medicine and professional courses. “Even after I am gone, I hope this school stands tall and gives children an opportunity to shine, irrespective of background,” Dr Polineni added.
