An act of kindness, no matter how small, is never wasted. Postman R. Ramachandra Rao lives by this lofty maxim.
A modest grade of a postman has never been a barrier for him to rise to the dire needs of the less privileged people around him.
The headmaster of the S.B.S.R.K. Girls High School at Gandhinagar was pleasantly surprised when Mr. Rao approached him expressing his desire to help a few students in his small way. He distributed school bags, uniforms, books and other stationary material to eight students. “I told the students to wait for a few more days to get their uniforms stitched as I needed little more time to mobilise money for it,” he says in a matter-of-fact way.
Earlier, in a similar gesture, Mr. Rao extended help to Ch. Yesubabu, a boy from Singhnagar, who was born with a hole in his heart. “I gave him clothes, bedsheets and a small amount of money,” he says.
A dwarf boy pursuing a degree course in SRR & CVR Government Degree College also attracted his attention. In yet another similar case, responding to a newspaper advertisement by a mother seeking financial help for treatment of her young son suffering from a bone-related ailment, Mr. Rao promptly contributed his mite.
Winner of the Dak Seva Award from Andhra Pradesh last year, Mr. Rao earlier made news for wearing his loyalty to his Department on his sleeve.
In open display of his loyalty to the Department of Posts, he moves around in his uniform, riding a red bicycle. The cycle is equipped with a red bag and a red colour box affixed to the rear. “Even my water bottle and lunch box are also red in colour,” he informs, pointing to the two articles.
A native of Kothapalem village under Muthukur mandal in Nellore district, Mr. Rao came to this city in 1974 and discontinued his studies after he failed in SSC exams and managed to find himself a menial job.
He also has a rare achievement. The Department of Posts, Vijayawada, has released an exclusive postcard with his photograph printed on it.
“My retirement date is due next year. But I don’t want to stop so early,” he says.
