The hundred per cent tribal-populated Devaracherla village of Chandampet mandal has 127 families, but the village has produced 55 employees so far that include one Additional Commissioner cadre officer in the Income-Tax department, two doctors, three bank officers, nine teachers and nine police officers. About 25 people from this village are working with various private organisations that include three software engineers.
A few families from Pedda Munigal village of Chandampet mandal were displaced under the Nagarjunasagar project some 50 years ago and they were rehabilitated at a colony named Devaracherla when the government had started storing water in the reservoir.
Interestingly, all these families have the same surname – Kethavath. Stating that they were descendents of Hemla Savakar, a local tribal leader lived in the area a couple of centuries ago, Mr. Lakshman Nayak said that his uncle Hanuma Nayak was a soldier in Nizam’s army, who was a motivating force behind most of the villagers since he was known for leading a decent life due to his job.
After the displacement, Venkatram Nayak, then a school-going kid, was taken to his maternal grand mother’s house in Warangal district where he completed his higher education and was also selected as Income Tax officer. He scaled many heights in his career and retired as Additional Commissioner in the department a couple of months ago.
He was the first employee from the village after the Independence and the rest is history. Inspired by Mr. Venkataram Nayak, many tribal persons pursued higher education with an aim to get employment. There were three more employees from Venkatram Nayak’s family. One of his brothers was a doctor, who died, another was an employee with LIC and his daughter-in-law is working as a teacher. Two sons of Kethavath Pandya were working as constables while his daughter-in-law is a sub-inspector with the Excise Department.
Another villager, Mr. Hemla Nayak, said that most of the families own two to three acres land on which they cultivate rain-fed crops.
The villagers came to an understanding that only education can bring them out of poverty.
Since most of the villagers were forced to travel long distances to pursue higher education, they are deprived of higher education even today. They have appealed to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to set up the first KG to PG residential institute in Chandampet to help them.
At least 20 families are living in Hyderabad just to support the education of their children. The parents are working as autorickshaw drivers or construction workers or housemaids.
