IAS…the top service is a distant dream for many students of even English medium. It is a hard nut to crack even for the youngsters of affluent families. But it was cakewalk for Ronanki Gopalakirshna who secured the third rank in the Civil Services Examination-2016.
Mr. Gopalakrishna’s victory is not confined to making it to the IAS. He proved that Telugu medium and distance education, poverty and social boycott of his family for 25 years could not affect his determination.
Source of inspiration
The single-minded aim paid rich dividends and inspired thousands of youngsters of the backward Srikakulam district.
Mr. Gopala Krishna’s story with its many twists is perfectly suitable for a movie.
His parents Apparao and Rukminamma were agriculture labourers in Parasamba village of Palasa mandal, 70 km away from Srikakulam town. The parents who attended a marriage in a Dalit family had been facing social boycott for the last 25 years.
Mr. Gopala Krishna, his elder brother Kodanda Rao and sister Urvasi also faced the problem. His parents used to fight against grabbing of village land (Grama kanthams) leading to tension with the rich sections in the village.
Mr. Gopala Krishna, who used to walk 4 km daily to complete his schooling in Parasamba and Brahmanatarla villages, cleared Intermediate from the Palasa junior college.
Later, he did Teacher Training Course in Doobacharla of West Godavari district and joined as a government teacher in Regulapadu village of the Palasa mandal.
While working in the school, he completed his B.Sc. through distance education from the Maharaja College of Vizianagaram. Many relatives and friends used to discourage him when he was preparing for IAS saying it was not possible to achieve it through Telugu medium.
Telugu medium
In spite of the discouragement, he wrote the exam in 2015 but failed in the preliminary itself. However, he could achieve his goal in his second attempt. He chose Telugu literature as an optional in the mains and wrote all the papers in Telugu medium too.
Speaking to media from Hyderabad, he said the achievement was only a first step in the long journey ahead.
“My poor background and social boycott of my family had made me think big. My determination has finally helped me achieve the goal. My main aim is to help the downtrodden sections of society,” he added.
Expressing happiness, his parents hoped that his son would check land grabbing and help the poor people. It was a like a festive atmosphere in their home near Palasa.
Ministers Kala Venkata Rao, K. Atchannaidu, Collector K. Dhanunjaya Reddy and many people congratulated them. Many organisations have planned to felicitate the youngster who brought laurels to the district.
