R.S. Praveen Kumar is the wind beneath the wings of students at Telangana’s social welfare hostels

As the film on Malavath Purna readies for release, the IPS officer talks about the transformation of the moribund State-owned residential schools into sought-after institutions of excellence

February 25, 2017 05:11 pm | Updated February 27, 2017 07:53 pm IST - HYDERABAD

: Indian Police Service (IPS) officers are usually portrayed on the big screen as swashbuckling heroes beating up trigger-happy roughnecks but Poorna is going to be different, based as it is on the true life story of Telangana IPS officer Dr. R.S. Praveen Kumar. Multi-faceted actor Rahul Bose plays the role of the cop who inspired the youngest girl to scale Mount Everest — the film takes its name from Malavath Purna, the daughter of tribal farm labourers who schooled at the Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TSWREIS), the residential schools for Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and underprivileged children that Dr. Kumar has transformed into talent incubators as its Secretary.

“Many had apprehensions about making students go for mountaineering, but the students were willing and more so, the girls. I wanted them to try the impossible and I wanted a girl to lead the expedition to (Mt.) Everest because they are discriminated even among the underprivileged,” explains the 49-year-old, who saw the great potential in the social welfare hostels. Dr. Kumar was looking for “icons and role models” from the TSWREIS and Poorna was raring to go, even if there were a few initial setbacks. “There were apprehensions among many quarters and I too was aware it the thin line between life and death, but the students were ready to go,” he recalls with pride.

Changing mindsets

A product of the social welfare hostel himself, Dr. Kumar hung up his uniform five years ago and volunteered to take over the moribund TSWREIS, surprising his peers and superiors alike. The hostels were in a pitiable state with few takers and funds allocated for them got reverted as they were not spent. “We had to change the mindsets, infrastructure and pedagogy. Once the intent was clear, everyone fell in line — the teachers and the taught,” he recalls. Within two years, he had transformed the once-dingy hostels into institutes of excellence and now, poor Dalit parents flock to admit their wards here, especially girls.

What Dr. Kumar did was to insist on an English-medium education, which was followed more in the breach previously. Students were motivated first through peer groups like The Hindu ’s E-Plus clubs, video lessons and counselling. Then, he unleashed the ‘10 commandments’ for his wards — “I am not inferior to anyone, I shall be the leader wherever I am, I shall do what I love and be different, I shall always think big and aim high, I shall be honest, hardworking and punctual, I shall never blame others for my failures, I shall neither beg nor cheat, I shall repay what I borrow, I shall never fear the unknown, I shall never give up.”

Students chant this every day as if to remind themselves of the tasks ahead. Soon, alumni from TSWREIS were securing admission to courses in engineering, then medicine, and private universities like the Azim Premji University (AZU), universities abroad and so on, on merit. They also began climbing mountains and learning music — one all-girls band even played for the Cyberabad Commissionerate during the Republic Day this year.

“Our aim is to make students self-confident and ensure all-round character development rather than get 100% marks,” Dr. Kumar says. ‘Summer Sumurai’ camps for select students and a host of other activities, including sports, are part of the effort.

Teachers, too, fell in line, and those who did not feel confident were encouraged via weekly peer workshops and training at reputed institutions like the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), the State Council of Educational Research and Training ( SCERT) , and voluntary agencies.

Full circle

Word spread and parents began showing up in such large numbers that from 4,000 vacant seats, TSWREIS received more than 1.5 lakh applications for 20,000 seats last year! There are 40,600 seats now available from Classes 5 to 12.

Himself born to poor Dalit parents in the Alampur village of the Gadwal district, Dr. Kumar saw discrimination at close quarters and is clear that education is the way out of the rut of poverty. “I wanted to help people like me. I see a generation of students from under-privileged communities studying in hostels, doing well and showing the light to future generations, as Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has sanctioned whatever we sought and more,” he says.

Does he miss policing? “I learnt management and execution as an IPS officer. I love my uniform and still go for bandobust duties. Here is also a chance to create more AIS (All India Services) officers,” he smiles. He looks forward to watching the premiere of Poorna with President Pranab Mukherjee at the Rashtrapati Bhavan soon, before the film is released nationwide.

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