His thirst for knowledge spurred him on to complete his Masters in Law and then go on to do his PhD from Osmania University. For Vara Prasada Rao, education is important and he helps the poor obtain the same.
Those who know the value of education and who strongly believe in continued education can never give it up at any point of time even if they become cabinet ministers. The Rural Development and NREGS minister of Andhra Pradesh Dokka Manikya Vara Prasada Rao belongs to this group of people.
A prominent lawyer and rights activist in Guntur district, Vara Prasad did not give up his academic pursuance even after becoming an MLA and subsequently a minister. After completing his Masters in Law, Prasad enrolled himself as a PhD student in Osmania University under the guidance of Prof Jaya Kumar five years ago and is eager to complete his doctorate degree very soon. His topic of research is Secularism-Indian constitution. But he carries his erudition lightly. Even in dress, he is a symbol of modesty. Rao prefers to wear normal white pants and shirt all the time. If he goes out alone, nobody recognises him as a minister. “I love to dress as normally as others do and I get accepted everywhere,” he smiles through the salt and pepper foliage.
Rao started his active political career by becoming an MLA in 2004 from Thatikonda in Guntur district. He is also a vociferous fighter of Dalit rights. His name made the headlines as he played a key role in ensuring jail sentence to the accused in the sensational Chundur massacre case. “It was a memorable experience. As a lawyer, I did my bit in bringing justice to the victims and ensuring conviction for the perpetrators of the massacre.”
The first time politician in his family Manikya Varaprasada hails from a poor family and he was brought up in Scheduled Castes Colonies (Dalit a Waada). He always cherished the dream of becoming a leader.
Many people don’t know that Rao was instrumental in moulding the lives of many poor people including orphans. One of the orphan boys supported (both socially and financially) by Rao has gone on to become an alumnus of London School of Economics. The boy is now pursuing his PhD. He also was instrumental in making six students doctors.
His biggest regret in life is not being able to speak English well. He says English does not submit to him. “I tried many times but it fails.” But he is a voracious reader. He has a collection of 1,500 non-fiction books in his library at home. Whenever a new book is launched in the market, Rao makes sure that he procures a copy. “I personally go to book stores and purchase the books,” he smiles.
Personal Profile
Assembly Constituency: Thatikonda
Edu Qualification: Bsc, LLM (PhD)
Spouse name: D Emily (2 sons, 1 daughter)
Elected: Two times (2004, 2009)
Contact No. 040-23454238, 23451135
source: http://www.postnoon.com / Home> City / by Inkeshaf Ahmed / October 12th, 2012