It was a God given opportunity for me to work under the leadership of Dr T S R Prasada Rao during 1996-1998 in the Indian Institute of Petroleum, DehraDun. For the first time in my service I left Hyderabad and went to DehraDun with all ifs and buts whether to continue my job or take voluntary retirement since I was never away from my family and Hyderabad.
The day I joined, Dr Prasada Rao who was the Director of IIP, DehraDun where I was posted was on tour and I met his deputy, Mr Singhal. It was still a big question mark in my mind whether or not I should continue there.
After two days I was called to the Director’s chamber and there I found a very handsome personality in late fifties, smiling face and an attractive posture which forced me to fold my hands and salute him with baddhanjali. He opened the right drawer of his table looked into it and (there will be always a photograph of Lord Venkateshwara in the drawer) a fragrance of sandal was coming out and then shook hands and invited me as if we were known to each other for decades. This incident changed my mind and I decided to continue in DehraDun. I had a wonderful time and could learn many things from him in terms of behavior, thinking, leading a team, strategic approach, giving a helping hand and being kind to others.
I would like to narrate two incidents which are classic examples of his kind heart. There was an accident involving a VIKRAM (a seven seater vehicle) in which one Research Associate lost her life and when we reached Doon Hospital to see the demised we also found another girl, an outsourced employee of IIP who was also involved in the same accident and fighting for life. I called Dr. Prasada Rao and explained the position of the girl and told him that she is an outsourced employee and we cannot help her officially. He said you take a bold decision to save her life first and then leave the rest to me. The girl is still working in IIP who was given life by Dr. Rao.
The second incident is that he promised to bring out Mohakampur people from darkness in the night when they come out of the village to the main road and promised that to them on 15th August. I said that we cannot provide street lights to them from the Government grant. He said we will not fix in the village but we will fix them to our compound wall facing the village and they are still giving the lighting to the panthers on the Mohakampur Road.
Incidentally I cannot forget his several other gestures such as share the little tiffin like upma etc. in the evening which Madam used to send him every day.
Dr Prasada Rao, a man of great wisdom, a man of kind heart, a man of human values, a man who believed in God lives in our hearts permanently and that is why he was a legend.
– B Jagannath Acharyulu, Former Finance & Accounts Officer, Indian Institute of Petroleum