Serving the needy comes naturally to this doctor

Old Bowenpally: The students at the government school in Bhudevi Nagar get piping hot food for lunch and do not miss thanking Dr Vallam Naveen, a resident of Bowenpally. A general manager at Pennar Industries, he has been taking service activities through VNR Trust named after his father, Nageswar Rao, who was a celebrated stage artiste who shared platforms with stalwarts like Nutan Prasad, Bharathi, Bhanu Prakash, Aditya.

Not just schoolchildren, even the residents in and around Old Bowenpally have benefitted from the philanthropic activities of Dr Naveen. He contributed Rs 50,000 for a bus shelter at Samtha Nagar. From running free medical camps to supplying textbooks to children, he has also distributed artificial limbs in the area. Securing 56 artificial limbs from Jaipur and fitting them to disabled in PVN Community Hall was hailed by all.

"It gives immense pleasure and satisfaction to spend a part of my income for the benefit of the poor in memory my father," he says. Residents still remember his gesture of supplying food and helping people get medicines when Alwal and surrounding areas were flooded in 1999.

"My father wanted me to help the needy and I will continue doing so," he said. Dr Naveen underwent an open heart surgery recently. He has received many awards for his social service activities, including 'Seva Bharati Puraskar' on the 70th Independence Day in New Delhi, 'Putra Ratna'given in 2019 by Hrudaya Bharati, besides a honorary doctorate by the Karnataka government virtual university and Niti Aayog. He says such honours inspire him to take more service activities with a sense of seva.