Saga of an ordinary woman against all odds

Tirupati: This is a saga of an ordinary woman, who made extraordinary efforts to become successful in life. A 74-year-old KP Subbu Sundari of Renigunta is classic example of an ideal mother, who fought every moment of her life with a smile on her face. Coming from a Brahmin family in Nellore district, Sundari joined the Malaria department on a contract basis. There she fell in love with fellow employee Alfred, who is a Dalit. He hails from Renigunta.

Highlights:

• Hailing from Brahmin family, Subbu Sundari married Alfred at the age of 18
• Faced struggle early in life with parents deserting them and losing jobs
• Sundari joined as a teacher in private school, bought the same school and ran it successfully for more than 30 years
• She upgraded her academic qualifications from PUC to BA, BEd and MA
• All her 7 children are well-settled and one of her daughters is IAS officer
  

They both got married in 1964 at the age of 18. Parents from both sides did not accept their marriage. After two years, the couple lost their contract jobs. They were shocked and no one to support them. Alfred had convinced her to search for the livelihood in Renigunta. He secured a job in the Electricity department and she joined as a teacher in a private school for a salary of Rs 120 in 1970s. Subsequently, she bought the school for Rs 200 and changed its name as Nagarani English Medium School and with a determination she ran the school for more than three decades. It was the first English medium school in Renigunta.

Sundari studied up to PUC by the time she got married. As a school owner she had an enviable journey in adding academic qualifications to her name. She completed BA, BEd and MA in Telugu and History and also completed Visharada course in both music and literature. Until she reached the age of 55, Sundari was writing one exam or the other. She successfully upgraded the school up to tenth standard. She closed down the school after 30 years as her children settled in other professions.

On her personal front, she gave birth to seven children and nurtured them to become responsible citizens. Her first daughter was a Group-I officer and she was conferred IAS recently. Her second and last sons are journalists working with a prestigious daily. Two more sons have settled as bank employee and software engineer. Her two daughters did graduation and housewives.

Sundari told The Hans India that her husband never interfered in the family and children’s matters and gave her a free hand to do whatever she wanted to do. She followed her religion and tradition for which her husband never objected. Nurturing children is like having a glass vessel in the hands, she said. “I never felt that I have made sacrifices. My self interest is to see that my children should do well. That made me to travel till now. I hope I have succeeded in my objective,” she explained.

By V Pradeep Kumar