City's Entrepreneur Names a Block of his Rs 30 Crore Venture After his Professor

Hyderabad: India is known for giving a position of pre-eminence to gurus. Eklavya was always ready to do anything for his teacher. Gurus were revered, respected and feared in our olden days. The guru or teacher was considered as the sculptor who shaped the life of a student.

But, those days have gone. In an era where a lot of hue and cry is made about the lost bond of 'guru-shishya’, one incident that happened in the city proves otherwise and keeps the hopes alive. The incident proves that the bond is still intact and keeps the hopes alive.

It just happened at Sultanpur, TSIIC Industrial Park recently. Dr KRK Reddy, MD of Sri BioAesthetics proved that the bond between the student and teacher is still alive. He, in a rare gesture named, a block in the newly constructed industrial plant Sri BioAesthetics’ Integrated AgribioTech Center after his Prof Bir Bahadur, under whose guidance Dr KRK Reddy did his PhD. The block is now named “Prof Bir Bahadur Center for Microbiome and Nano Research ''. It was inaugurated by the 85 years old Prof Bir Bahadur himself.

It was a rare gesture. Naming a block in honour of a professor is something that happens very rarely these days, said industry insiders. The block was named “Prof Bir Bahadur Center for Microbiome and Nano Research ''.

“He was my teacher, who later was also a guide for my PhD at Kakatiya University in the year 1988. I did a PhD on Plant Tissue Culture. It is an honour and paying respect and gratitude to the guide who mentored my scientific career”, said KRK Reddy.

Today KRK Reddy is the founder of Sri BioAesthetics Pvt.Ltd is a Doctorate from Kakatiya University, Post-Doctoral in Plant Biotechnology from Central the University of Hyderabad.

He is also the president of BIPA (BioAgri Input Producers Association), one of the earliest BioAgri associations in the country.

Now thirty years after spending in the industry Dr KRK Reddy set up a Sri BioAesthetics’ Integrated AgribioTech Center. The facility has come up recently was set up at an investment of Rs 30 crore and is the first of its kind R&D, Production, and Service facility. It is an exclusive, multipurpose centre, set up ahead of its times with microbial technologies for agriculture. Microbial technology is the production and use of economical bacteria, yeast and viruses. It provides employment to 200 people.

Interestingly, the facility was inaugurated by scientists and all his gurus who taught KRK Reddy.

The blocks of the new facility were inaugurated by a group of Scientists and industrialists Viz Prof Bir Bahadur, Prof. Arjula Ramachandra Reddy, Former Vice Chancellor of Yogi Vemana University; Prof Appa Rao Podile, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hyderabad; Mr Vijay Rai, former MD of Rallis India; Mr Satyanarayana Gonthina and GV Subba Reddy both Vice Presidents at Coromandel International Limited.

And five professors, four from Kakatiya University and one from Hyderabad Central University who taught Dr KRK Reddy were facilitated not just by him, his wife, daughter, and son-in-law. the 500-plus audience, who were mostly from an agricultural background, were moved away by the gesture of the promoter of the venture shown towards his teachers, who taught him few decades ago.

Teaching is the only profession that teaches all professions. It is a noble profession, commented GVK Naidu, an industry insider said

It was a good practice indeed. Some of these academies were 85 years above and had difficulty walking. The professors facilitated were Prof Subash, Prof SM Reddy, Prof Vidyavati, Former Vice Chancellor, of Kakatiya University, Prof. Arjula Ramachandra Reddy, Former Vice Chancellor of Yogi Vemana University, and Prof Vir Bahadur from Kakatiya University.

'Teaching is a noble profession. If my student remembers me, name a block in my honour, it is the biggest honour for me'' said Prof Bir Bahadur. It is quite rare in these times to remember teachers and bestow such an honour, he added.

I am seeing a guru-Shinya parampara being revived here, commented Prof. Arjula Ramachandra Reddy, Former Vice Chancellor of Yogi Vemana University.

Prof Appa Rao, former Vice Chancellor of Hyderabad University said the facility was no less than any internationally renowned company. A state-of-the-art facility like this which looks partly industrial and partly academic is only seen in the Medical Sciences sector. It is very uncommon to see such a sophisticated and advanced facility in agriculture.

This centre is my dream. I waited for it for three decades. When I started a biocontrol laboratory in Hyderabad in 1993, a first of its kind in south India in the private sector, people didn’t understand it because chemicals were ruling those days.

The Indian tradition is always known for 'Matru devo bhava, 'Pitru devo bhava, 'Acharya devo bhava, and 'Atithi devo bhava which means to consider mother, father, teacher and guests as God. Seeing incidents like this in this era and time will certainly inspire many and keeps our hopes of preserving our culture alive.