After passing out of Hyderabad Public School (HPS), Suresh Lakhavath was heading to Delhi to attend college. It was a journey that transformed his life. Standing for 26 hours in a train completely changed his outlook.
After graduating from the University of Delhi, his determination to give it back to society eventually made him take the civil services route. After cracking the exam, the first thing he did was to adopt his hometown — Sarvapuram Thanda.
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“My village was deprived of basic needs like, drinking water, and electricity. So my first step towards a constructive journey ahead was to get electricity. Prasanth Patil (then Joint Collector) helped us greatly,” he says.
Soon, he shifted focus onto the schools. “Whenever it rained, kids would not come to school because there was no roof. So I took up the construction of a compound wall, roof and provided basic furniture so that classes were not interrupted,” he says.
Unfortunately, even an IRS officer like Suresh had to face the wrath of local politicians while laying the road. “Several local politicians obstructed me presuming I had a hidden agenda behind developing the village. None of them believed me. I was emotionally down when thinking of how to lay the road. I literally took on the local politicians. Initially, my wife Kanika Aggarwal (also an IRS officer) was worried because my health was affected. Soon, she understood my zest for the village’s development and gave me all the emotional support I needed. She stood by me like a rock and channelised my energy,” he says. With a renewed spirit, Suresh defied all odds. “Preeti Meena, Mahabubabad Collector, was instrumental in laying the road. She took action immediately. People in the village started believing in me as they could witness the transformation. We have now also constructed a few toilets in the village and are spreading the awareness about sanitation and health. The next target is to set up medical camp and RO drinking water purifiers,” he says.
A national-level athlete who won more than 250 medals, Suresh plays volleyball and football when he wants to unwind. He was a student leader throughout his academic career. In fact, he was the first south Indian and non-Hindi speaking student to be the president of student union at Sri Venkateswara College, a constituent college of the University of Delhi. Ironically, even after becoming an IRS officer, Suresh had to stand for 38 hours in the train during his journey back home.
Working for the development of his village means a lot to Suresh. “Once you contribute to your native place and give it back to your own people, the change is visible and that's the channel of development of our society needs, apart from the government support.” he says.
