Sri P. Venugopal Reddy founded Ekalavya Foundation in 2006 with a single conviction — that marginalised communities can, and should, become self-reliant. The Foundation’s earliest work was among the tribal communities of Adilabad district and covered education, health, livelihoods and agriculture. From there it has grown into 13 districts of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, reaching more than 15,000 farmers and 25,000 students every year.

“Ekalavya Foundation has been operating with the time-tested principle of solving village-level issues through the collective action of local communities, and it has been quite successful. We have established Village Development Committees in several villages and inculcated the culture of organising monthly meetings for the same. Nature has enough for our need, but not for our greed — we thought about utilising resources properly and handing them over to future generations.”

Under his leadership the Foundation has impacted 37,642 acres of land in a single stretch through its watershed programmes, and has promoted organic agriculture since 2015 to reduce the cost of cultivation and the indebtedness of farmers while enriching soil fertility. The Foundation also holds P.G.S. Regional Council status for the certification of organic farming practices.

His work in education runs along the same lines: Vidya Vahini, which identifies, felicitates and encourages good students in government schools, and Vidya Vikasam, which offers supplementary evening tuition in villages to improve the educational prospects of children who would otherwise fall behind.

Sri T. Venkata Rao chairs the Governing Body of Ekalavya Foundation.

His professional career was spent at the centre of India’s capital-market infrastructure. He headed, and was subsequently appointed Managing Director of, NSE Clearing Ltd. — formerly the National Securities Clearing Corporation Ltd. — the wholly owned subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange of India that clears, settles and guarantees the trades executed on the exchange.

As Chairman he brings that background in governance, risk management and financial accountability to the Foundation’s board, working alongside the Founder, the trustees and the advisory team to guide strategy and to safeguard the trust that donors and communities place in the organisation.

Now retired, Murthy volunteers with the Ekalavya Foundation USA Chapter, where he helps the organisation raise the funds behind its work in India.

Srinivasa Murthy Boppudi is, in essence, an electronics engineer and an IT professional. His career has taken him through India, Singapore, Australia and the United States.

He went on to lead a software business as its CEO and President, with established business units in both the USA and India.

Bala volunteers with the Ekalavya Foundation USA Chapter, where he helps the organisation raise the funds behind its work in India.

By profession, Bala Bhuvanagiri is an experienced engineering professional with over 44 years in the embedded software space. Rooted originally in Kandukur, Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh, he earned his degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from JNTU Anantapur in 1982.

His career has taken him through diverse roles in development and technical project management in India, Italy and the United States. Today he works at Samsung Semiconductors as a Project Lead, where he brings decades of industry expertise to advanced semiconductor projects. He and his family have lived in the United States for 26 years and currently reside in Dublin, California.

Over the years he has learned that continuous learning is essential, both in engineering and in personal growth. To keep his mind active he reads technical literature alongside spiritual books that offer broader life perspectives. He also has a strong artistic side, and loves immersing himself in Telugu literature and Carnatic music. Family and community form the core of his personal life, and he cherishes attending religious and cultural gatherings together.