Daijiworld Media Network - Hyderabad

Hyderabad, May 27: What began as a small effort to help underprivileged children study after school has today changed the lives of hundreds of families in Hyderabad.

Every evening in Miyapur, children once gathered inside a classroom uniquely built around a converted overhead water tank. For many of them, it became the foundation for a brighter future. Several former students are now engineers and software professionals working across India with impressive salaries.

Among them is Akula Kalyani, daughter of a watchman, who studied in the modest classroom and eventually secured a software engineering job with an annual package of nearly Rs 20 lakh, according to The Better India.

The initiative was launched by Pothukuchi Srinivas, a former employee of a German company. During his free time, he volunteered at a government school, where he noticed that many students were unable to focus on studies because of poverty, lack of electricity at home and the need to work part-time jobs.

One particular incident left a lasting impact on him. A student revealed that he could not finish his homework because he spent evenings cleaning tea carts and had no electricity at home to study later. The conversation convinced Srinivas to quit his corporate career and dedicate himself fully to educating disadvantaged children.

In 2003, he established the Pothukuchi Somasundara Social Welfare and Charitable Trust in memory of his father. Initially, classes were conducted from his own house before the programme expanded into the now well-known classroom created inside a repurposed water tank.

Over the years, the trust has supported more than 1,500 students by covering expenses such as tuition fees, books, uniforms, transportation and coaching classes. It also provides safe travel arrangements for girl students attending evening sessions.

Many former students now return to mentor and support younger children. What started as a small teaching initiative has evolved into a life-changing support system for children of watchmen, domestic workers and low-income families, giving them opportunities they once believed were out of reach.