Kotapati Murahari Rao

Kotapati Murahari Rao (23 December 1933 – 24 November 2011) was an Indian philanthropist, humanist, rationalist, agriculturist, and business magnate. He was involved in rural development, education, and healthcare initiatives in Andhra Pradesh.

Kotapati Murahari Rao
Born	Kotapati Murahari Rao (1933-12-23)23 December 1933 Gudavalli, Repalle, Andhra Pradesh, India
Died	24 November 2011(2011-11-24) (aged 77) Hyderabad, India
Occupation(s)	Businessman, Philanthropist
Spouse	Kotapati Sarojini Devi
Children	Srilatha Sita Rama Rao Chandra latha Kamala

Early Life

Kotapati Murahari Rao was born on 23 December 1933 in the village of Gudavalli, Andhra Pradesh, to Kotapati Sitarammayya and Chandramma. He grew up in a family influenced by Gandhian principles, particularly his father's commitment to social causes. Rao completed his education at Loyola College, Madras and later studied paper technology in Pune.

Career

After briefly working as a science teacher and cooperative auditor, Rao left his government job to pursue agriculture and social work. In 1976, he established the Academy of Rural Development and Research Centre in Gudavalli, focusing on rural development. He also founded the Kaviraju Tripuraneni Ramaswamy Choudary Industrial Training Centre, which trained over 20,000 individuals.

Rao advocated for humanism and rationalism. He established a humanist centre and chaired the NGO "CEASE", which focused on eradicating child labour.

Philanthropy

Rao’s projects included: - Establishing the SIMS Hospital in Nellore, a 100-bed facility. - Donating to Kakatiya University to establish a fund for awarding gold medals to top students in English. - Supporting the Sri Rama Nayudu Vignana Jyothi Village Development Society in Medak district, which promoted education and community development.

Legacy

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