Director- 'Industry Solutions at Microsoft India and Vidya Bharati Alumni, Sri Vishnu Murthy Bhavaraju talks about how through his initiative, he aims to serve society

Sri Vishnu Murthy Bhavaraju, is an alumni of Vijnana Bharati and presently located in Hyderabad. He is not only a successful professional, but an avid social worker as well. Recently he shared his thoughts via an interview, whose brief account has been given below:  

Interviewer: Please share with us details about your academic and professional journey so far.  

Mr. Bhavaraju : I did my schooling in Vijnana Bharati (a Vidya Bharati school in Visakhapatnam) and then did my 12th and BSc in government college. Further I completed my MCA from Andhra University Engineering College and joined the IT industry. Later I also did an Executive MBAdegree from IIM Bangalore. In my long career, I have worked for companies like TCS and Oracle. Currently I am working as Director in Industry Solutions at Microsoft India.

Interviewer: What made you choose your current profession? 

Mr. Bhavaraju : As any other young aspirant coming from a lower middle class, I chose to join the IT industry as it offered a lucrative and wide range of career options. But ever since I took up this career, I always chose to work in projects which were close to my heart rather than what was popular in the industry. When you like your work, it helps to remain motivated every day.

Interviewer: What suggestion would you give to any Vidya Bharati student who wants to follow a similar career path?

Mr. Bhavaraju : Those who work in the IT industry are known as knowledge workers. The work involves a lot of problem solving. So just like you do yoga or other exercises to keep your body fit, give regular exercises to your mind. Practice your mathematics regularly. Solve different kinds of puzzles. If possible, learn some basic computer courses and try to identify what interests you. Moreover, IT industry is not just about coding or programming, it is very vast. You can always find work that you would like – you could do well in Finance, Marketing, Sales etc within the IT Industry. If you are good in Statistics, you could become a data scientist or an expert in Artificial Intelligence. If you are good with Physics, you could become an Electronics specialist. If you are good in Biology, you could become an expert in Bioinformatics. There is something for everyone. 

Interviewer: Please tell us about your family?  

Mr. Bhavaraju : My father used to work in Railways. My mother is a matriculate and a homemaker. After she crossed 50 years of age, she learnt Astrology and has been practicing astrology for more than 25 years now. My brothers are in government service and my sister runs a music school. My wife is also in the IT industry. I have two daughters and they are in high school now.

Interviewer: Are you associated with any social services? If yes kindly give details 

Mr. Bhavaraju : The work that is closest to my heart is to help people become their best. I did courses in Psychological and Career Counselling. I am a co-founder of Phone-A-Counsellor, a free counselling help-line that provides free counselling services. I also conduct free Upanishads classes for school children.

Interviewer: How did your school impact your life and how was your experience? 

Mr. Bhavaraju : Education is a lifelong journey and schooling is the foundation of that journey. I always feel that I was fortunate to have gotten my foundation laid in a Vidya Bharati school. My school inculcated the right education, right discipline and right values at an early stage, which I hold very dear even today. It was a perfect mix of modern education and cultural values. Apart from imparting scientific education, through stories, games and other cultural activities, my school taught me that there is no alternate to hard work and teamwork. The everyday prayer in the school “saha naavavatu, saha nau bhunaktu…” still reminds me everyday how we should approach our learning. The Bhagavad Gita and Upanishad lessons that we learnt in school, still form the guiding light for my life. I completed my schooling 30 years ago. But I still remember names of every teacher from my school and I will always remain grateful to my school and to all my teachers.

Interviewer: Would you like to give any message to Vidya Bharati students or Vidya Bharati in general? 

Mr. Bhavaraju : To Vidya Bharati students – you are studying in one of the best educational institutions. Enjoy every moment, every day of your school life. These are the best times in life. Be very aspirational. Be your best. But don’t take stress. Don’t compare yourselves with anyone else. As you grow, what matters the most are your attitude towards learning, your attitude towards work and your attitude towards others. If you keep the right attitude and remain humble, nothing in the world can stop you from becoming your best.

To Vidya Bharati organization – you are doing the noblest work on earth, making good education affordable and accessible to crores of students. May you continue to light the light of right education in the lives of many more.

Vidya Bharati thanks Sri Vishnu Murthy Bhavaraju for taking out time and sharing his inspirational thoughts with the community.

If you are a Vidya Bharati alumni and associated with any kind of social work, kindly fill your details at https://www.vidyabharatialumni.org/social-service-survey

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