“I came to Hyderabad in 2011 to pursue MSc Biotechnology, thinking life would move in a predictable direction. But somewhere between college, volunteering, and meeting different people, my priorities slowly began to change.
During my student days, I found myself spending more time outside classrooms than I ever expected. I became involved in social service activities like food distribution, organising blood donation drives, helping people from rural areas with limited medical access, and sometimes standing beside families during last rites when they had nobody else around. Those experiences stayed with me because they showed me how much difference simple human presence can make.
That is also how blood donation became an important part of my life. So far, I’ve donated blood 31 times. Over the years, I learned that donation is not limited to whole blood. Platelet, plasma, and white blood cell donations matter too.
Alongside this, I continued working with different NGOs, learning directly from people and situations on the ground. Through Sparsh Hospice, I became involved in palliative care, spending time with patients and families during emotionally difficult moments. Sometimes I help with basic needs, and sometimes I simply sit and listen. That experience taught me that service is not always about doing something big. Sometimes people just need someone beside them.
Writing quietly remained another important part of my life. I started with poetry inspired by people and everyday experiences. In 2019, I entered journalism and began working with a Telugu daily, reporting stories rooted in ordinary lives and realities. Over time, that writing expanded into cinema through lyrics, stories, and dialogues. I’m now also working on an upcoming web series with my friend Vivekananda Vikrant.
My interest in people and stories also led me to TORCH (Team of Research on Culture and Heritage), where I take part in awareness sessions and community discussions around preserving cultural heritage and architecture.
Even today, I stay connected to my roots in Teegul village near Gajwel through natural farming, growing vegetables, and nurturing rare plants.”
— Hanumadri Srikanth