Like any other superhero, D. Prakash Rao leads a life of delightful duplicity. Undercover, he is a
chai-wala. His super power? Making sure that the children of slum dwellers are not denied a proper education.
As a child, Rao used to love studying, but his father believed that education would get him nowhere — that the safe choice would be to continue working at the chai stall.
![chaiwala school odisha]()
Since 1976, that is exactly what Rao has been doing.
But he didn't let go of his dreams of learning, and struck upon a wonderful way of righting a wrong. Denied the option to finish school as a child, Rao today runs a school with the money he makes from selling tea — his only source of income.
70 underprivileged children study in the school that runs from nursery till Class 3, after which he enrols them in a government school.
When he realised that some students weren't able to do well in class because they were poorly nourished, he began giving each of them a glass of milk along with biscuits every day.
![chaiwala school orissa]()
When Rao, who is the father of two grown daughters, speaks about his children — both biological and the ones in his school — his face lights up.
But educating children is not all he does.
Watch this video, where he speaks about his full life and his amazing mission:
[embedvideo id="oo3HoOUe8vs" website="youtube"]
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Since 1976, that is exactly what Rao has been doing.
But he didn't let go of his dreams of learning, and struck upon a wonderful way of righting a wrong. Denied the option to finish school as a child, Rao today runs a school with the money he makes from selling tea — his only source of income.
When Rao, who is the father of two grown daughters, speaks about his children — both biological and the ones in his school — his face lights up.