In the heartlands of Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, a farmer, Narayanappa, hailing from Mallapuram village, has not only transformed his own livelihood but has also become a beacon of hope for sustainable agriculture across India. His journey, brought to light by Hyderabad-based filmmaker and communication professional Vishy, recently earned them global recognition at the prestigious Karmaveer Chakra Award and Rex Karmaveer Chakra Fellowship function held in Faridabad, Haryana.
The Karmaveer Chakra Award is a distinguished global civilian honour presented by the international confederation of NGOs, iCONGO, in collaboration with the United Nations, recognising commitment and relentless courage in positively impacting society.
Vishy and Narayanappa making a presentation at the Karmaveer Chakra Award 2023 function held at Faridabad, Haryana, on November 27, 2023
Narayanappa’s success story revolves around the innovative ‘Any Time Money’ (ATM) model that Rythu Sadhikara Samstha (RySS) developed. This model, aimed at bringing young people back into farming, has not only garnered accolades but has also demonstrated the potential to revolutionise the entire agricultural landscape of the country.
Vishy Teki (TVVV Rao) is an alumnus of the Department of Communication at the S N School of Arts and Communication, University of Hyderabad (UoH). Vishy who studied at the UoH in 1993-95 is a film maker who has been documenting a diverse set of social issues for various campaigns organized by National and International development organizations. He is dedicated to making films that bring out stories from different nooks and corners of India, stories that would otherwise remain unheard, stories that have the power to impact both the subject and the viewer of the film. His films portray an India that does not make it into the mainstream media. With a firm belief in the power of communication for social change and using video as an effective tool, he has documented the lives of the fishing communities, persons with disabilities, HIV/AIDS positive people, unorganized labourers and dalits, migrants, conflict affected persons, children in difficult circumstances, displaced communities and farmers.
With over 20 years of experience in filmmaking, Vishy, through his videos, has been constantly striving to open up space for grassroots work with leaders of various campaign groups and organizations working for the most deprived sections of the country. His films, ‘Fishing in Troubled Waters’ and ‘Suffering in Silence’ (voices of HIV/AIDS persons) are placed by the Australian government in the National Archives as work on third world development. Vishy stood runner up for the Communication for Social Change award 2014 in the individual category instituted by Queensland University Australia, giving voice to voiceless through videos.