Page 12 - Demo

As time passed and the polity, society and economy transformed, my father felt that he needed to be able to mould himself and the family's outlook to take on a fresh set of responsibilities. The days of states and estates were over through legislation. He had at his disposal vast tracts of lands and buildings that could be used as financial and physical capital to build social capital in order to further education in the erstwhile Samasthanam. The Maharaja Alak Narayan Society of Arts and Science (MANSAS) was formed in memory of his father, a man he loved and respected deeply.Swami Jnanananda guided my father in this endeavour. They both felt strongly for the need to set aside feudal and colonial traditions. The need of the hour was to channelize the energy around the house of Vizianagaram to build this education trust. The same spirit of endurance and perseverance that helped build the samasthanam, would now find its outlet in institutions that would better the future generations.Around the time of the Chinese aggression, Sainik Schools were conceived to help remove regional and class imbalances in the officer cadre of the defence services. My father donated the Korukonda palace to the Ministry of Defence, in the name of his uncle Sir Vizzy. Over the years the school has been a source of pride for the nation by grooming top officers in the military as well as distinguished alumni in civil society. One of the projects that my father took up, and which is my favourite, was the Simhachalam boarding house. He transferred land to the Simhachalam temple to fund meals for children who study in institutions founded by the family. Every now and then I meet people who walk up to me expressing 2