A diligent and dedicated personality, Dr. Raju ventured into construction activities and public works related projects with a very humble background. By the virtue of his excellent leadership skills, tactfulness and earnestness, he achieved mammoth success not only in the realm of construction business but also in the field of education as well. On one hand he is efficiently leading REVA University, which has acquired the distinction among the youngest educational institutes in India to have been accorded university status; on the other hand, he has been spearheading Divyasree Developers Pvt. Ltd. and has been playing an instrumental role in transforming the skylines of Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad with iconic constructions and infrastructural marvels. He also holds prominent positions and memberships in reputed intuitions across South India and is on the board of many companies in the field of infrastructure development, charitable institutions and welfare trusts.
EARNING A SEAT AT THE TABLE
When an aspiring young man from a village in Andhra Pradesh arrived in Bengaluru, little did anyone realise that he would go on to conquer and establish his architectural brilliance around the city.
Despite having received immense success, Dr. Raju was not content as he did not want to enjoy the fruits of his success alone, and was nurturing a burning desire to give back to society. Thus, he established Rukmini Educational Charitable Trust in the name of his beloved wife Late Smt. Rukmini Shyamaraju. She was an upholder of values and firmly believed in academics as the fore-runner of everything important in life. Despite having no prior experience in the field of education, Dr. Raju honoured her wish and quickly mastered the complex aspects of academic administration.
As he puts it, “When the business was at its peak in DivyaSree Developers, we were thinking of what we can give back to society. My wife, Rukmini suggested starting an educational institution but I was reluctant to start one. Later, I felt that I must fulfil her wish and decided to start the educational institution in her name. Therefore we named it as REVA which means Rukmini Educational Vision Academy.”
A firm believer of the fact that education is the foundation for development of humans and considering the youth as the wealth of the nation, he aimed at preparing well educated youth with ethical and moral values and social commitment who would become leaders of tomorrow and enable India to become the most advanced and developed country in the world. Thus, under his leadership, REVA University has emerged as a torch-bearer in the field of higher learning, moving steadily up the rankings in excellence.
CARVING AN EMPIRE OF HIS DREAMS
Dr. Raju is a man who has made his own way to the top. In fact he has built an empire of his dreams and scripted his own fate owing to his exuberance, determination and an attitude of not settling for less. Life threw numerous challenges upon him. However, he faced each one of them with élan. He undertook the biggest risk of his life by establishing DivyaSree. The commercial, residential developments and projects by DivyaSree simply offer an out-of-thisworld experience. For instance, DivyaSree Chambers is a pioneering example of one of the best commercial spaces in the country, for its smart plan, use of space, molten design and imposing structure.
Under his exemplary leadership, each project of DivyaSree was rendered with sincerity and diligence, forming a legacy and a signature that spanned decades and took roots in three major cities of the South. Starting with commercial and residential projects in Bengaluru, Dr. Raju launched it in Hyderabad and then in Chennai. His vision is reflected in all his projects that illustrate a perfect balance of art, technique and technology.
Dr. Somashekar, a friend of Dr. Raju, righly asserts, “Not only has Dr. Raju created a timeless heritage with DivyaSree Projects but also etched his name on the infrastructural history of the city of Bengaluru, having witnessed and participated in building it to what it is today.”
MAKING A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD
The overpowering philanthropic streak of Dr. Raju’s personality is explicit from the numerous humanitarian endeavours which he undertakes. He has spearheaded many social causes that directly impact civic understanding and contribute to a better society. He was felicitated by the State Election Commission for leading Jagruti Campaign to create voting awareness among people. Deeply concerned about his students, he has allotted a sizeable number of seats to aid rural students who cannot afford to pay the customary fees.
Under his leadership, REVA University is marching towards a sustainable future by going paperless during exams. He asserts, “We have started the initiative of paperless exams recently. One can digitally draw graphs, do rough work for calculations, students can take additional sheets, etc. Even the teachers can evaluate the papers digitally and the results can be out in an hour or so. In the next academic year, we plan to provide this device for all the 15,000 students on the campus to write their exams.”
As a constant facilitator of knowledge, imparting education has been his mission and the sole purpose of his life is to ensure that REVA University empowers learners with knowledge and skills that will enable them to create opportunities and build a better society. A visionary to the core, he is a builder of careers, and the one who channelizes efforts in the right direction, facilitating conversion of dreams into reality.
He is of the view that “youngsters must learn from the mistakes and not take them as failure. They should not give up for smaller mistakes.”
