Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Feb 18: Renowned educationist and philanthropic entrepreneur Dr CA A Raghavendra Rao passed away on Tuesday, February 17, at the age of 88.
Raghavendra Rao was the founder, chairman and chief patron of the A Shama Rao Foundation, established with the vision of imparting quality and sustainable education to all. Under the foundation, the Srinivas Group of Colleges emerged as a major educational initiative dedicated to societal transformation through education.
Born on October 16, 1937, at Benagal in Pejamangore village of Udupi to late A Shama Rao and late Indiramma, he completed his schooling at SVS Elementary School, Innanje and SVH High School, and graduated in Commerce from MGM College, Udupi, before pursuing Chartered Accountancy in Mangaluru.
He began his independent practice as a chartered accountant in 1965 at Felix Pai Bazaar, Mangaluru, and later became the senior partner of M/S Raghavendra Chartered Accountants, which grew to have multiple branches and a large workforce. He was also elected to the Southern India Regional Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and served in key roles including chairman of the CA Students Association and secretary of SIRC.
A prominent figure in commerce and industry, he served as secretary (1983-84), vice-president (1984-85) and president (1985-87) of the Canara Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and held several advisory and committee positions at the regional and state levels.
In 1988, he founded the A Shama Rao Foundation and established Srinivas College of Hotel Management with just seven students, followed by Srinivas College of Physiotherapy in 1993 and several other institutions in diverse fields, laying the foundation for a large network of professional and higher education colleges.
Apart from education, he also set up the three-star vegetarian Hotel Srinivas in 1980, which was later classified as a three-star pure vegetarian hotel by the Union tourism ministry, the first of its kind in Karnataka.
He received several honours, including the Karnataka Rajyotsava District Award (2004), Chitrabharathi Award for contribution to education, and the SIRC Diamond Jubilee Award, among others.
He is survived by his wife Vijayalaxmi, daughter Padmini, son Srinivas, and four grandchildren.