MSN Trust committed to edu cause

KAKINADA :  The Malladi Satyalingam Naicker (MSN) Charitable Trust, which was recently honoured with the YSR Lifetime Achievement Award by the State government, has a glorious past. The trust has been striving to promote education in a big way in the coastal region since its inception in 1915. Scientist Yellapragada Subba Rao is among the 13 students it sponsored for higher education abroad. MSN’s life is a fairy tale of rags to riches. Born into a family of modest means in a small village Korangi of East Godavari district in 1840, he became rich by doing shipping business.

He died at the age of 75 in Rangoon in 1915. MSN never forgot his roots though he became rich. He was passionate about education. MSN’s vision and largesse were amply evident in his will. He donated most of his wealth to the MSN Charitable Trust for which his adopted son Subrahmanyam Naicker was made one of the trustees.

The trust initially opened a choultry in a rented building to feed the poor and provide accommodation to students. Later, 16 hectares of land was acquired and a permanent choultry was constructed. A school was also established by the trust as per the will of MSN.

“At present, the MSN Charitable Trust is spending `8 lakh per year to provide food to 275 students and support their education. It is extending aid to school and college students,” said trust member Ponnamanda Vijay Kumar.

‘Will fulfill MSN noble aspirations’

After setting up an elementary school in 1919, the trust constructed a high school in 1946. In the same year, Andhra Polytechnic was set up in 29 acres of land. Veda Pathasala was established in 1954, junior college in 1969 and degree college in 1971. The trust also donated large tracts of land for setting up MSN Andhra University Postgraduate Centre (MSN AKNU now) at Atchempeta in 1993. 

It has donated 1,258 acres of land to various educational institutions since its inception. Some of its lands are now involved in disputes due to encroachment. “We are confident of reclaiming the lands and the trust will use those lands to promote education as envisioned by MSN. We are committed to upholding the noble aspirations with which the trust was formed more than a century ago,” Vijay Kumar asserted.