If IIT is a dream, he was the dreammaker: Meet Chukka Ramaiah — the original IIT-Wallah of India

Meet Chukka Ramaiah

In the world of Indian education, especially in the Telugu states, the letters 'IIT' are often followed by one name: Ramaiah.

But who is the man behind the legend? On the surface, he is a 100-year-old freedom fighter, a mathematician, and a teacher. But dig a little deeper, and you find that Chukka Ramaiah didn't just teach for IIT; in many ways, he became IIT for countless students.

His journey is not your typical success story. It began not in a classroom, but in a jail. As a young student at Osmania University, his heart beat for the nation's freedom. He joined the struggle, fighting against social evils like untouchability a stand that even cost him his place in his own community. His passion led him to the Aurangabad Central Jail.

Prisons confined most, but they freed Ramaiah's mind. It was behind those bars that he discovered the real tools for change, books. Reading works like Jawaharlal Nehru's 'Discovery of India', he had a simple yet profound realization: true freedom comes through education. And so, a freedom fighter decided his next mission was to become a teacher.

After a full career teaching in schools, he retired, expecting a quiet life. But destiny had other plans. A handful of students, aware of his genius, approached him with a request: "Please teach us for the IIT entrance exam."

He agreed, and with that, a revolution began in Hyderabad. His principle was simple yet radical: understand the concept, don't just memorize the formula. He believed in creating thinkers, not just solvers. Word of his unique method spread like wildfire, and soon, his humble coaching class was in high demand.

The institute became famous for its almost mythical 4 AM classes. Why so early? The reason was wonderfully practical. His students, still in school, found it easier to focus before their regular classes began. This wasn't a gimmick; it was a testament to his commitment to his students' convenience.

What set Ramaiah apart was his humility. He often said that his greatest teachers were his own students. "Original thinking comes from a fresh mind," he believed, encouraging a dialogue in his classes where a student's solution could be better than the teacher's. He never attended an IIT himself, yet he mastered the art of guiding young minds to its doors, crediting his 25 batches of students for his own knowledge.

His true legacy is the living, breathing institution of engineers, innovators and thinkers he created. They are his real monuments. We celebrate the man who showed us that the greatest classrooms can be born from a sense of service, and that sometimes, a name can become synonymous with a dream itself.