17/06/2026
A Tribute to P.V. Satheesh
Founder, Deccan Development Society
Believing in a philosophy and not merely propagating it, but actually living it out — that is a tremendous challenge. When this is combined with vision and perfectionism, it contributes to the extraordinary journeys of many ordinary, poor Dalit women.
This story began in 1986. A journalist — more specifically, a sports journalist — travelled with his friends from Hyderabad to the areas around Zaheerabad. That journey transformed his life, and in turn, transformed the lives of Dalit women in the Zaheerabad region.
The late 1980s was a period when the Zaheerabad region had not yet broken free from the grip of the feudal system. They were already poor, Dalits, and on top of that, women — the present younger generation may not fully understand this vulnerability. But those in the age group of 50 or 60 can.
In such circumstances, working alongside poor Dalit women and contributing to their upliftment is a truly remarkable thing.
This is the story of a person who believed in just one opportunity — that intelligence is not the exclusive domain of the educated, and that ordinary women, if given a chance, can prove themselves more capable than the educated in their respective fields — and worked tirelessly toward that vision.
Milestones of Dalit Women's Empowerment
Gangwar Anjamma, a poor Dalit woman cultivating 2 acres of assigned inherited land, went on to win the prestigious Plant Genome Protector Award at the national level.
Manemma, another Dalit woman, whose life became part of the Andhra Pradesh Class 10 curriculum.
Two young women, who had dropped out of school due to their vulnerability, became India's first community radio operators.
A lonely poor woman Laxmamma rose to become a seed conservator. Under the leadership of another Dalit woman Anishamma created, a community forest (Indur) with displaced Dalith people affected by Singur dam construction.
There are so many such examples that pages would not suffice if I tried to list them all.
A Visionary Ahead of His Time
This is the story of a person who proclaimed loudly in the 1990s — long before it became mainstream — that millets farming, not the Green Revolution, is the solution to climate change and the food crisis.
In the early 1990s, in the combined Medak district, thousands of acres of assigned land allotted to Dalits by the government lay unused. This person practically demonstrated that if that land was brought under cultivation, it would provide both livelihood and food security to the people.
In 1992, when there was no MNREGA (employment guarantee scheme), under the banner of "summer work," he launched a movement through Deccan Development Society (DDS), forming sanghas (groups) with Dalit women to bring thousands of acres of unused assigned land under cultivation. He turned this into an alternative public distribution system, brought vast land under farming, and ensured food security and livelihood security.
At a time when there were no anganwadis (childcare centers), agricultural labor women faced a dilemma — take care of their children or go to work for wages. This is the story of the person who started Balavadis (childcare centers) through Deccan Development Society.
Redefining Education
He proved that education is not just books and degrees — there is an alternative. This is the story of the thinker who taught videography to 15 illiterate Dalit women and enabled them to express their thoughts visually. He brought thousands of children — who had no opportunity to study — into the mainstream education system through summer camps. Through a school called "Pachcha Saale," he gave an opportunity to hundreds of older, out-of-school individuals both Class 10 education and vocational skills useful for life.
Global Impact
Under his leadership, through the Deccan Development Society, the power of illiterate Dalit women was strongly voiced on numerous international platforms — in the UK, Canada, West Africa, East Africa, Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, France, Germany, Sweden, and Portugal.
He won the United Nations' prestigious Equator Prize and the Indian government's Nari Shakti Samman — and said these victories were not his, but belonged to the Dalit women who stood behind him.
Whether it was a rebellion against genetically modified crops, fighting against Western funding's influence on Indian agricultural research, raising the voices of ordinary farmers on climate change on international platforms — "Whose climate? Change for whom?" — the farmers' verdict thundering against agricultural policies, the battle to include millets in food policy, or returning ₹2 crore in funds that came to the organization for the sake of self-respect and dignity — all of these are deeds of a power that people like us can never match.
Periyapatna Venkata Subbaih Satheesh
Though he was a gold medalist in Mathematics and Journalism, a producer at national media like Doordarshan, and the first person in India to live broadcast sports — the upliftment of Dalit women remained the sole purpose of his life. He lived without a family of his own, with the members of Deccan Development Society as his family.
He always used to sarcastically call me — someone who could barely write 4 or 5 lines of email — an "educated illiterate." It surprises me now that I am writing 2 full pages for him.
But then... traveling with him for 25 years, sometimes falling short of his expectations, enduring his scolding — all those evenings were like a classroom experience for me.
On this June 18th, his birth anniversary, I remember you once again...
……..Suresh Kumar Challa
