Will equip the needy with knowledge, skills for self-sufficiency: philanthropist Sudha Reddy

Businesswoman and philanthropist Sudha Reddy believes in the proverb: “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime”.

The director of Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Ltd. (MEIL) and Chairperson of SR Foundation, which has been actively involved in welfare programmes focussing on the well-being of women and children, spoke to The Hindu recently at Dokiparru village in Krishna district.

She said the SR Foundation and MEIL Foundation would actively participate in the State government’s ‘P4’ initiative. “But no freebies. We will equip the needy sections with the knowledge, skills and tools to become self-sufficient, rather than simply providing for their immediate needs,” she clarified.

Explaining the Foundation’s outreach to various sections in the society, she spoke about the long-term sustainable initiatives in the areas of healthcare and education of women and children, besides steps to uplift their families. “We have built hospitals, schools and Bharosa centres for women,” she said. Currently active mostly in south India, the Foundation would soon expand to other parts of India.

Ms. Reddy said at Dokiparru, the Foundation had been reaching out to the needy families, offering them practical guidance and providing them the necessary resources to succeed independently. “Instead of giving free food, we facilitate loans and tools, creating opportunities for employment so people lead a responsible and independent life,” she said, adding that the Foundation provided cattle or shops to the widows of farmers who died by suicide so they could run their families independently.

Pink Power Run in AP in 2026

The SR Foundation, in association with MEIL Foundation, is organising the second edition of the ‘Pink Power Run’ to raise awareness about breast cancer, on September 28 in Hyderabad, with the tagline “Stride and Shine”. Miss World 2025 Opal Suchata Chungsri will also participate in the run.

Ms. Reddy plans to shift the venue of the run to Andhra Pradesh next year. “The 2026 ‘Pink Power Run’ will be held either in Vijayawada or Visakhapatnam,” she said.

Met Gala in New York

An avid connoisseur of art, fashion, and the finer things in life, Ms. Sudha Reddy last year appeared at the Met Gala wearing a 180-carat diamond necklace and an ivory silk gown designed by Tarun Tahiliani, realised by a team of 80 artisans over 4,500 man-hours.

In May this year, Ms. Reddy, who was recently named Global Ambassador for the Miss World Organisation, opened the doors to her Hyderabad residence for the Miss World 2025 Beauty With a Purpose Gala. “I am looking forward to attending the 2026 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City,” she said.