This motivational speaker & IAS trainer has brought out the entire UPSC material in Braille format!

Akella Raghavendrarao could not fulfil his dream of joining the IAS, but he is determined to help other youth achieve this dream, including people who are visually impaired. In the last 18 years, Raghavendrarao has trained nearly 300 students, and most of them are placed in IAS, IPS, and other cadres.

Raghavendrarao, who is a motivational speaker and an IAS trainer, said that while teaching students, he came across many disabled aspirants, who wanted to join the Civil Services. They were unable to take the exams due to problems in commuting and dependency, so he decided to start working with them.

He said that while the government gives special reservations for disabled people, not all vacancies are filled. With the money and name he has earned over 20 years, he decided to help people with disabilities crack this tough exam.

To make it easy for disabled people to follow the syllabus, Raghavendrarao brought out a book with the entire material and notes for the examination in Braille. The first-of-its-kind book in India took nearly seven years of hard work. He took all the books and material that he thought would help for Staff Selection Commission (SSC) and UPSC exams.

All the exams have a few common subjects like history, economics, geography, Indian Constitution, and science and technology, which have reference books. Raghavendrarao took all the books, prepared the notes, and converted it into Braille. He prepared a master file, and an audio version. Everyday on the smartphone, he would upload two or three lessons which students needed to learn that day. He also talks to his students every week in gotomeeting.com which is a two-way communication.

To make it more useful to many aspirants and increase its reach, the material has also been made available on online-ias.com. All the material is in English and it is useful for all competitive exams in India. This information is available for free.

Raghavendrarao runs the Akella Raghavendra Foundation as part of his aim to bring about social change and development among youth.

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