Archive · 9 Aug 2026
Orphan-turned-humanitarian Annam Srinivasa Rao: A Life of Compassion
Annam Srinivasa Rao grew up without parents and lived in an orphanage as a child.
That made him want to help people who have no one.
He started a group called the Annam Seva Foundation to take care of orphans, elderly people, and very poor people.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people were scared to touch the bodies of people who died from the virus.
Srinivasa Rao and his helpers stepped in and gave nearly 500 people a proper goodbye.
He even got sick with COVID-19 himself, along with his wife, but he kept thinking about the people he helps.
His group also helps find families for people who are lost or cannot remember who they are.
They once helped a woman reunite with her family after 14 years.
Because of his good work, his story is now taught in schools in Telangana.
Annam Srinivasa Rao, an orphan who grew up in an orphanage, founded the Annam Seva Foundation in Khammam, Telangana.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he and his volunteers performed the last rites of nearly 500 COVID-19 victims across erstwhile Khammam, Nalgonda and Warangal districts.
Both Srinivasa Rao and his wife contracted COVID-19 and were hospitalised during the pandemic.
The foundation also performs last rites for unattended bodies and traces missing persons, reuniting a woman with her family after 14 years and a man from Uttar Pradesh after six years.
His story was included in the Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education's second-year English syllabus, and he received the Global Peace Prize-2021.
- Who
- Annam Srinivasa Rao, founder of the Annam Seva Foundation and a former orphanage resident.
- What
- A profile of his humanitarian work, including performing COVID-19 victims' last rites, supporting orphans and destitute people, and reuniting missing persons with their families.
- When
- During the COVID-19 pandemic and over decades of service; his Global Peace Prize was awarded in 2021.
- Where
- Khammam (Danavaigudem) and across Telangana, India.
- Why
- His own childhood as an orphan drove him to ensure no human being is abandoned because of poverty, illness, disability or lack of family.
- Person
- Annam Srinivasa Rao
- Organisation
- Annam Seva Foundation, Danavaigudem, Khammam
- COVID-19 last rites performed
- Nearly 500 victims
- Districts covered
- Erstwhile Khammam, Nalgonda and Warangal districts
- Award
- Global Peace Prize-2021
- Academic recognition
- Story included in Telangana Board of Intermediate Education's second-year English syllabus
- Notable reunion cases
- Woman separated for 14 years; young man from Uttar Pradesh missing for 6 years