Papa Rao Biyyala

Last updated
B.V.P Rao
Born
Warangal, Telangana, India
Nationality Indian
Occupation(s) Film maker, Former Advisor to Govt of Telangana, Former member IAS, Home Secretary Of Assam (1994–1997) [1]

Biyyala Venkat Papa Rao (also known as B.V.P Rao ) is an Indian film maker, a sports administrator and a former member of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). His documentary short-length film Willing to Sacrifice won the National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Environment/Conservation/Preservation Film.

In March 2020, he resigned as a member of the governing body of Sports Authority of India (SAI). [2] [3] Rao is the brains behind the movement Clean Sports India which works on attempts to create a drug free sport. [4]

Rao also worked for the United Nations for seven years to build post- war Governance and Peace in Kosovo. He is currently directing and producing feature films in India. His upcoming project is titled as Music School , with Ilaiyaraaja as composer. [5]


Early Life and Education

Biyyala Venkat Papa Rao was born on 14 June 1954 in a village called Munigalavedu which currently falls in Mahububabad District in Telangana, to Biyyala Kishan Rao (Freedom Fighter) and Biyyala Anasuya Devi (Homemaker). He did his primary and middle school in Telugu medium in the Zilla Parishad High School in his birthplace, Munigalavedu. He then went onto do his high school in A.V.V High School, Warangal and further did his graduation in Bachelor of Commerce at the Arts and Science college, Warangal.

Mr. Rao further graduated in LL. B from the Osmania University, Hyderabad. He also joined the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi to do his MPhil and PHD in International Law in 1979. Unfortunately, he could not complete his PHD as he qualified for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in 1982.


Film Maker

During his various postings in Assam as an IAS officer, he was introduced to a renowned filmmaker Mr. Jahnu Barua by his dear friend Tom Alter. This was the stepping stone for Mr. Rao’s world into film making. Rao learnt the craft and grammar of film making from Mr. Barua. This helped him grow his interest and passion and further went onto to do a Diploma in Film Making from the New York Film Academy in 1996.

He then directed a documentary film called “ Willing to Sacrifice” in 1998. This award winning film is based on an individual and his community, in India. The settings are by and large enamoured on rural regions, where the denizens abide by their belief system and world views to embrace and protect wildlife and the surrounding green ambience. This film won the National Award in 2000 for the Best Environmental/Conservation Film and swept two International Awards at the Environmental Film Festival, Bratislava in 1999.

He has written five film scripts including Music School which is going on floor from September 2021. This film is being written and directed by Mr Rao himself. He is the managing director of Yamini Films Pvt Ltd in Hyderabad (www.yaminifilms.com) under which the Music School film will be launched. He is also a partner at the Barua and Rao Creations LLP under which he will be helping Mr Barua produce an International project titled “ Homing Pigeons” set in UK and Assam.

Mr. Rao kept his interest in cinema throughout his career by organising three Films Festivals in India and an International Film Festival in Kosovo.


Policy Advisor to Government of Telangana

Papa Rao Biyyala joined the Telangana Government as the Policy Advisor in the rank of a Cabinet Minister in 2014 and continued to work for the government in the same position until 2019. He played a major role in all key policy initiatives of the new government of Telangana including the policy on investments which is named as “TSI Pass”.

Before Telangana was formed, Mr. Rao did strategic work to thrash out common positions of all Telangana political parties and lobbied with key political players in Delhi to achieve Telangana statehood.

United Nations

He joined the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) as Civil Affairs Officer in 1999 to pursue peace building in post conflict areas. As a part of this mission, he worked with the Orahovac municipality to protect the Serbian minorities in the area, immediately after the war when the angry Albanians were killings the Serbs. He successfully normalized the situation in a short period of time. United Nations then promoted him onto becoming the Principal International Officer in 2000 to set up and head the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports as part of Security Council mandate to develop Self- Governing institutions in Kosovo after the war.

In this 6-year tenure from 2000 to 2006, he spearheaded a reform programme of Sports Federations of Kosovo. This programme democratized the sports associations and organized several capacity building initiatives to enhance the transparent and efficient management of sports in Kosovo. He took up the case of Kosovo with International Olympic Committee for its recognition. Kosovo won its first Gold Medal in Rio Olympic Games in 2016.

Mr. Rao also had a unique opportunity in developing the Heritage Policy and legislation of Kosovo in the after math of destruction of about 100 mosques during the war and 100 churches in Post war times. He negotiated the most difficult agreement between Orthodox Serbian Church and Albanian Muslim dominated Kosovo government on restoration of damaged cultural properties. This arrangement is still working even after Kosovo got its Independence. During this time, UNESCO nominated two monuments from Kosovo as World Heritage Sites.

Indian Administrative Service

Joined Indian Administrative Service (IAS), the premier civil service of the country in 1982. He served in many important positions like the Deputy Commissioner of Jorhat District (1991-1993) and the Home Secretary of Assam (1994-1997).

As the Deputy Commissioner of Jorhat District, he was responsible for the overall civil administration and governance of the district with a population of about 1 million. He coordinated the police and military forces at the district level in their operations against militants by constantly monitoring them to ensure protection of human rights. In 1992, he also helped the rehabilitation of about 500 families whose houses were washed away by river erosion, with an integrated approach of providing land, house building allowance, creation of infrastructure like roads, school, water and electricity creating a new village in a record time of nine months.

While he was the Home Secretary of Assam, Mr. Rao analyzed intelligence reports of the insurgency ridden state every day and advised the Chief Minister on policy and strategy of prevention of outbreak of violence and maintaining public order. They also implemented a statewide demobilization and rehabilitation program for the ex-combatants of United Liberation of Front of Assam (ULFA), Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLTF) and other militants’ groups, which provided surrender of weapons and a package of training and financing of self-employment. About 10000 ex combatants were demolished with surrender of weapons and majority of them were rehabilitated through self-employment during this period. Mr. Rao took a voluntary retirement from Indian Administrative Service in 2005 to continue his career in peace building in post conflict areas.

Sports Administrator and Reformist

Papa Rao Biyyala commonly known as Mr. B.V.P Rao among the sports industry was a sports person himself who participated in over half a dozen sports in school and college days. He also represented India in Equestrian sport. He was in the Indian Tent Pegging Team for 5 years from 1985 to 1990.

Mr. Rao worked for Sports Authority of India for five years from 1984 to 1989 during which he had conceived and implemented a major talent hunt programme called “Special Area Games” through which raw sport talent from remote and tribal areas of the country were identified and nurtured. The scheme is one of the most successful talent identifications and nurturing programmes of India, which produced several Olympians including ace archer Limba Ram. This scheme is the most successful programme of Sports Authority of India in the last three decades. His work was embodied in a film called “Quest for Gold” which was made by a Mumbai based private company called Professional Management Group. It was one of the first film that a private company made a six-part serial and telecasted on a government scheme/work.

He further did a Post Graduate Diploma in Olympic Studies at the International Olympic Academy, Greece. Through this course, he specialized in Olympics Bid Analysis. Mr. Rao along with several Olympians formed an NGO called Clean Sports India to bring transparency and accountability in Sports Associations by engaging former sports persons. This NGO also aims to promote drug free sports.

Culture Enthusiast


Heritage

As a result of his work in managing the Culture Ministry with United Nations, he had the opportunity to revamp old institutions and monuments in Kosovo established by Communist Yugoslavia into Modern Heritage Institutions with help of Council of Europe and UNESCO. With this interest and experience in heritage management, he established the Kakatiya Heritage Trust (www.kakatiyaheritagetrust.org) along with Prof.Pandu Ranga Rao to promote the Heritage of Kakatiya’s, the dynasty which ruled Telangana for many hundred years. The Trust has been very active in heritage education and brought out several publications on Kakatiya’s history and heritage. They have also deeply engaged in bringing the “Ramappa Temple”, one of the most iconic monuments of the Kakatiya’s as India’s candidature for World Heritage Site for 2020. Additionally, he is the Director in the Deccan Heritage Trust.


Art

Papa Rao Biyyala along with few other artists and art enthusiasts founded a trust called Art @ Telangana (www.artattelangana.org) which aims to promote art and artists of Telangana region. The trust brought out a high-quality coffee table booked titled “Art @ Telangana” which features 100 years of art and history and the work of 150 artists in Telangana. They also have conducted several art camps over the last few years.

Other educational qualifications

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<i>Music School</i> (film) 2023 Indian film

Music School is an upcoming Indian musical film made in Telugu and Hindi languages written and directed by Papa Rao Biyyala, starring Shriya Saran, Prakash Raj, Sharman Joshi, Ozu Barua and Gracy Goswami in important roles. The principal photography of the film started on 15 November 2021. The film has 12 songs, with 9 of them composed by Maestro Ilaiyaraaja.

References

  1. ↑ "Telangana Government Advisors". The Hindu. 4 June 2014.
  2. ↑ "BVP Rao resigns from SAI". The Hindu. 1 May 2019.
  3. ↑ "BVP Rao opposes the SAG-STC Merger?". The Hindu. 20 March 2020.
  4. ↑ "Clear Sports India by BVP Rao". The Hindu. 23 June 2010.
  5. ↑ "Ilaiyaraaja's 'Music School' strikes final note as filming ends". The Times of India . 6 June 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
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