Life Story of Philanthropist Malladi Satyalingam Naicker

Rags to riches life story of a self-made illiterate Educationalist and Philanthropist Malladi Satya Lingam Naicker is truly an inspiring one. He was born in the 1840s in a small village called Coringa, 20 km away from Kakinada, East Godavari District. Though Satyalingam's ancestors were rich, their business came to an end during Satyalingam's father's tenure. 

Having lost his father when he was quite young, his childhood was filled with troubles. With the help of Karri Narayana Swamy, his maternal uncle, Satyalingam and his mother found shelter. Narayana Swamy joined him in a school, but Satyalingam escaped attending classes and played with other truants in his area. Satyalingam learned that his uncle’s ship was being fitted to set sail to Mullein in Burma and requested him to arrange a job for him in the ship. Narayana Swamy accepted the request and welcomed boy Satyalingam. But the situations were not well with other co-workers in the ship. Satyalingam escaped from the ship when the ship has reached its destination. The captain, with the help of shipmates, searched for the boy but all in vain. The helpless widow, his mother, while waiting for the boy, died of a broken heart.

Satyalingam could get a small job in a country boat and fortunately, he found Telugu persons in the ship and had a great time with them for five years till he turned twenty. Soon enough, Satyalingam’s brain explored other business opportunities and moved to Rangoon for his new venture. Within four years, he became the owner of four boats and took up contract business as well. He began to do well in his business and accumulated lakhs of rupees.

He got married to a woman at the request of his relatives when he was on a trip to Coringa and went back to Rangoon. But his wife died after some years and Satyalingam adopted a boy known as Sri Subrahmanyam Naicker.

Malladi Satyalingam Naicker

Satyalingam has had great plans to serve for his motherland, to build educational institutions, to construct temples and to feed needy people. But fate had other plans as he passed away on the 29^th of January, 1915 at Rangoon even before his dreams come into shape.

After his death, as per the will wrote by Satyalingam, MSN Charities has been established by a Board of Trustees. He bequeathed about eight lakh rupees for the construction and maintenance of schools, to provide financial assistance for foreign, higher, and technical education to poor children, to construct temples, and for feeding poorly. He donated about thousand acres for charity.

MSN Elementary School was established in 1919, High School was established in 1946, the first Andhra Polytechnic institution in Andhra Pradesh was established in 1946, Veda Patashala established in 1954, Junior college was established in 1969, Degree College was established in 1971 and about 40 acres were donated for the establishment of Andhra University Post Graduation Centre, which is now named as M S N Adikavi Nannaya University PG Centre.

 

Some lakhs of students got benefited since the inception of these Educational Institutions and are still getting. The illiterate Satyalingam is the reason for the wisdom of some lakhs students today. This was all possible only because of his big heart, thought-provoking missions and kindness.

Prominent personalities including Dr. Sarvepalli Radha Krishna visited these institutions. Sri Suri Bhagavantham, Vice-Chancellor of Osmania University and later Scientific Advisor of Ministry of Defence, Government of India visited the MSN Charities Institution and said "Satya Lingam Naicker is to the Telugu Country what Panchaippa and Changal Naroya are to the Tamil Nadu".