National Award-Winning Teacher

Sri Thotakura
Sai Ramakrishna

He spent forty-two years proving one simple theorem — that no child dislikes mathematics. Only the way it is introduced.

Mathematics Educator·Ganita Avadhani·Gazetted Headmaster·Author·Mentor
Sri Thotakura Sai Ramakrishna
42 years of service · 1984 – 2026
Scroll
42

Years of teaching.

A lifetime of influence. From a village classroom in 1984 to the President of India's dais — and back to the classroom, every single day.

42
1984 — 2026, by the numbers
0Years of service
0Years as Gazetted Headmaster
0+Innovative magic squares
0+Ganita Avadhanam demonstrations
BooksAuthored & contributed to
National
Award
Presented by the President of India
Life story

The son of a tailor, who taught a region not to fear numbers.

Sri Thotakura Sai Ramakrishna was born on 4 June 1964 in Pedabrahmadevam, in the Godavari region of Andhra Pradesh, to Late Sri Thotakura Suryanarayana and Late Smt. Thotakura Nagamani — whose values, discipline and spiritual outlook shaped his early life.

Armed over the years with an M.A., M.Sc., M.Phil. and B.Ed. — qualifications earned alongside a working career — he entered the teaching profession in 1984 at the age of twenty. What began as a village classroom posting grew into one of the region's most distinguished educational careers: classroom teacher, mathematics specialist, resource person, textbook author, and finally Gazetted Headmaster of PM SHRI Municipal High School, Samalkot.

He believes education should remove fear from learning, develop discipline and curiosity, and make every learner feel capable. Among the many who encouraged him along the way, one friendship stands apart: Sri N. Sesha Reddy, a friend and mentor since 1984.

  • 1984

    Enters teaching at twenty — guiding students from confusion to clarity, from hesitation to confidence.

  • 1988

    Marries Smt. Gangabhavani on 1 April — his partner through every chapter since.

  • 1997

    School Assistant in Mathematics. The deep work begins: magic squares, mental mathematics, non-routine problems.

  • 2004

    State Best Teacher Award, conferred by Chief Minister Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy.

    Receiving the State Best Teacher Award from Chief Minister Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, 2004
  • 2009

    Promoted Gazetted Headmaster, Grade II. Seventeen years of institution-building follow.

  • 2015National honour

    National Award to Teachers — presented by the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, on Teachers' Day, 5 September 2016.

    Receiving the National Award to Teachers from the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee
  • 2018

    State Excellence Recognition, conferred by Chief Minister Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu.

    Receiving the State Excellence Recognition from Chief Minister Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu, 2018
  • 2026

    Retires in June after forty-two years. An official role concludes; the work of a teacher does not.

KnowledgeLearning never stops.
DisciplineConsistency builds progress.
InnovationOld subjects, fresh ways.
ServiceEducation must improve lives.
HumilityStudents matter more than awards.
π

"A student does not dislike mathematics naturally. The student dislikes the way it is introduced."

His life's conviction
The Mathemagician

His birth date is a magic square.

4 June 1964 → 4 · 6 · 19 · 64. Keep scrolling — every row, column and diagonal adds to the same number.

Scroll to reveal each line

Now try your own date.

For decades he turned birthdays and wedding days into magic squares before live audiences — one of over five hundred he has created. Enter any date, and his date-square method builds yours.

Mathematics as a language of curiosity
500+

Magic squares

His most recognised work — grids built from dates and numbers where every line quietly agrees on one sum. Mathematics made visual, creative and enjoyable instead of abstract and intimidating.

200+

Ganita Avadhanam demonstrations

Across schools, colleges and public venues — magic squares, number patterns, mental calculation and non-routine problem-solving, performed with a showmanship that earned him the name Mathemagician.

Teacher of teachers

Resource person for state textbook committees, teacher-training workshops across the region, and a mentor to educators in making mathematics approachable for every learner.

The summit

5 September 2016.
The President's dais.

Receiving the National Award to Teachers 2015 from the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, on 5 September 2016

National Award to Teachers — 2015

Presented by the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, on Teachers' Day — one of the highest recognitions a school teacher in India can receive.

2002

District-Level Service Award

For dedicated service and contribution to education at the district level.

2003

District Best Teacher Award

For excellence in teaching, student guidance and professional commitment.

2004

State Best Teacher Award

Conferred by the Government of undivided Andhra Pradesh during the tenure of Chief Minister Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy.

2015

National Award to TeachersNational honour

Presented by the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, on Teachers' Day, 5 September 2016.

2018

State Excellence Recognition

Conferred by the Government of Andhra Pradesh during the tenure of Chief Minister Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu.

2025

National Mentor — Mathematics

Selected under a national mentoring initiative in mathematics education, in recognition of a career spent making the subject approachable.

Further recognitions include the Kandukuri Veeresalingam Pantulu Memorial Award, institutional and international best-teacher honours, and numerous felicitations by District Collectors, District Educational Officers and public representatives.

Receiving the State Excellence Recognition from Chief Minister Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu, 2018
2018 · Felicitated by Chief Minister Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu
Books, leadership & service

Work that reached far
beyond his classroom.

Sarada Sarada Ganitham

A mathematics resource written to make learning enjoyable, engaging and less intimidating — mathematics as play, not punishment.

Non-Routine Problems

A collection designed to develop logical reasoning and deeper problem-solving — thinking beyond the memorised method.

Textbook contributions

Writer and resource person for mathematics textbooks for Classes 3, 4 and 5, Class 10 guidance material, and APOSS (Open School) mathematics.

Public examination guidance

Study material and systematic preparation support for students facing Class 10 public examinations.

Seventeen years of headmastership

Schools that were academically focused, disciplined, student-friendly and teacher-supportive — led with personal involvement, not paperwork alone.

Education beyond the classroom

Free academic guidance for CEEP/Polytechnic, APRJC and DSC aspirants — knowledge extended to those without access to costly coaching — alongside community service.

"A headmaster should not lead only from an office. He should be visible in classrooms, corridors, staff discussions and student development."

His leadership principle
Family

The foundation behind the journey.

Sri Sai Ramakrishna with Smt. Gangabhavani
With Smt. Gangabhavani, married 1 April 1988

With Smt. Gangabhavani beside him since 1988, he watched his two sons grow and flourish — Sri Siva Surya Teja Thotakura, a CAT topper and IIM Calcutta alumnus with a seasoned career in startup leadership, and Sri Abhishek Thotakura, an IIM Mumbai alumnus and supply-chain professional — both married and settled, with families of their own.

He ends his career a grandfather four times over, a teacher of teachers, and a man who did exactly what he set out to do: he made mathematics a thing to love, not fear.

In their words

The measure of a teacher.

Sir made mathematics feel possible. He did not simply teach us how to solve problems — he taught us how to approach problems without fear.— A student
Contact & invitations

Invite him to speak.

For educational programmes, mathematics workshops, interviews or felicitation events:

  • Making mathematics enjoyable
  • Magic squares & mathematical patterns
  • Lessons from 42 years in education
  • Building student confidence
  • Leadership beyond administration
  • The role of teachers in society

Location
Samalkot, Kakinada District,
Andhra Pradesh, India

Powered by Web3Forms — free, no server required. Add your access key once and messages arrive by email.