A look into the Life of Kanaka Maha Lakshmi

Kanaka Maha Lakshmi Mulukuduru is 70 years old and always smiling. She lives a happy life filled with devotion, peace, and love for her family.

Lakshmi was born on April 22, 1955, in Bapatla, Andhra Pradesh. She grew up in Vijayawada with two sisters and one brother. She was the oldest, and she remembers her home as full of energy and joy. She loved spending time with her grandmother and says she still does many of the same things today that she did back then.

Lakshmi and her husband

She went to Bishop Azariah High School for a few years, then finished school at Kolavennu Zilla Parishad High School. After 10th grade, she wanted to join a correspondence course through the SSC interview, but she missed the deadline. "I thought I would try next year," she said, "but then my marriage was fixed." After that, she became a housewife.

Lakshmi’s favorite subject in school was Telugu, and her favorite teacher was Jonnavithhula Krishnamurthy, who made the subject even more interesting and fun for her.

Lakshmi and her Bhagavad Gita friends

Even now, Lakshmi loves to listen to devotional songs, reads the Bhagavad Gita, and visits many temples. She also teaches others about the Bhagavad Gita, which makes her happy.

She has visited many places, but says her favorite place is Mysore, because of its beautiful temples. Her face lights up when she talks about the peaceful feeling she gets there. When someone is upset or angry, she gives simple advice.

"Take a break, be quiet for 10 minutes, and do something else to feel better."

She also does this herself whenever she feels stressed.

Lakshmi is very proud of her two grandchildren who live in London. Her older grandson is studying mechanical engineering in Manchester, and the younger one is in 8th grade. She talks about them with a big smile. Lakshmi currently lives in Hyderabad.

Lakshmi says she never had any big problems in life and always tried to be kind to others. She had a few good friends in school and still talks to them.

Her advice to kids today is

"Study well, help your parents, choose good friends, have a goal, and enjoy life."

When asked to describe her life in three words, she said "Cheerful, interesting, and happy."

She couldn’t have picked better words to describe her life.

Written by Madhurima Koutha

Madhurima wrote this article as a participant of the Media-Makers Fellowship's May'25 cohort.