Painting Culture, Inspiring Minds: The Story of a Teacher’s Artistic Mission

Step inside the Zilla Parishad High School at Jonnavalasa, and you will be greeted not by blank walls, but by a riot of colour and creativity. From vivid depictions of tribal life to scientific concepts rendered in paint, every mural here tells a story—and the storyteller is not a visiting artist, but the school’s own drawing teacher, Rejeti Karunakara Rao.

Working on a contractual basis under Samagra Shiksha Abhiyaan, Rao has gone far beyond the call of duty. His paintings, a unique blend of realistic, abstract, and modern styles, not only beautify the school but also serve as visual learning tools. “I believe a picture is one of the most powerful mediums to raise awareness,” he tells The Coastal Times. “That’s why I began painting these walls—not just to make the school look beautiful, but to inspire learning and preserve our cultural heritage.”

Art runs in Rao’s blood. Born into a family with a strong artistic inclination, he inherited his first brushes from his father, Surayya, an amateur artist. “My father taught me that a brush can be a tool for both beauty and change,” Rao recalls. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts from JNTU, Hyderabad, and joined as a drawing teacher in 2004. Over the years, he has evolved into a contemporary artist whose works carry both aesthetic appeal and social messages.

Rao’s signature style often draws from daily life in tribal and rural Andhra Pradesh—women carrying pots, farmers ploughing fields, animals in motion, and folklore scenes rich with earthy tones. These works do more than decorate; they preserve the narratives, traditions, and aesthetics of communities that are rapidly changing.

But his creativity doesn’t stop there. The school walls also host murals on mathematics, science, water conservation, history, and the Swachh Bharat mission—turning the corridors into a learning space where concepts leap off the walls. “When children see these visuals every day, they absorb the message without even realising it,” Rao explains.

Beyond Jonnavalasa, his brush has brought life to schools in Narsipuram, VT Agraharam, and Kondakarakam. His work has been showcased in solo and group exhibitions across Andhra Pradesh, and he has been honoured with state-level awards including the Icon Award and Rashtra Kalanidhi Award.

Perhaps most remarkably, Rao’s work saves public money. “By creating the paintings myself, I help avoid the costs of hiring outside decorators,” he says, noting that this frees up resources for other school needs.

In an age where Artificial Intelligence can generate realistic digital art in seconds, Rao stands firmly by the handmade tradition. “AI can create images, but I believe the human hand with a brush creates magic that no software can match,” he says with conviction.

Rao is passionate about giving art a permanent place in schools. “I hope every school has a full-time drawing teacher. Children today are full of creativity—they just need early guidance and techniques,” he says. “If we catch their interest young, we can nurture not only artists, but thinkers and problem-solvers.”

For the students of Jonnavalasa, a walk through school is now a walk through a gallery—one where science meets tradition, and where history lives on in colour. For Rao, it is proof that a school can be more than just classrooms; it can be a living, breathing canvas.

“I want to create more works on tribal and rural culture so the younger generation never forgets their roots,” he says, his eyes lighting up with the thought of the next mural. In his hands, a paintbrush is more than a tool—it is a bridge between the past and the future.