‘The Woman’

When Impossible says "I am possible", it only means Jyothi Reddy. The never give up attitude, hard work, perseverance, determination, diligence are all words describing her. She is the living example of will power. The journey of her success started at a very early age.

Jyothi Reddy was born in 1970 in Narasimhula Gudem in Hanumakonda mandal, Warangal District, Currently in Telangana. She was eldest to four out of five girl children of her parents. Due to the family attachment, her father left the job at Army. But she inherited the military attitude of her father. It was difficult for everybody to survive in worst financial conditions. So she was admitted to ‘Bala Sadan’, a government orphanage, as a motherless child, though her mother was alive and well.

From class 5th to 10th, she stayed in the orphanage living a recluse life. Every day she missed her family. Especially in the winters when the blankets provided would be torn and tattered. But, she was determined enough to pass class 10th with 1st division. She was unable to continue her education because of her family and came back home.

In a country like India where girls are treated as a burden, it was no different for Jyothi. At the tender age of 16, she was forced to marry her distant cousin. By age 18, she became a mother of two girls. Even there her family’s financial position was not good. She persuaded her husband and mother-in-law to allow her to work in agriculture field. She worked for Rs. 5 per day as an agricultural labour. From 1986 to 1989, she was in the same profession, until she heard of the government scheme of ‘Nehru Yuva Kendra (NYK)’ starting a night school for illiterate adults. Being the only educated person available, she started working for NYK. She started earning Rs.120 a month.

Her determination and unique method of teaching impressed the higher authorities of the program. She was promoted as Mandal Prerak (District Auxiliary) of Hanumakonda."In those days, Rs. 120 was a lot of money for me. I could at least buy fruit and milk for my children. Next, I worked as a National Service Volunteer for Rs 200 a month," she said, in an interview with the Times of India.

Jyothi also told the newspaper that despite her husband’s disapproval, she moved out of the village, Mailaran, with her children and went to Hanumkonda town. She joined a typing institute, did a craft course and earned Rs. 20-25 daily by stitching petticoats at Re 1 per piece. She also got a job as the librarian at Janasikshana Nilayam and joined an open school where she would go every Sunday to continue her studies.

In 1992, she was appointed as a special teacher at Ameenpet, 70 km from Warangal. The journey was costing more than her salary. So she started selling sarees in train for a little extra income. Her hard work paid off and finally she got a regular job in 1994 with a monthly salary of Rs. 2,750. She worked as Mandal Girl Child Development Officer and would inspect the schools. But she was not earning enough to raise her two girls.

She noticed the differences in her and her cousin's lifestyle who came from the US in 1998. Then Mrs. Anil Jyothi Reddy took a big step. She learned software from VLC institute, Hyderabad. She took a long leave from her job, got her passport and H1 Visa ( H-1 visa is required if you are going to the United States to perform services in a pre-arranged professional job) ready and moved to the US, leaving her two daughters at a missionary hostel. The brave and bold woman stayed there as a paying guest for a Guajarati family. She worked in a shop at $60 for 12 hours.

She then joined a company called CS America as a recruiter with an aid of a close relative. But soon she left the job so that she can start something of her own. Later she visited Mexico for stamping. Already familiar with the paperwork involved in visa processing, she thought of starting her own company. With her savings of $40000, she opened an office in Phoenix. She has been successfully running her company KEYSS (Key Software Solutions) since then.

Joythi Reddy is one of the most successful women. Her daughters are engineering graduate, married and based in the US. From her experiences in life she has learned a lot. Whenever she visits India she goes to old age homes and orphanages to provide alms and donations. She has partnered with NGOs like Prajadharana Welfare Society, MV Foundation and Child Rights Advocacy Forum (CRAF) and has formed a Pressure Group Force for Orphan Rights and Community Empowerment (FORCE) and many more.

She once said, "I want to tell women to be economically independent and take their own decisions instead of depending on their fathers, husbands and sons at various stages in life. They keep educational degrees as mere certificates and stop working after marriage unlike in the US. Be the master of your fate and remember, taking care of children is a part of life, but not a life,"